Violin Lessons in El Cerrito, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Viola Ukulele Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

'm here to motivate and inspire. There is no one right approach to learning music and I'm adept at understanding how each individual learns. I can help to formulate and achieve goals or simply offer an expressive outlet that is safe, enlightening and encouraging. I offer mentorship and help with choices, in a professional or recreational capacity, within the music and entertainment fields. I facilitate the most enjoyable approach to practice so my students develop skills, confidence and a love of music. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola Electric Violin Fiddle

For my beginning students, I start out with a mixture of my own exercises, as well as basic songs using open strings, string crossings and rhythms, before moving to songs with basic fingerwork on one string (scale plus rhythm based). I usually supplement this beginning process with Essential Elements, before intruducing the Suzuki Method Book 1, Doflein Method Book 1, and rhythmic exercises from the Kodaly method. For my intermediate students, I use a mixture of Galamian bowing technique, emphasis on etudes and position work, Suzuki method, Barbara Barber scales and rep. books, and level-appropriate classical literature, combined with solo repetoire of the student's interest/choosing. Read More

Instruments: Violin

I am pretty new at teaching the violin. I have been playing for eleven years and for most of that time I have been taking private lessons. When teaching I can draw off my own experiences as a student and try to replicate those results. I do hope that you can bear with me as I am new. I am willing to learn and get better at teaching. Read More

Instruments: Violin

I would first begin with scales and just focus on getting the correct hand placements. After maybe one or two lessons with focusing on scales, we will then begin with Suzuki books. These books are great for getting the kids more familiar with music and also put their scale practicing to the test. Of course, the scales will still be continued however as the student progresses, we will focus less on scales and put our attention more on various classical music pieces. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Cello Viola Bass Guitar Organ Ukulele Electric Violin Music Keyboard Electric Guitar

Music is something that takes time to understand. It clicks in some students, but most kids take a while to develop musically. Patience is the most pronounced characteristic in my teaching style. It's easy to tell the student what they're doing wrong and what to correct, but that doesn't mean it's the most effective practice. Some kids will get nervous and make the same mistake over and over again. This is where it's important to use positive reinforcement and give the student time and space to be able to understand their mistake and fix it. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola

For beginning students, we always start with how to hold the instrument, parts of the instrument and string names, and then begin playing open strings. This may take a few lessons. Placing the left hand fingers is usually the last step before playing an A scale and then Twinkle. Setting a foundation is more important than going quickly, so many of my students spend a number of months on Twinkle before starting to move more quickly with Lightly Row. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Viola Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I began teaching private lessons part-timewhen I was still in high school on Long Island. I have taught in elementary day care in the early 1990's and taught in public schools elementary general music and chorus, beginning instrumental music at the elementary level, as well as middle school orchestra in the San Lorenzo Unified School District. After a vocal chord injury, I left the public schools to create my indie record label, produce new projects and allow healing. Read More