Violin with Chris H.

I have been teaching private violin for over 20 years, and private viola/cello for about 10. I have taught in Charles and St. Mary's County Public schools. I am a member of American Strings Teacher's Association, National Association for Music Educators (Maryland Music Educators Association), and the Music Teachers National Association (Music Teachers Association of Charles County). As a teacher, I'm very student oriented. We move at your pace. The more you practice, the faster we move. I do encourage learning to read music, but I use multiple ways of teaching to reach my students. Everyone learns in a different way. My primary job is to see you achieve your goals in relation to your instrument. I also encourage that you take every opportunity to perform. There are many groups in the area that allow for different ages and styles of music. 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. I do encourage that everyone has at least a shaped sponge(excluding cellists). This will help you hold the instrument correctly with fewer chances at injuring your neck or left shoulder. *** 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. ***Online lessons*** Online lessons are done out of my home studio. I do have a preferred website to use but I am open to FaceTime or Skype. I'm not fluent in Zoom but would be willing to try it. *** Studio Equipment *** at the A studio: music, music stand, stool, piano, laptop, tuner, metronome. at home: music, music stands, chairs, computer, laptop, keyboard, microphone, tuner, metronome. I also will have an iPad holder so I can do white board as well. at the home studio: music stand, chairs, laptop, tuner, metronome, keyboard, iPad. The A studio is located in St. Mary's County of MD. The home studio is located in Charles County, MD. There is a second site in Charles County, MD that is opening the week of January 23rd, 2022. *** 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. Also, if you have special needs, I know how to deal with some of them but not all. If the student can't sit up in an armless chair, or can't move either of the arms. I don't know how to teach the instrument to someone that can't do either since the student needs both arms and the neck/ head. 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.