Violin Lessons in Denny Blaine, WA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Harmonica Ukulele Recorder Electric Violin Fiddle Double Bass Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My teaching experience varies for each of the instruments I instruct. I began teaching private lessons for guitar in 2004. My voice instruction began in 2009, and the rest of the listed instruments I began to teach in 2012. I believe consistent daily practice is essential for improvement in my students, and encourage my students to log their practice time. In the words of my professor Todd Woodbury, "You do not become a master from what you do within these lessons. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola

I have been teaching privately part time for the past 4 years working with students in grades K-12. My main goal in lessons is for my students to not only succeed at a new skill once, but to be confident in their ability to repeat their success in practice at home and at our next lessons. I encourage positive feedback and positive "self-talk" as a means of boosting self-efficacy. I think an important part of learning is goal setting and outlining specific, achievable steps to reach that goal so that progress can be tracked and the process of learning can become less ambiguous. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Viola

My teaching experience started in 2010 during my college freshman year when I was employed by the Music Institute of North Texas and the Carrolton Independent School District as a private violin instructor. On top of violin pedagogy, I was also employed by the University of North Texas Learning Center as a Supplemental Instructor for Music Theory. When teaching, I try to incorporate basic music theory into performance, as I feel both are important to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for muisc. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Viola Mandolin Recorder Electric Violin Fiddle

I use Samuel Applebaum's String Builderbooks 1 and 2 as my beginning texts and his Scales for Strings, Early Etudes, and First Position Etudes (especially for viola) before moving into First Etudes by Whistler/Hummel for violin and then the Wohlfahrt/Aiquoni Foundation Studies, books 1 and 2, Mazas, and advanced etudes such as Kreutzer and Campagnoli for both violin and viola. Beginners useConcertTunesbooks 1 and 2 by Dale Brubaker for first (immediate) solosthat reinforce note reading and other instruction. Read More

Instruments: Voice Violin

For all beginner students, I begin with the Essential Elements books. Once fingering and bowing have been introduced, I begin incorporating level-appropriate scales. These etudes and scales are vital for learning the technique necessary for more advanced pieces. Once the student has completed the first Essential Elements book, we then select a piece for them to play, and keep this as our main focus while continuing to work on scales and etudes. Read More

Instruments: Violin Viola Electric Violin Fiddle

I focus on posture, theory, and intonation, and once these basics are mastered, the sky's the limit! I've taught a variety of classical music, fiddle music, popular and Disney music, even rock and roll. The thing to remember is that every musical experience will teach a student something, so once we have the basics down, students really get to choose their music that they want to play. Other advanced techniques that we'll work on include shifting, double stops, vibrato, and more. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin

Its so easy to put too much pressure on students and cause the classic burn out that so many musicians have experienced at some point or another. So Im very conscious of how my students are feeling and noticing the difference between the need for instructive support and the need for encouragement. I like to end every lesson with three questions. What did you learn today? What can you improve on this week? Read More