
Lesson Details
Molly teaches

About
- Teaches students:
- Ages 4+ and special needs
- Teaching since:
- June 1993
A lover of cats, kids, and music, I started taking Suzuki violin lessons at age six, finishing all ten books before the end of high school. I added guitar, guitar variants such as ukulele, cuatro, and tiple, and percussion during my Masters degree in Ethnomusicology at U.T. Austin and began teaching world music, piano, and theory at L.A. Trade Tech College in 2002. I performed for several years with the Cal Arts Balinese gamelan, Burat Wangi and moved to New York to perform with the local chamber pop ensemble Kotorino in 2008. It was there that I started teaching individual lessons on violin and guitar before moving back to my natal LA to take the Suzuki book 1 teacher training, and this summer book 2.
I have many years of experience performing in world and pop music ensembles and have a deep love for music and its transformative qualities, especially when it comes to young people and advocating for a musical education. I currently play violin and sing with the Eastern European Women's Ensemble: Nevenka, and I write songs for the duo project called Peach & Knife.
*** Lesson Details ***
In lessons I create a positive environment in which the student can feel successful about even small achievement, whether its holding the bow correctly, or having practiced the assigned passage the agreed-on number of times. With the Suzuki method, there is a progression in what we teach beginning students so that they are challenged and interested, but they don't get overwhelmed. For very young students, I will ask the parent to be involved in the learning process and act as a second teacher at home and during practice sessions. Within a short amount of time, the student usually surpasses the parent. And If your child wants to learn guitar or ukulele, my approach will be similar. Holding the instrument will be a very important part of learning the instrument, as well as caring for the instrument. Although I am very detail oriented in the lessons, my manner is very calm, light and reassuring, and children seem to enjoy the attention to details and the focused amount of time that we spend together. After 3 months, a beginning violin player will have usually learned to hold the violin, care for the instrument, they will know the names of the parts of the violin and bow, they will know how to bow before and after a piece, and sometimes they are able to play all the Twinkle variations. After six months to a year, depending on how much time and energy they put into practicing, they can usually play until the end of early Book 1, which is the 11th song or Andantino.
*** Studio Equipment ***
There is ample street parking in a safe neighborhood South of Ventura Blvd. I have a sitting room for parents and siblings and a private entrance via an outside patio.
*** Specialties ***
Suzuki violin and guitar methods, theory, and self-taught for the ukulele. I studied song writing at UCLA and have many years worth of song writing experience. I also encourage performance and like to teach students how to feel comfortable on stage and I have started to incorporate musical play into lessons which includes early steps towards improvisation, something children do naturally.
Experience
Guitar Teacher
Sep 2013 - PresentI have been teaching private guitar and ukulele to young people since 2008. I also teach the group guitar class for kids through a The Suzuki Music Program of LA.
Violin Teacher
Sep 2013 - PresentIn 2013 I taught the Twinkle violin class for the Suzuki Music Program of LA which grew in size from 5 to 12 students by the end of the school year! I have been teaching Suzuki violin to young people since September 2013 in my home studio. I also teach violin at the Palisades Preschool.
+ Read MoreSongwriter
Sep 2011 - PresentI write songs in this duo, play ukulele, sing and play violin.
Violinist & Singer
Sep 2008 - PresentI perform regularly with this Brooklyn band on tour and occasionally back in Brooklyn.
Singer
Sep 2006 - PresentI sing in a semi-professional 15 piece vocal ensemble. We have performed at various festivals around LA and the world including the World Music Festival in Ojai summer 2014, opening for Goran Bregovic at UCLA's Royce Hall in 2013, and at the Koprivshitsa Festival in Bulgaria
+ Read MoreMusic Together Teacher
Jan 2013 - Aug 2014I trained as a Music Together teacher in 2010 and have taught 6 of the 9 sets of curriculum with Valley Cat Music.
Music Teacher
Mar 2012 - Jun 2012I taught Rock History 101 for students ages 4-7. This was in Brooklyn, NY.
Guitar Teacher
Aug 2008 - Jun 2009I taught private and group guitar classes in Brooklyn to adults and children.
Education
Master of Music
Sep 1998 - Aug 2001Languages
English
Spanish
Certifications
Music Mind Games
Aug 2014The Foundation Level
Violin Book I & 2
May 2013This is a training, not a certification per se, but a requirement to be able to call yourself a Suzuki trained teacher, which I am.
