Michael W
Instruments: Violin, Viola
Styles: Classical
Michael W
Instruments: Violin, Viola
Styles:
Classical
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 5-80
Bachelor Degree: Eastman School of Music, Master Degree: Peabody Conservatory
Schadt Scholarship Competition
Voorhees Strings Competition Finalist
Eastman School of Music Merit Scholarship
Peabody Conservatory Merit Scholarship
Michael W. is a violinist whose approach to technical growth is built from the Juilliard school of Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay, combined with the Russian school of Mikhail Kopelman. Michael has won numerous awards and performed in many renowned locations including the Mann Center as well as the Kimmel Center. He has won or placed in several competitions, including the Voorhees Concerto Competition, the Schadt Summer Strings Competition, and The Young Classical Virtuosos of Tomorrow Competition. Michael has been mentored by and worked with many leading musicians in the United States including concertmasters of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, and Pittsburgh Symphony, as well as professors from Curtis Institute, the Juilliard School, Peabody Conservatory, and the Eastman School of Music. Michael holds a BA Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music and a MM Violin Performance from the Peabody Conservatory.
My teaching experience dates back to my undergraduate where I would teach and mentor incoming freshman placed in our studio. During the summers I would teach locally and fill in for past mentors who were on tour. This allowed me the fortune of teaching both beginners and advanced students. I strongly recommend consistent practice as I firmly believe an hour a day far out performs 5-7 on one day. A students growth is mostly contributed to ones own passion and discipline however as long as the student is willing to learn, then I am willing to help nurture their devotion and maturity to allow them to become as good of a instrumentalist that they wish to become.
Beginners: Suzuki Methodology up to book 6 with heavy emphasis on technique and fundamentals Intermediate: Standard solo repertoire Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Kabalevsky, with focus on advanced technique (intonation, colle, martele, sautille, etc) (Ideal for students who wish to do PMEA) etudes: wohlfahrt, kreutzer Advanced: Iconic solo repertoire Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Mendelssohn with focus on musicality (advanced phrasing, expressive shifting, sounding point, bow speed/weight control, smooth bow and string crossings) etudes: Rode, Paganini
My teaching philosophy follows the belief that musical understanding and maturity are easier to discuss once the student is able to execute a variety of technical details. I often say that technique is teaching a student how to make ten shades of blue, but musicality is deciding which shade of blue to use. Musicality can be more subjective than technique, although there are certain guidelines for each period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, etc.). Each student will profess at his or her own pace just like how every student has certain strengths and weaknesses. I promote students to set realistic goals for themselves each week and by learning more about who the student is as a person I can better structure lesson content that best caters to the students strengths while also developing on their weaknesses.
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