Kavan R
Instruments: Piano, Violin, Viola
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Latin, Electronic, Showtunes, Spirituals, Swing, New Age, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Marching Band, Mariachi, Avant-garde
Kavan R
Instruments: Piano, Violin, Viola
Styles:
Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Latin, Electronic, Showtunes, Spirituals, Swing, New Age, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Marching Band, Mariachi, Avant-garde
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 6-80
Graduate Degree: Post Grad Umass, Master Degree: Notre Dame, Bachelor Degree: SUNY Purchase
Violin studies with: Amadeo William Liva (assistant to Ivan Galamian at Juilliard, teacher of Itzhak Perlman), Albert Markov (Assitant to David Oistrach/Leonid Kogan), Charles Treger (founding member Lincoln Center Music Ensemble), Emanuel Borok (Former Concert Mater Boston symph.)Tokyo String Quartet, Medici Quartet, Anthony Newman (Baroque Performance Practice), Yehudi Wyner (Emeritus Chair Yale Univ.).
'Opus America' Music Festival, Dallas, Texas Full scholarship recipient at Southern Methodist University 1993
Festival for Humanity, White Plains, New York Invited to Perform as soloist at the 50th anniversary celebration of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights 1998
Holocaust Memorial for the City of Springfield, Massachusetts Performed music from the movie "Schindler's List" 1995
Debut Performance of Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35. 1992
I began piano when I was 3 and violin when I was 9. Music is at the very core of my Soul. People say that I am a born teacher. My info. under Education above should give you a snapshot of my background. I did not list my piano education because I was originally a violin/viola major in college. However I am equally skilled on all 3 instruments. For e.g. the Brahms 2nd piano concerto is in my repertoire. I am also accompanist to singers and the women's choir at the Music School I teach at.
I consider myself a teacher first and performer second. Teaching is my calling and also in my blood I have been teaching violin, viola and piano for the past 30+ years. I am equally skilled on all 3. I have been on the faculty of a music school in my area since 1994. However I have always kept a private studio as well. I have worked with beginner to advanced students from all different backgrounds with great success in helping them acquire the essential skills for independence. I have being playing piano since age 3 and violin since age 9.
I teach students of all levels including adult students. I am a traditional teacher in that I focus on laying a secure foundation to prevent any unnatural habits from blocking the students progress in the future and helping the student become completely independent of the teacher. The student learns the skills necessary to teach themselves. I use a structured approach that involves a set of criteria that the student memorizes and is able to use as a checklist of issues to watch out for when practicing.
My goal is to make the student as independent of the teacher as possible. For this I help them form a foundation on which they can build for years to come. I teach reading music as well as playing by ear (a wonderful skill rarely taught on the piano). I teach my piano students music theory in the context of playing by ear, so they get an experiential idea of how music is made, including improvisation. For my string students I teach music theory only if requested, as many don't have access to pianos/keyboards at home so they can understand harmony, chord progressions etc. Without a keyboard understanding harmonic progressions can be very challenging. Experience has taught me that the joy of music comes only to those who get a solid foundation and knowledge. Many students begin with great enthusiasm, only to get frustrated after a while when they find themselves stuck year after year with beginner level music. I stumbled on certain techniques used on child prodigies that greatly shorten the learning curves for anyone willing to put in a small amount of work regularly. The results have been outstanding for those students who walked this path. It is always a delight to work with students who are serious about learning and love music/the instrument. I work best with students who have self motivation.
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