Viola with Brian A.

Hello! I am a Long Island-based viola and violin teacher currently working towards a Master's degree in viola performance at Stony Brook University. I have taught more than a dozen violin and viola students ages 6-70 over the past 5 years, and I continue to maintain a hybrid studio in Northern Virginia in addition to lessons online and on Long Island. I hold a Bachelor of Music degree in viola from the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore. I care deeply about the quality of my lessons, and I continuously improve my teaching materials to meet the needs of each student and to reflect each new insight I gain about string playing. My approach in lessons is based on having a long term plan for each student of becoming an excellent all-around musician, while achieving satisfying results in the short term. The most important skill I focus on with every student, young and old, is being able to analyze a technical or musical problem, break it down into a set of realistic steps, and work with efficiency to gain and retain the results. In other words: understanding how to practice in a rewarding but challenging way.