How old were you when you first learned to play an instrument? There was a lot of singing and music in my house growing up, so in a way I was always making music, but my first lessons were on piano when I was four! I don’t remember much about them, but my favorite part was that in the last five minutes my teacher would give me a mini drum lesson on his drum kit. Funny enough, I didn’t stick with either instrument; I stopped music lessons for a few years, then picked up the violin when I was about seven, and I’ve been playing ever since.
What instruments do you play now?
Several! My main instrument is still violin, and I also sing professionally. In addition, I play viola, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and piano. My primary musical focus right now is on composition and songwriting, though I still perform regularly on the violin.
What is your goal for your students?
In any given lesson, my goal is that my student has fun and feels empowered, and that they walk away with the tools to be better at their instrument next week. In the long term, I want my students to develop a broad set of skills that they can take to whatever they might want to do in the future. Especially with young students, many of them might take violin lessons at first, then join band or chorus when they get to middle or high school, and their interests might move in other directions. Because of this, I try to teach a mix of instrument-specific skills, and more general skills like sight reading, music analysis, listening, learning by ear, singing along, and so on. I also try to teach in a way that helps my students with their focus and ability to problem solve while learning skills, and this can be an area where I see the first big improvements after starting lessons. What I love about teaching music is that it’s so generally enriching, even if the student doesn’t end up continuing with music (though I love it when they do)!
What is your best advice to students who want to learn a new instrument or improve their playing?
Of course the obvious things to say here would be “practice regularly,” and “have fun,” both of which are very important. Something I think is just as important, but is not always talked about, is to listen regularly. When learning to hold an instrument and read music, it’s easy to forget that music is ultimately something you hear, and learning it is actually a lot like learning a language. Yes, being able to read it is a big part of the process, but hearing it around you, especially during childhood, makes such a difference. I like to teach from the Suzuki books, which have CDs and recordings of all the pieces, and it’s so rewarding to see my students’ progress when they incorporate listening at home, even if it’s just having the CD playing in a parent’s car. I also say this as a professional musician very aware of the fact that almost all the musicians I collaborate with now are people whose parents were playing a lot of music in the house when they were growing up; I know I was listening to Vivaldi, Miles Davis, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and more! This doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with not listening to a lot of music; most of my students don’t! I only say this to illustrate that, even if a career in music isn’t the goal, any amount of listening gives you a real advantage in learning it.
What do you do outside of music?
To be honest, not a lot! I learned the rules of chess as an adult, and I play almost everyday for fun. I’ve only lived in New England for a few years, so I also love going on day trips to get to know the area when I have the chance. But really between teaching, playing, and writing music, that’s what most of my day to day is focused around.
What instruments do you play now?
Several! My main instrument is still violin, and I also sing professionally. In addition, I play viola, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and piano. My primary musical focus right now is on composition and songwriting, though I still perform regularly on the violin.
What is your goal for your students?
In any given lesson, my goal is that my student has fun and feels empowered, and that they walk away with the tools to be better at their instrument next week. In the long term, I want my students to develop a broad set of skills that they can take to whatever they might want to do in the future. Especially with young students, many of them might take violin lessons at first, then join band or chorus when they get to middle or high school, and their interests might move in other directions. Because of this, I try to teach a mix of instrument-specific skills, and more general skills like sight reading, music analysis, listening, learning by ear, singing along, and so on. I also try to teach in a way that helps my students with their focus and ability to problem solve while learning skills, and this can be an area where I see the first big improvements after starting lessons. What I love about teaching music is that it’s so generally enriching, even if the student doesn’t end up continuing with music (though I love it when they do)!
What is your best advice to students who want to learn a new instrument or improve their playing?
Of course the obvious things to say here would be “practice regularly,” and “have fun,” both of which are very important. Something I think is just as important, but is not always talked about, is to listen regularly. When learning to hold an instrument and read music, it’s easy to forget that music is ultimately something you hear, and learning it is actually a lot like learning a language. Yes, being able to read it is a big part of the process, but hearing it around you, especially during childhood, makes such a difference. I like to teach from the Suzuki books, which have CDs and recordings of all the pieces, and it’s so rewarding to see my students’ progress when they incorporate listening at home, even if it’s just having the CD playing in a parent’s car. I also say this as a professional musician very aware of the fact that almost all the musicians I collaborate with now are people whose parents were playing a lot of music in the house when they were growing up; I know I was listening to Vivaldi, Miles Davis, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and more! This doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with not listening to a lot of music; most of my students don’t! I only say this to illustrate that, even if a career in music isn’t the goal, any amount of listening gives you a real advantage in learning it.
What do you do outside of music?
To be honest, not a lot! I learned the rules of chess as an adult, and I play almost everyday for fun. I’ve only lived in New England for a few years, so I also love going on day trips to get to know the area when I have the chance. But really between teaching, playing, and writing music, that’s what most of my day to day is focused around.
