Cello with Anna S.

I have a passion for training cellists to a high level of musicianship. I have mentored cellists from the first lesson through professional symphony auditions. I am certified with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and know the Suzuki Method intimately through growing up with the method myself and later training as a teacher. While there are many wonderful facets to the method, a main principal is simple: to nurture. We nurture infants to learn how to speak, walk, love- so then why not apply the same with learning music? Background on my cello career: My formation as a cellist started early; from age four with the Suzuki Method. As a Colorado adolescent, I was a finalist for the Young Musician's Foundation Award and recorded several Colorado Public Radio broadcasts with the Colorado Young Chamber Players. As I advanced, I studied at the National Cello Institute, the Aspen Music Festival, Adriatic Chamber Music Festival in Italy, and was part of The Great Wall Soloists featured on NPR's "From the Top". I took a sabbatical year to teach at a Suzuki school in an Andean community of Peru. During my sabbatical I raised funds to support and expand the program, directed the orchestra, and lead cello ensembles. I gave my debut concert with the Schumann Concerto with the local professional orchestra, was a faculty member of the summer Suzuki institute in Lima- the largest summer music festival in Latin America, was a featured soloist at an international cello conference, and later filled in as an emergency soloist with the Cusco Symphony. My professional career started interestingly enough in Southeast Asia; I was the 2012 cello apprentice for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the premier Asian orchestra. As a Boston cellist, I am the principal player of the MeroWest Opera, Boston Opera Collaborative, Boston String Players, and Boston Chamber Orchestra. I also am on the artist roster of Groupmuse, a millenial start-up bringing live music to the home. I hold a Bachelor of Music in cello performance from the University of Colorado, a Master of Music in cello from the Boston Conservatory, and a certificate in Suzuki Pedagogy. My principal mentors include members of the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and the Tacaks String Quartet. Before your first lesson: Pre-order: (all are accessible on Amazon) 1. a rock-stop (Xeros endpin anchor) 2. folding music stand 3. dark rosin (Melos brand is recommendable) 4. Metronome (Time Guru app or Korg TM40) 5. Tuner (Cleartune app or Korg TM40) Recommendations for parents of a student 12 and under: 1. Bill Star's "To Learn with Love" 2. Suzuki Cello School Volume 1, Revised Edition with CD 3. A child's chair: hip bones sit 1.5-2 inches above the knee cap For obtaining a cello: I recommend renting a cello to start out. Johnson Strings is a great rental store option because they have specialists that can determine appropriate size of the instrument for the player. Children generally change sizes of their cello every 1.5 to 2 years, so renting is stress-free for exchanging sizes. Because they are local, returns, repairs, and any problems are quickly handled. Do not buy from craigslist or elsewhere online.