Violin with Zoe L.

Hello there! I am currently a doctoral candidate in the Boston area. I teach in my lovely studio by the amazing BSO's symphony hall. First lessons are always free of charge, so get in touch so we can meet and continue your musical journey! Here is a little bit about my teaching style and philosophy: Developing Focus In order to play a piece of music, the student must have a stability and clarity of mind. This can be cultivated through short sessions (5-10 minutes) where the student focuses on their breath, and listens outwards to external sound. Based on age and maturity level, these meditations will vary– however the overall goal is a clear palate from which the music may be studied. Developing musicianship The two basic components of a musical instrument include pitch and rhythm. Rhythm is logical and can be learned through basic exercises and fun games and apps. However, internalizing a rhythmic pulse in the body requires physical exercises such as dance or eurythmics. Because of this, I encouraged my students to enroll in dance classes! Pitch vibration in relation to a scale can often be difficult for beginners. I use a process of singing with drones from a speaker to give the student a sense of how each pitch physically feels when sung in relation to the scales base note. Developing Motor Skills String instruments can be thought of as a sport of the fine muscles. However, the larger muscle groups must also be maintained! I encourage my students to take part in some type of after school sport. In addition, I will go through basic stretches during each lesson that prevent injury and improve circulation. With application to the instrument, there are two main categories of physical-technical exercises, Bow Arm and Left Hand exercises. Bow Arm Exercises are meant to improve overall sound quality and increase flexibility. There are hundreds of these exercises, with just as many variations. I assign my students just a few each week with a specific goal in mind. Left Hand Exercises are designed to improve dexterity, accuracy, and speed, while also correcting the hand’s shape, overall efficiency, and intonation. Again, my student receive new exercises each week in order to train the fine muscles and keep their practice fresh. Learning a Piece of Music I have several notions and techniques to help students learning a piece of music I break them down into a process that can be understood and carried forward by the student. They are picking a piece, creating learnable chunks, learning notes and rhythms (dynamics and articulation), understanding the form and message and performing.