What Can I Expect During Music Lessons?

My beginner-level students take weekly 30-minute lessons (20-minutes for very young children), which consist of some combination of:

A) Fundamental skills such as bow control and excellent intonation

B) A piece of music that is still a work in progress, which often includes new techniques

C) Practicing performing music they already know well, especially if they are getting ready for an upcoming studio recital performance

D) Advanced techniques that need to be first practiced in isolation, such as shifting or vibrato (for more advanced students).

Stringed instruments are a challenge, and require an excellent foundation of fundamental techniques in order to play. In order to solidify these skills, consistent practice at home outside of lesson time is essential for success. An important part of my teaching philosophy is to teach my students how to be their own teacher - how to break things down, problem solve, and drill techniques as we would during a lesson.

Daily practice is essential for solidifying knowledge, and quality repetitions that replicate what we worked on during the weekly lesson are the key to progress, and making what was once difficult, easy.

Suzuki Lessons:

In almost all cases, my beginner students learn the Suzuki Violin Volume 1 + 2 repertoire sequentially. I have a great deal of experience teaching this music, and find the pacing (only one small new thing added at a time) to be very effective. Although I have Suzuki teacher training, I don't strictly follow the "Suzuki Method" per se, as I find it very useful to teach students to read music early on.