Andrea A
Instruments: Violin
Styles: Classical, R&B, Gospel, Spirituals, Swing, Bossa Nova
Andrea A
Instruments: Violin
Styles:
Classical, R&B, Gospel, Spirituals, Swing, Bossa Nova
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 8-80
- B.A. English, Spelman College, studied violin with Prof. Leonard Truschler
- M.A. English Literature, City College of New York
- Studied privately with Maestro Gabriel Nevola for seven years.
- Played 1st and 2nd violin in Pinellas Park Civic Orchestra (PPCO), Pinellas Community Orchestra(PCO), Anona Church Orchestra.
- Honorable mention in PPCO
I began playing violin in fifth grade at age 10 and loved it immediately! I continued to play through college, then began my career as a college English professor while raising my family. While teaching at City University of New York (CCNY) I played with the BMCC Downtown Symphony. After moving to Montclair, NJ I played regularly at St. Mark's Church for eight years before moving to Largo, Florida, where I continue to do orchestras and solo performances. These include Pinellas Civic Orchestra, Pinellas Community Orchestra and Anona UMC. I also work with The Florida Orchestra Community Outreach Summer Program, teaching violin/viola to children, a well as give lessons in my home studio.
The majority of my teaching experience stems from my career as Instructor of English, 25 years at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) in New York, then 10 years at St. Petersburg College (SPC). However, I am in my heart a teacher and I find that my English-teaching skills translate very well into music, because I always try to meet the students where they are. I began giving private violin lessons 12 years ago. I find that I like to work with beginners who have a clean slate, and at least the age of 8, when they can read.
I am partial to Samuel Applebaum's methods: For young beginners, I like tto begin with the String Builder series; then, to improve upon understanding of key signatures, move on to Scales for Strings. Similarly, I'm also a fan of Suzuki, although I am not entirely limited to those two. And, of course recital and performance pieces are a must, preferably of the students's choosing - usually students already have something in mind that they want to learn! Most importantly, I try to pace myself according to the student's interest and abilities, so that they will never be bored and always enjoy playing.
When teaching music (or anything), I always attempt to meet the students where they are: For example, when teaching a young beginner, I m a young beginner, I would probably explain the scale by singing the, "Doe, a Deer," song (from The sound of Music) - everyone knows that. I try to keep things light, simple and fun, while challenging at the same time. I also try to help students cheive their targeted goal, as most people have a favorite song or style of music in mind that they want to learn. And always, I teach with performance in mind.
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