TEACHING

COLLEGE Violin teaching

I believe that teaching must always be geared towards the individual student, and don't believe in a "system" that must be applied equally to each student, regardless of their musical, technical, or personal needs.

That being said, I grew up in the Galamian tradition, and seek to impart the good playing habits I learned from my teachers in this tradition to my own students.

Good fundamentals are extremely important in violin playing, when looking to build a strong, secure foundation for learning more advanced repertoire. These include a balanced, flexible bow hold, proper position of the instrument relative to the body, and knowledge of good bow distribution, among other items.

I hold students to the same standards on these basics, whether they are a 5-year-old beginner or a senior violin major in college working on major concerti.

SUZUKI TEACHING

(FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS)

For younger students (ages 5+), I teach using the Suzuki approach. Many of today's most famous violinists got their start on Suzuki (Hilary Hahn, Leila Josefowicz, Ray Chen, etc.), but the focus of Shinichi Suzuki's philosophy in teaching was not to produce professional musicians. His maxim was "beautiful tone, beautiful heart". Also referred to as the "Mother Tongue Approach", Suzuki's method involves teaching children to play music in the same way they learn to speak their native tongue, with daily immersion in listening to recordings of violin music they are learning (and will be learning in the future), delayed introduction of note-reading until the child is comfortable with basic posture and technique (bow hold, violin hold, tone production), and emphasis on learning by ear, especially in the earliest stages. The parent, notably, doubles as a "home teacher" and helps to reinforce concepts explored in the lesson with the teacher. I encourage all prospective Suzuki families to read Suzuki's wonderful book, "Nurtured by Love", to become acquainted with his ideas and plan for learning.