What I love most about teaching is the relationships I have with my students and their families. Seeing and working with kids one on one, each week, year after year, watching them grow and develop, can lead to incredibly special and unique relationships.

If violin becomes a passion for a student of mine, something that they want to do above everything else, I will do everything in my power to help them get where they want to go. My students have played at the highest levels in local youth orchestra programs, attended prestigious summer institutes, and continued musical studies in college.

That said, my purpose in teaching is not to produce professional violinists. Yes, the goal is to learn and become proficient at the violin, which they will (if they do their work at home). My purpose for teaching goes beyond learning to play the violin. It is to help students develop character, integrity, caring, respect, grit, resilience, and self discipline. Practicing music helps instill a sense of trust in themselves and the process of learning, which also builds confidence. I want to help students learn to create beauty through music and to understand music at a deeper level. All of this helps enrich their lives long past the day they stop taking lessons. And hopefully they’ll have some fun along the way.