Facilitator Training
Dec 2011I am a meditation coach, trained in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Awards
Scholarship
Jan 2007LA Treasures Award
Jan 2005Editorial Graduate Research Assistantship
Sep 2001Tinker Field Research Grant
May 1999Affiliations
National Association for Music Education
Sep 2011Founded in 1907, NAfME is among the world’s largest arts education organizations. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers.
+ Read MorePhotos & Videos
9 Reviews
Write a ReviewNot a bad start for someone like me that has limited experience. Learned two chords and received some good advice.
A fan of Molly
Our kids ( ages 4 and 7) have been taking guitar and violin lessons from Molly in our home in Woodland Hills. I can not express how wonderfully skilled and professional Molly is, always arriving on time and prepared. She engages our children at their level and understands the need to incorporate play with the younger kids. Most importantly, Molly has an extra-ordinary way of showing kids how to love music while teaching them the foundations of music. We enjoy working with Molly and would love to have her teach music to our family for many years to come.
Wonderful musician and kind person
I've sung with Molly for a couple of years now, and she is a wonderful musician, a kind person, and a delight to work with. She knows how to keep things fun while also working to accomplish goals. She loves kids, loves teaching kids, and works hard to be sure that they love learning music. I can recommend her for teaching any instrument or music theory to anyone.
Great with kids, calm, focused and fun
I have been working with Molly for 8 years, in her first music project "B is for Baroness", and recently playing and writing songs with her for the music project "Peach & Knife". She is an amazing and talented violinist, singer and composer, and being a beautiful soul, she is a great teacher, particularly with kids. Calm, creative and passionate about learning from everyone, her students as well and the professionals she encounters on her path.
I highly recommend her. I believe her positive and fun attitude can really nurture beginner students as well as more experienced musicians.
Molly White is a patient and competent teacher
I've worked with Molly in various professional situations for over 5 years. Whether it's teaching me a song in Spanish (which I don't speak), showing up for rehearsal or wrangling other band members to make the gig, Molly is always calm, patient and a solid individual that I can depend on.
patient, positive, focused, a pleasure to work with
I've worked with Molly as members of the same band, in which we are both vocalists/instrumentalists. Molly's good cheer, patience, and dedication to perfecting what she does (whether it's refining a violin part or blending a vocal harmony) is always in the service of making the music live up to its potential and makes her a pleasure to work with. I have no doubt that her positive attitude and commitment to excellence are equally valuable in a music teaching environment.
Professional, reliable, gifted, and fun!
I have been working with Molly for a couple of years, and have found her work ethic to be extremely professional, and her overall attitude to be positive and constructive. She communicates clearly, and has a depth of musical knowledge that is rare. She shares this knowledge freely, and is able to break it down in a way that is easily digestible by someone who is less informed. She has an easy way with people of all ages, and is able to work well with children without talking down to them. She has a great sense of fun, and her passion for music is obvious in all that she does.
Molly W. is a gifted and generous musician and teacher
I have worked with Molly W. in a learning environment, in the recording studio and on stage and I cannot imagine a more gifted and generous musician and teacher. Molly is very accomplished on guitar, violin and as a vocalist. Her extensive knowledge of music theory shines in her teaching and in collaborative activities with other artists/band-mates. Molly's experience and interests span numerous genres and techniques and she shines at them all. She is a delightfully talented composer who always brings her A game to a musical project whether it is an original work or an arrangement/adaptation. Molly is patient and kind with her students and colleagues; always calm, enthusiastic and energetic. I strongly recommend Molly W. to beginners as well as more experienced musicians seeking a productive and fun learning environment.
Molly is an amazing artist and person. I absolutely love learning from and knowing her!
I've played in a band with Molly for several years now, in which we both play violin and sing. She's taught me so much about music, from violin, cuatro, and vocal technique, to arranging music, to the specificity and detail that bring a performance from good to great.
She's wildly gifted, energetic, patient, as well as extremely kind and encouraging. But most profoundly, she leads by example with her pure love and curiosity for music. She reminds me that the integration and practice of the things in life which make us sing on the inside not only make us happier, more balanced people, but make it possible to touch others with our work.