I began playing piano at the age of 5 and never stopped taking lessons until halfway through college. I entered into various competitions and festivals throughout myr young life and did pretty well. I began taking violin lessons at age 9 and continue to play violin as well as sing in a rock band called, The Denouement. My mom was an excellent music teacher and very successful choir director for almost 40 years so I have absorbed all kinds of musical wisdom from her. I have been playing music consistently for over 20 years and teaching music for over 2 years. I am extremely patient, encouraging and kind, but am also very particular when it comes to my students playing the best that they can play.

My name is Mary and I have been teaching voice, piano, and violin for more than 20 years. I have an undergraduate degree in music, a masters degree in special education, and a doctoral degree in education. I teach lessons at my private studio in Rancho Santa Margarita. I offer lessons in piano, voice and violin. I am a professional musical director and have directed over 50 shows. I love working with kids!

EDUCATION

My musical education began while sitting on my mother's lap as she taught piano lessons. At age nine, I began studying cello with a member of the Kansas City Philharmonic. At age ten, I followed in my mother's footsteps and played the flute. I played all three instruments, (piano, cello and flute) until high school. It was clear to me by age fourteen that I wanted to be an orchestra teacher, so with this dream in mind, I began playing the violin as well.
I attended Drake University and majored in music education, studying cello under the Nationally acclaimed John Ehrlich. I returned to Drake University and received a master's degree in counseling in 1999.

PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE

I was the youngest member of the Kansas City Youth Symphony and the Kansas City Cello Choir. I performed with these two groups for eight years.
I was chosen from applicants nation wide, to perform in Carnegie Hall and travel Europe with "America's Youth in Concert".

I was a three...

Armen M. was born in Armenia, and began playing the violin at the age of seven. From thereon out, Armen received his B.A.and M.A. degrees from Yerevan State Conservatory in Armenia and Artist diploma from Longy school of Music in Cambridge MA. With an impressive background, awards, and distinctions, Armen M. has always been a distinguished violinist, musician and concertmaster.

His history of performances with some of the greatest names and soundtracks for some of the most famous movies, Armen has truly shone with this talent. With international performances ranging from Boston to Buenos Aires, including countries like USA, Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, Germany, Russian Armenia, Armen has worked with different styles too, not only classical. Armen infuses his classical background with Jazz, Rock, Pop and New Age as well, making him a unique and extremely well rounded musician. Currently Armen resides in Los Angeles, CA where he is active with various orchestras, including...

*It is really exciting that you are looking into violin lessons! I think you will find that the world of music has a lot to offer you. Whether or not we end up working together, I wish you happiness and hope that you enjoy the journey.*

My mom was of the mind that if you find a job you love you will never work a day in your life, and I knew in high school that I wanted to share my passion for music with others. My orchestral instructor at the time was kind enough to recommend the beginner students from the program to me for private lessons. It was then I began the path of teaching.

I am fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English and can speak some Taiwanese, and enjoy teaching students of all ages. With over 10 years of teaching experience, I am able to tailor the speed, curriculum and style of each lesson to the individual. By default, I will teach music in the Suzuki Violin series, but am more than happy to arrange or find violin parts for songs you are interested in!

I like to make my classes fun, and am constantly thinking of new ways to engage young musicians. I help my students fall in love with the music using the Suzuki method - emphasizing constant immersion in music, regular performances, music theory, posture and artistic expression. Learning music is like learning a language; you must immerse yourself in it by listening to it daily and practicing. With younger children, I am very nurturing and adept at incorporating learning games to make performance fun. Music theory can be boring, so I tie in music theory as it relates to the pieces we are...