I have experience teaching students of all ages, from 5 years old to 60 years old. However, I do suggest that private cello and piano students should be over 5 years old. That being said, I am more than willing to work with you if you have a younger child who is passionate about learning an instrument.
My teaching philosophy is based around the solid and comprehensive musical education I received from my teachers growing up; this consists of various exercise books, scales, and independent pieces. I believe in establishing a strong technical foundation that prepares my students for continued music learning, and likewise provides them with skills that they can utlize outside of playing an instrument. Feel free to browse my RESOURCES page to view the books I typically use.
Outside of being a cellist, I am also passionate about audio engineering and have significant experience as a recording and mixing engineer. I endeavor to utilize this experience to help students record both audio and video when they need. I recently have also gained significant work experience with video production and editing.
There is really no absolute correct amount of time that I require my students to practice, since I know that everyone has varied schedules and interests. What I DO require is that my students strive to learn and are improving as they take lessons. I always tell my students that I would rather have more consistent practice than length of practice. It is better to practice 15-20 minutes four days a week than 1 hour one day a week. Even if all you can do is play scales, do that!
I began piano lessons with my mother as early as I can remember and have been teaching piano for the past five years. I have been playing cello since I began in my fourth grade public school class, which was 19 years ago, and have since recieved both a bachelor's and master's degrees in cello performance. Feel free to look at my BIOGRAPHY for more information.