Washington, DC Viola Lessons

. I can help you understand what is going on behind the music and hopefully see what the composer was hoping to convey, if that is something you want to know. When I was a student I always wanted to know "why?". As a teacher, you will know why if I do.

*** Lesson Details ***
I try to keep my lesson area as stress free as possible. It's OK to make mistakes in my studio. I would like you to bring a notebook to lessons as well as your music and instrument. I write as much as I can down because if you were like I was during lessons, I would forget everything I was supposed to be watching for after 3 days. Like I said above, we move at your pace. The more you practice, the faster we move. Questions are a good thing. It shows interest. But sometimes you just have to stop asking questions and just take the leap of faith.
We start with note reading as well as proper form and the parts of the instrument. We also deal with general care. I will tune your instrument every time you come in for lessons until you learn how to tune it yourself. We will review the day before, I will check on what work you've done and then move onto the next song/ technique etc. After we learn how to pluck the first 8 notes, we start with scales and bowing.

After that we move through the "usual" routine. Scale, etude, song(s) or school test songs, audition requirements etc.

I try to keep the same routine because for some students it's easier for them to focus if they know the lesson is going to move in a familiar way. It's reassuring. After we become proficient in the basics, we move into whatever genre you would like to play, within reason. If you are in the school orchestra we will work towards you getting an A.

I would say I'm more laid back when you are not preparing for an audition. Auditions require a lot of work and I want you to do as close to perfect as possible. I become fairly demanding during that time.

In about 6 months, you can play almost any tune you can hear on the radio. Explaining where you could be gets fairly technical and I might as well be talking like Charlie Brown's teacher.

*** Studio Equipment ***
at the away studio: music, music stand, stool, piano, laptop, tuner, metronome.

at home: music, music stands, chairs, computer, laptop, keyboard, microphone, tuner, metronome.

pictures of the away studio are posted.

*** Specialties ***
I am familiar with Paul Rolland's work, Valerie Bobbett Gardner's Violin Virtuosity, as well as Guillespie's. I was brought up Suzuki but haven't been trained in Suzuki. I have taken classes on how to teach to a variety of students so I could hold a teaching license in the state. I do participate with (Canadian) The Royal Conservatory of Music Music Development. This is active in the US also.

Special note: If you are allergic to cats, you will want to take lessons at my other studio location, not at the home.

IF you are contacting me with questions, please include either take lessons or lessons in the subject area so I can find you faster. I get a lot of junk mail and it is easy for me to miss a note from you.

such as, science and mathematics.

Mr, Ray's comprehensive 3 step courses.

1. Learn the basics of the music language, reading and writing.

2. COUNTING. keeping time, the ruler of motion in music. 

3. Learn how to create beautiful melodies and syntax of song to discover the process of creativity with a structure toward musical thought.

Also. effective personal practice techniques and the basics of Improvisation and Composition. 

It is well documented that exposing children to music and the creative arts is a prerequisite to fundamental logical thought processes and schematic reasoning.

Music is organic FUN for kids of all the ages! 4 years to 104. Lol
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Recordings with artists and celebrities throughout the U.S. and Europe. Presentations of jazz and classical ensembles with rotating artists for hire of various genres of music.
You may consider me a Triple threat as they say, Singer, Dancer and Entertainer.

He has performed with notables such as Stevie Wonder,
Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, and Carmen Mac Cray.
Akademisches Festival Orchestra, Leipzig,
Kammerorchester de St. Laurentius, in Dessau, Germany.
National Gallery of Art Orchestra, and the
American University Symphony.
Howard University Community Orchestra
La Fete Musique, World-wide Busking Society.
MTA-Music Under New York
resently D.C. Concert Orchestra and DC Strings workshop
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l, New York, Guest performance with American String Quartet
- Viola Recitals and Graduation Recital (2009, 2011, 2013)
- Chery Hills Community Church, Chamber Performance, Denver
- St. John’s Church, Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey

Canada:
- National Art Center, Chamber Concert, Ottawa
- Queen Elizabeth School, Chamber Recital, Moncton

China:
- Shanghai Conservatory invitation for String Quartet Recital, Shanghai
- French School, String Quartet with School Chorus, Beijing
- Central Conservatory Recital Hall, Viola Recital, Beijing

Scholarship and Award:
- Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY
Manhattan School of Music Scholarship, 2008-2016
Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition Winner, 2008-2015
Hugo Kortschak Award, For Chamber Music accomplishment, 2014
- Third Prize, MSM String Concerto Competition, 2011
- Second Prize, 5 Towns String Competition, 2010
- Third Prize, Heida Hermanns String Competition, Westport, CT 2014
- Special Award, Bled International Viola Competition, Bled, Slovenia, 2006

years of lessons, and this is my preferred method of teaching. If you want to learn classical or fiddle music, I'll help you learn! If there are other styles you're interested in (pop, Broadway, etc.), we can certainly explore those genres together--in my experience, students who play music they like do much better than those who play what they're forced to. On the other hand, the value of good technique only increases the further you get into any genre, and classical repertoire is an excellent way to learn technique.

Core aspects of my teaching philosophy:

1. Learning by ear. This is an incredibly valuable skill to have, and it's easier the sooner you start. If you play music, you should listen to music, a lot.

2. Being part of a community. If at all possible, I will help you find or set up group lessons, performance opportunities, or jam sessions on at least a monthly basis (though this may be trickier for online students). Having fun making music with other people often encourages students in their motivation to practice, desire to learn new technique, and knowledge of repertoire.

3. Practice. There are no shortcuts around this one. Like learning by ear, good practice habits are much better started soon than late!

e remaining pieces will go. The process itself gets easier down the road, because you've developed strategies and have spent so much time looking at your goal, i.e the finished picture on the box.
My role in this little analogy is to ensure you like the puzzle enough to keep going, give you hints on where to put pieces, and to show you the things you've put together that might have otherwise gone overlooked. All of which are easy for me to find simply because I, too, have done this puzzle before!

music theory, ear training, and history into lessons in order to provide a more complete and balanced musical education.

Having studied various styles and eras of string performance, I am happy to explore repertoire from various styles, genres and time periods. I enjoy working with students on the type of music that they love and feel passionate about pursuing, whether that be standard classical repertoire, Irish fiddle tunes, or something else entirely.

In addition to violin and viola lessons, I also offer lessons in baroque violin and baroque viola. I specialize in historical performance and am happy to either focus exclusively on early music or even supplement modern training with information regarding historical practices if the student is interested.

If you're not sure about a particular style of music that you might be interested in, or for beginners and/or young musicians, that is no problem at all. I look forward to exploring different music with you and finding the music that you love to listen to and play.