Dorothy C
5.0
(12)
Instruments: Violin, Music, Keyboard
Styles: Classical, Pop, Musical Theater, Showtunes
Dorothy C
5.0
(12)
Instruments: Violin, Music, Keyboard
Styles:
Classical, Pop, Musical Theater, Showtunes
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 7-80
MM, Ohio University, Violin Performance, May 2020, summa cum laude
/
BM, Gordon College, Violin Performance, May 2018, summa cum laude
2014: Performed Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole with Salem Philharmonic Orchestra, Alan Hawryluk conducting //
2014 - 2018: A.J. Gordon Scholarship //
2014 - 2018: A.J. Gordon Fellow //
2014 - 2018: String Scholarship //
2014 - 2018: Leadership Scholarship //
2014 - 2017: Presidential Honors //
2015: Music Guild Scholarship Award, for demonstrated excellence in Music Performance //
2017: Alton C. and Judith M. Bynum Award, for highest GPA in the Music Department
I am a passionate and motivated instructor whose personal goal is to spread music, and the joy it brings, to everyone and everywhere. Born to Taiwanese parents, I was raised in both Taiwan and the North Shore of Massachusetts. I began my violin studies at the age of ten and have since been an active solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. In my younger years, I was a member of the MMEA (Massachusetts Music Education Association) All-State orchestra as well as the Northeastern Senior Districts orchestra for which I was the principal second for two years. I was concertmaster of the Salem Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and was also concertmaster of the Gordon Symphony Orchestra. In 2014, I was a guest soloist at the Salem Philharmonic Orchestra’s winter concert series, where I performed Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole under the baton of conductor and beloved teacher, Alan Hawryluk. I have recently graduated from Gordon College in May 2018, where I earned a B.M. in Music Performance, and a B.A. in Accounting and Business Administration. During my undergraduate years, I had the privilege to tour in Asia (Hong Kong and Korea) with other string performance majors. My major teachers were Dr. Sarita Kwok and Dr. Susan Kim. I went on to pursue a Master of Music (M.M.) degree in violin performance at Ohio University from 2018-2020, where I have received a full ride graduate assistantship and was a violinist in the Klinder Graduate Quartet. My graduate assistantship duties included touring and performing with the Klinder as well as teaching some applied lessons and undergraduate courses.
I have been teaching violin privately for 8 years, have my master's degree in violin performance. As a graduate assistant, I taught undergraduate applied violin (lessons), as well as Upper String Methods and other classes as needed. I always encourage and emphasize regular and consistent practice to my students, as it is something I find that truly helps a student gain passion for the instrument. I am also an advocate for holistic music teaching. I want my students to be well-rounded musicians. This means that as we work towards fluency on the instrument, in the meantime, we will also work towards a stronger understanding of music theory, as it will tremendously strengthen one's ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret music - to a much deeper level. In my lessons, I also try to allow students to have a chance to explore improvisation. Improvisation skills is something that is often not seen in classical musicians (and what a shame! Back in Baroque times, musicians improvised all the time...) I believe improvisation will overall challenge a student's musicality, aural skills, musicianship, and even technique.
Beginner: Learning the violin can be an adventure! From the first moment holding the violin, the student develops a natural way of holding the instrument and develops auditory skills that nurture a good musical foundation. Methods such as Suzuki as well as other traditional methods are used in an approach customized to each student.
Intermediate: Once the student has a good foundation, the focus is on further developing a coordinated way of physically relating to the violin, developing critical listening skills, problem-solving, self-monitoring, building repertoire, growing an ability to express oneself on the violin, and learning to play with others in an ensemble.
Advanced: The focus at this level is to further develop musicianship: honing technique, learning repertoire from the canon of violin literature, developing one’s own artistry, and discerning different musical styles. At the end of each semester, there will be a performance opportunity for the students to perform individually as well as in a group. Students are encouraged to join their school or local youth orchestra.
The most rewarding thing about teaching for me is to see my students develop their own passion for music. In order for that to happen, it is crucial that each student moves and progresses at his or her own pace. Doing so would then allow realistic goal-setting, allowing both me and the students to acknowledge their accomplishments, thereby motivating them to learn more. I always try my best to discover what inspires and motivates my students, so that I can successfully tailor my instruction towards that.
Brianna
Dorothy is a great teacher and is always so encouraging! I love that she incorporates fun/pop music into lessons so that there is a good mix between that and classical music. I would recommend her for any level of students wanting to play violin!
Kaylee
Dorothy is a great teacher who is great at including songs related to your personal goals for violin. We don't just have to do the straight-forward classical music if that's not why you're playing the instrument. She encourages the classical training style, but uses that training to work on the other styles of music. I would recommend her for a student of any playing level.
Ji-Yeung Jang
Dorothy is an awesome teacher who knows how to engage a student with low playing level. She tutored my stubborn 9-year old daughter for two years and kept her engaged throughout the period. My daughter wanted to play music of her choice (often found on YouTube) and Dorothy made it possible and kept my daughter encouraged to play. Dorothy is great at communicating the technicality of playing violin and reading music to her student without much background knowledge. Thanks to Dorothy, my daughter kept her interest in playing violin and in music in general.
Maggie Marynowski
I had Dorothy once, she was substituting for my teacher. I really enjoyed my lesson with her, it was very helpful and fun.
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