Teaching Philosophy: I believe that learning how to play the violin is about more than hammering away countless hours of practice. The well-rounded musician of today absolutely must have a foundational understanding of sustainable technique, music history, and music literacy as far as these can be applied to the player’s personal goals. As they practice and apply what they’ve learned in their lessons, each week my students are becoming stronger, more independent players. In this way, their daily practice and weekly lesson help them blossom into musicians with a life-long love of playing the violin, and each new page of music presents a new adventure to take up. No matter what, I seek to meet my students where they are and set them up for success. I do this through: -strengthening awareness of the violin & bow -educating about both shoulder rest and non-shoulder rest techniques -cultivating better intonation -helping students tap into the resonance of the instrument -exploring how different bow holds can better meet the student's needs -if needed, using the lesson time to provide a guided practice session About me: I’m Valeri S., an American violinist with 14 years of experience and a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!