Viola Lessons in Smithtown, NY

Instruments: Violin Viola Electric Violin

My approach to teaching is to share my love for music with my students. I will allow students to go at their own pace, and set realistic goals and expectations. I like to focus on intonation heavily, as anything other than excellent intonation is not good playing, in the words of a former instructor. I also encourage creative expression in my students, and will often ask them to try different methods of playing a single phrase in order to increase the depth of their musicality. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Viola Saxophone Drums Bass Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Electric Violin Fiddle Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I teach from a flexible curriculum depending on the student's goals and interests. If someone wants to learn technique, music theory, songwriting, how to play Taylor Swift songs, arranging, composing, confidence, et cetera we will work on what is driving them to take lessons and learn! If the student is younger I will provide them with an organized syllabus and “fun” damentals! If they are older, I will help them find a way to stick with the music and accomplish their goals. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola Fiddle Music

My first violin student started with me 9 years ago during my undergraduate studies in Utah. I realized that teaching is much different than performing and started taking classes to be a better instructor. I grew up studying the Suzuki books and have registered Violin Teacher Training Units 1-4 with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. In college, I studied Violin Pedagogy with the esteemed pedagogue Dr. Kasia Sokol-Borup who demonstrated how to enhance the Suzuki method with other styles of teaching. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola

Ever since I started playing viola in the third grade, I have been drawn to performing and teaching music. I am a graduate of the Hartt School, where I was a member of an honors chamber music program, Performance 20-20. Since 2007 I have been a violist in the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and freelance on both viola and violin throughout Connecticut and Westchester County, NY. Chamber music, however, is my number one passion and one of the reasons I love playing and teaching the violin and viola!! Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Cello Viola

I've enjoyed teaching piano, violin and viola students, for the past seventeen years! And what I've generally found is, that it's not how long you practice, but how well. I feel that a student needs to be taught how to practice! I travel around Westchester NY and in addition to teaching the instrument, I encourage students to compose their own original pieces. I am a published composer and many of my music videos can be seen on You Tube. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Cello Viola Electric Violin Fiddle

Paganini's 4th Violin Concerto with cadenza which Oleg Rutkovsky composed especially for this event. After competition he was invited to participate in music festival in Rimini, Italy where he shared the stage with such famous musicians as Boris Berezovsky (1st Prize 1990 P.I.Tchaikovsky Piano Competition), Enrico Pace and Evgeny Bushkov (both winners of many international competitions). After one year with State Symphony Capella of Russia where conductor was legendary Gennady Rozhdestvensky and where Oleg performed in section 1st Violins in 1992 he accepted position of Assistant concertmaster of famous Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra and traveled around the globe performing in almost every important music hall including Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York, Royal Albert and Barbican Hall in London, Beethoven Hall in Bonn (Germany), Gewandhaus, Symphony Hall and Suntory Hall in Tokyo and Osaka (Japan), Musikverein Golden Hall  in Vienna and many more. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Viola Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I draw inspiration largely from my Rudolf Steiner-inspired pre-college education and my Carl Orff-inspired higher education. Waldorf/Steiner education "emphasizes the role of imagination in learning, striving to integrate holistically the intellectual, practical, and artistic development of pupils" while the Orff Approach "combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are similar to child's world of play." Read More