Bart T. TakeLessons Instructor music, Violin, Theory, Aural Skills, clef reading, sight singing S Street, Washington, DC

Bart earned his Bachelor of Music Degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied Violin Performance with Sarah Johnson and Joe Genualdi.  In his senior year of college Bart served as Student Body President, on the University of North Carolina Council of Presidents, as a leading member of the UNC General Assembly and as a full voting member of The North Carolina School of the Arts Board of Trustees. Upon Graduation from the North Carolina School of the Arts in spring, 2006, he was honored with a top ten ranking in YES WEEKLY’s “Ten Best College Graduates” Issue. 

Since graduation Bart has worked in public relations consulting for many of the performing arts industry's finest organizations and artists.  Such clients include Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Symphonica Toscanini conducted by NY Philharmonic Maestro Lorin Maazel, Soprano Patricia Racette,  Florida Grand Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, Conductor Anne Manson, The 2006 Lincoln Center Expansion Project, Pulitzer Prize winning composer Paul Moravec, the Lark Quartet, Merkin Hall and the North Carolina School of the Arts.  

With each private lesson, Bart brings his knowledge of the instrument and the industry together to offer comprehensive musical and professional guidance.

Bart is currently a 1st year Masters student at Johns Hopkins University.   

Lessons are very casual and laid back. The key to being a good violinist is that you are ALWAYS enjoying it.  If you like playing then the rest will come pretty easily. So, it is my charge to make sure that the student never grows bored or frustrated with the music or the learning process. If a student does not enjoy the current piece that they are working on then I will find them a different one that highlights the same techniques but is more enjoyable to the student.  I always encourage my students to bring in outside music that they enjoy so that we can learn it together.      

Learning violin is multi-faceted, confusing, time consuming and often overwhelming.  To avoid the standard pit-falls, lessons are broken down into smaller units lasting anywhere from 5-10 minutes each.  This helps the students stay focused, stay energized and keeps them from getting overwhelmed. 

Lessons consist of 5-10 minute segments:

Repertoire: this is the actual pieces of music the student will be learning and performing. 

Exercises:  these are usually short little exercises that take just a couple of seconds at the most.  we do them in repetition and variations to help build the foundation of good technique.  Think of them as push-ups or sit-ups to a gymnast.

Scales: Scales are the foundation of all the music we play.  A scale is simply a sequence of notes and there is a very limited set of these sequences that all music is based on.  If we practice all of these sets then when we encounter them in new music, we will already beable to play without practicing the new piece.  This is a core philosophy of my teaching.

Music Theory: We will discuss the theory of how and why the music we are playing sounds like it does.  once we understand the how and why of a composition, we are given new signs and clues on how to play the music as the composer intended it to be played. 

My pedagogical lineage is Galamian and so I teach very traditional violin using the standard concerto, chamber music and etude repertoire.  I have also played violin in a rock band and a folk band and am very much open to new forms of playing.     

I have a great system for teaching new clefs and sight singing. I use the Starer Rythym book and I can teach both tonal and atonal theory. As for Violin, I started out on Suzuki which I didnt like. In college all of my teachers were Galamian students and I teach very much in their style.

Cypress Lake Center for the Arts - Violin - 1998-2002
North Carolina School of the Arts - B.M. in Violin Performance - 2002-2006
Johns Hopkins University - MBA/MA Candidate - 2008-2011

music, Violin, Theory, Aural Skills, clef reading, sight singing