Cello Lessons in San Jose, CA

Instruments: Cello

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
I teach beginning students primarily from the Hal Leonard Essential Elements book. This book is full of : great pictures of hand positions, music theory lessons, Duet exercises that we can play together, and exercises that progress evenly. For beginning students I like to act as an overall music teacher as well as a cello or violin specific teacher. By peppering in theory and a bit of history, the student can be more knowledgeable about all aspects of the music they are playing and draw lines that facilitate faster learning and better retention. I also have the students play exercises from the Suzuki book. These act as bigger project pieces for them to learn to play for friends and family as they get more comfortable with the instrument.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
I do not come from a family of musicians. My father tells me often of how he was politely asked to leave the church choir. They were not wrong. He still cant carry a tune. My mother, however, would occasionally sing to us and it was pleasant. She played piano a bit in her teens, but quit quickly because she had very bad stage fright. My decision to play the cello was a surprise to everyone in my family! But it wasn't that strange to me. Although my father couldn't hold a tune. He was always listening to music. From Motown to hip-hop to rock and even a little country, my house was always full of music. So even though my family is not musical, there was always a deep love and connection to music.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
I have a bachelor's degree in cello performance, two master's degrees in cello performance and chamber performance, and two post graduate degrees in cello performance. I chose a path of performance late in my undergraduate career. I was initially an music education and composition student, but as I started to receive my first high level instruction on the cello, I fell in love with how the cello worked. I switched to a performance major because I realized that I wanted to teach how to play the cello in a one on one situation as opposed to a large classroom. As a performance major I have learned a wealth of knowledge about the cello that I could only achieve by working closely with established professionals.

When will I start to see results?
The learning curve on cello is different than in instrument like guitar or piano. in the first day you can learn enough to play a simple song like marry had a little lamb, learn how to hold the bow, and how to shape your hands. From there progress can seem a bit slow, since internalizing all of the elements can be a challenge. However, if you practice and follow instructions, you will notice improvements with every practice session. You learn how to create sound and fix your own technique as you progress. You will enjoy your what you are creating while you learn.

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
I find that it is important to practice efficiently. 30 minutes of focused goal driven practice is more useful than 3 hours of unfocused distracted practice. I like to approach each session knowing what I want to accomplish by the end. Set your goal, practice slowly, and pay attention to every detail. Does it sound the way you want it to? Why? How do I fix it? those are the questions we should be asking when we practice. Practice is the refining of ideas, working on free throws, running routes. I find it useful to dedicate time to improvising and playing for fun, if that is your goal, but to make the practice time very concentrated and personal.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
My parents were very active in getting me into extra-curricular activities. I was in tennis lesson, city league basketball, soccer, art classes, acting camps, swimming lessons, golf class, wrestling, etc. I enjoyed the activities, with wildly varying levels of success, but I never wanted to continue with them. In fourth grade there was a presentation promoting free string classes. They were easy, I got to leave for an hour, and i got a cool new "toy". It was a no brainer. I saw the violin and thought it was too high and flashy. The viola was like a big violin and looked uncomfortably. But the cello seemed so strong, noble and beautiful. I knew I wanted to make those sounds. It was the first time I made a decision about my own after school activity, and I stuck with it from that day.

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