Violin Lessons in Madison Park, WA

Instruments: Violin Viola

I have been teaching privately part time for the past 4 years working with students in grades K-12. My main goal in lessons is for my students to not only succeed at a new skill once, but to be confident in their ability to repeat their success in practice at home and at our next lessons. I encourage positive feedback and positive "self-talk" as a means of boosting self-efficacy. I think an important part of learning is goal setting and outlining specific, achievable steps to reach that goal so that progress can be tracked and the process of learning can become less ambiguous. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Viola

I know each student is different in terms of learning style and musical goals. I make it a priority to keep the student's best interest in mind when giving assignments and setting weekly goals for practicing. The most important thing I want to leave the student with is a sense of fascination and appreciation for music. Whether an interest in classical or country music, I can transform any material into a learning opportunity that is fun, educational, and progressive for the student's musical and technical development. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola Electric Violin Fiddle

I focus on posture, theory, and intonation, and once these basics are mastered, the sky's the limit! I've taught a variety of classical music, fiddle music, popular and Disney music, even rock and roll. The thing to remember is that every musical experience will teach a student something, so once we have the basics down, students really get to choose their music that they want to play. Other advanced techniques that we'll work on include shifting, double stops, vibrato, and more. Read More

Instruments: Violin

I'm a passionate music educator who studied Violin Performance at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC before moving to the west coast. I have eight years of teaching experience with students aged 3 and up, and I have played in many orchestras such as the Northwest Symphony Orchestra where I am currently principal second violin, the Santa Cruz Symphony and San Francisco Academy orchestras in California, the Greenville Symphony and South Carolina Philharmonic in my home state, and numerous others. Read More

Instruments: Violin

For beginning students, I typically start with the Essential Elements method book, which introduces the fundamentals in a way that is friendly to all learners, easy to understand, and interesting. Once the students has an understanding of the fundamentals, we will typically move on to Suzuki Book One, supplemented with various other exercises. At this stage, the student is able to give their first recital performance. For intermediate or more experienced students, I will typically find out what the student is interested in and provide solo repertoire based on their interests. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin

Back then I didnt have the skills to play my pieces the way I envisioned them sounding. I didnt get it! Id been taking lessons for years... but I couldnt make my violin sound sad and melancholy or make the piano sound excited or happy. I realized I didnt know how to APPLY all the techniques and skills Id been practicing my whole life! Whats the use of learning something if you cant do anything with it? Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Viola Mandolin Recorder Electric Violin Fiddle

I have been teaching violin for 30 years, starting as a bluegrass and Irish fiddle teacher in a folk music store run by a family of performers who were related to the von Trapps of The Sound of Musicfame. Since then, I have tried to continually grow as a performer, musician, and teacher. I have collected a vast amount of muic and resource materials along the way, so I am able to meet each student's needs--from child-friendly beginning repertoire, holiday music, fiddle tunes and jazz standards, to concertos and orchestral excerpts for youth and college orchestra auditions and beyond! Read More