Violin Lessons in Oakland, NJ

Instruments: Piano Violin Cello Viola Electric Violin Fiddle

My teaching experience dates back to my college days, as I began teaching private lessons part time 8 years ago, and have been consistently teaching students in my home studio for the last 5 years. Encouraging regular practice on a consistent schedule is one of the key points I like to emphasize for younger students, as it tends to help the student progress and gain a passion for the instrument. I've also found that a combination of classical and modern music can go a long way in helping students enjoy the piano and motivate them to practice and continue to learn. Read More

Instruments: Violin Cello Viola Double Bass

For beginners, I typically start with Suzuki and/or Strictly Strings, though for bass players I tend to move towards Vance/SS instead. Once the fundamentals are understood, then we begin to start more technical exercises and start to prepare solo repertoire. For students who are more experienced or older, I try to see what specifically they are interested in and incorporate that into our work. I emphasize how important proper posture and playing position is, as more advanced techniques would be hard to do without proper posture and could even cause pain later on. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Violin

I have two Masters degrees in music and am a conductor as well. I am passionate when performing and when teaching.  I prefer teaching singing and I have performed opera and oratorio as well as folk music, Broadway, and a little Pop! My brother is a Country Singer. My daughter is a Soprano atManhattan School of Music. I specialize in ease of sining, acting, beautiful tone, excitement of performance, overcoming nervousness, projection, dynamic variance, voice color control, how to make wise choices in tone. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Cello Viola

For beginning students, I typically start with the Suzuki Method while combining it with the Essential Elements Method. As the student learns the fundamentals I gradually add scales and exercises to further develop the student's technique. After further progress, I begin to introduce solo repertoire and add other pieces. I'm fairly flexible on what pieces the student may play in the lessons, as long as the rudiments and classic repertoire are covered. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola

The best part about teaching is seeing students grow as musicians and develop their own musical style and instincts. I try to teach in a way that highlights how, often, improvements can be made instantly, but on the other side, how hard work and diligent practice lead to growth over time. While learning violin or viola, students should be physically comfortable (because the instrument is very awkward at first!), and they should feel able to ask questions and receive expert explanations. Read More

Instruments: Violin

My teaching philosophy centers around the goal of my students developing control of their own learning by becoming independent thinkers, problem solving on their own, and understanding critical methods for effective practice and successful performance. I guide this process by asking questions, offering suggestions, and ultimately steering students towards an ownership of their choices. As a result, they are able to maximize their practice time during the week as they become better analysts of their own playing from both a global and detailed perspective. Read More