Violin Lessons in De Forest, WI

Instruments: Violin

I like to teach with the music from the Suzuki books and then the Bach Sonatas and Partitas, out of an interest in teaching with actual music as opposed to scales or etudes, but I also introduce repertoire from outside those books, and isolate sections of standard violin repertoire for learning. This has the advantage of always keeping music in our ears as we play (by this I mean, we do not lose the sound of music in the sound of the violin as I feel can happen in overtly technical exercise), which is essential to growing an authentic relationship to one's sound and, by extension, to learning new ways to improving one's sound. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Cello Viola Bass Guitar Synthesizer Recorder Electric Violin Double Bass Conga Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe

My teaching style is very involved and incorporates playing for the student, playing with the student, and having the student play on their own. Creating a safe environment where the student is comfortable making mistakes is vital, because making mistakes is a vital component to learning how to play an instrument. I take each student at their own pace and cultivate growth through technical mechanics of the instrument as well as philosophical ideals about what it means to be a musician. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola Mandolin Electric Violin Fiddle

For beginners, I recommend the first two Suzuki books as they are a useful way of learning basic technique with a simple, song-by-song approach. For intermediate to advanced students, I utilize scales and etudes from Schradiek and Jacob Dont, and strongly recommend that they look into the six sonatas and partitas for solo violin by J.S. Bach. It is absolutely important for a professional musician to have good technique, including intonation, extreme agility with the right hand, and good tone production overall, and these are the three things which my methods focus on primarily. Read More