Violin & Viola Lessons
In-Home, Online & In-StudioI am a retired teacher living in the Triangle, NC.
Please make use of the information I provide from my experience as a teacher.
Violin & Viola Lessons
In-Home, Online & In-StudioLessons starting from $25
In-home available in Cary, Morrisville, and Apex
Guide to Renting & Buying Beginner Violins & Violas
Everything parents and new students need to know
4 Times to Rent Instead of Buy
We’ll answer the question of whether to rent or buy at first
3 Tips to Enjoy Renting
Who to rent from and how long to rent for
How Much Do You Need to Spend?
We’ll talk shop on cost and what is an appropriate amount for where you are at
4 Ways to Buy Affordably
A comprehensive buying guide that covers the how-to’s of retail shopping.
6 Steps to Safely Buying Used
A comprehensive buying guide that covers the how-to’s of secondhand shopping.
Supplies for Beginner Violin and Viola Students
All the basics your student will need when getting started on the violin or viola.
Reviews and Things
2024’s Best: Franz Hoffmann Violin & Viola Outfit Review
Shar’s Franz Hoffmann beginner violin and viola outfits are currently the best outfits around. Here’s why.
Best Wall Decoration 2024: Mendini 500+92D Violin by Cecilio
Overview The Mendini 500+92D beginner violin by Cecilio is a worthy inclusion on any list of products that make great wall decorations. It is a very pretty thing to look at. If you are purely looking for a decorative violin shaped object that will never be played,...
Top 8 Gift Ideas for Violin and Viola Students
It is that time of year again! Or maybe it isn't and you are reading this in the middle of summer for someone's birthday. Either way, gifts are needed and a student violin or viola player is the intended recipient. What do you do? Below are a list of top...
Gliga Review: 2024’s Classic Beginner Violin & Viola Maker
Overview Gliga Violins has been in business for some 30 years now, making beginner instruments in Romania and shipping them to students all over the world. Their violins and violas are known for having a darker, richer tone than many other beginner violin and viola...
Great for One Thing – Fiddlerman Carbon Fiber Bow Review
Lots to say about the $70 Fiddlerman Carbon Fiber violin bow, but I will cut to the quick. This bow is perfect for one particular kind of person: beginner beginners (no, that was not a typo). Intermediate beginners, advanced beginners, and musicians would be well...
Violin & Viola Strings and Things According to your Budget
A brief run down of what kind of violin and viola strings, bows, cases and rosins you should buy according to the budget you are trying to work within.
About Me
I am vaccinated!
About
What I would most like to teach you are how to practice the violin and develop good technique (in a way that isn't overbearing); how to feel the violin, not just play it; and how to find your own voice on the instrument and play you 🙂 I am patient, kind, and tolerant and don't make demands of my students. Instead, I take each student where they are at and help them move along on the violin/viola at their own pace.
Music is a powerful gift for those who are able to create it. It is a gift both to the creator and to the people who get to witness and listen in on the creative process (although maybe not on day one...). How I show up for you or your child as the teacher can either build that sense of connection to the instrument and music or utterly ruin it for a lifetime. I try to show up in ways that build.
Teaching Style
Relaxed but focussed. My job is to teach you how to learn the technique; your job is to then go and learn it (by practicing, of course). It is not my job to drill the technique into you or your child. That is a great recipe for ruining a person's love of an instrument and music, and I would never want to do that to you or your child.
To that end, lessons keep a balance between structure and flow. Lessons do have structure and there are things we will try to move through each week; however, I only keep them as rigid as they need to be (for example, to keep from spending an entire lesson on getting one thing right). If something is challenging for you or your child, we'll take a little extra time for it. If you or your child just need to talk or ask some questions, I always have a couple of minutes for that, too.
Lessons are also interactive. I like to ask questions, answer questions, and check in to see where you or your child are at with what we are working on and how they feel about continuing to work on it.
Lastly, after the lesson, you or your child have to go and practice! A part of the art of practicing the violin/viola is understanding the value of doing a little bit everyday over trying to do a lot at once. I have my own practice sheet I have developed (based on my own experience learning the violin) to help you or your student keep your practice sessions organized and productive.
And then, you go and play! 🙂
Curriculum
Starting the violin is a slow process and I have learned that skipping steps or skimping on steps just costs time later down the road. To that end, the first several months are spent helping the student learn how to hold the bow properly, bow straight, position their lefthand, and correctly place their fingers. When the student is ready, we then work through Essential Elements Book 1 to help them learn how to read music and start to get familiar with the basics of playing the violin.
Beyond Essential Elements, I use the Royal Conservatory of Music’s guidelines and materials, which are designed to cary a student through to professional levels of play, along with other helpful materials like Schradieck finger exercises and Essentials for Strings. A rough outline of what I work on from Preparatory to Level 2 can be found below. I lace all of my lessons with basic music theory, as well, to help the student develop their language and intellectual music skills.
For music, my first priority has and always will be to help the student play the music they want to play. I have a fairly robust library of songs and pieces suitable for beginner players and am able to find and prepare beginner-friendly versions of songs students want to learn. This has included arranging duets for 2 violins or violin and viola when siblings or friends want to play together.
Once a student has reached RCM Level 1 (1st or 2nd year of play), and if they seem like they would be a good fit for it, I do offer group lessons. In group lessons, we play with sound (exploring chords, intervals, minor vs major, chord progressions, etc) and learn how to play in a group (how to listen, how to follow, what to do when we get lost, etc).
Rough Outline of Learning
Preparatory
Proper bowhold
Proper left-hand setup
Bowing straight
D & A major scales & arpeggios
Level 1
Further work on bowhold
Straight bows with whole bow
Double Stops and elemental bow control
Further development of the left hand
RCM Grade 1 scales & arpeggios
Rhythm, counting and the metronome
Level 2
Developing a more flexible wrist
Next level of elemental bow control
Further developing left hand, increasing speed
Introduction to Vibrato
RCM Grade 2 scales & arpeggios
Double stops with the left hand
Credentials & Affiliations
2019-2021 Carolina School of Music
2019-2020 Xylem (artist)
2015-2020 Durham Farmer’s Market
2008-2010 A Post War Drama (band)
2004-2005 Valdosta Symphony Orchestra (2nd violin)
1996-2003 North Gwinnett Middle/High School Orchestra (1st violin)
College-level music theory and jazz improvisation classes