PRIVATE LESSONS

Private lessons are essential for success on any musical instrument. We are both dedicated and sought after teachers who regularly give private lessons, master classes, coach chamber groups, and perform outreach/educational performances at grade schools and universities around the globe. As passionate teachers we each maintain a private music studio in our home in Peekskill, New York with students aging anywhere from 5 years to adult and levels beginner through advanced. Please read on to find out more about our individual teaching philosophies and journeys in this field.

I grew up watching my mother give piano lessons in our house so the process of teaching and learning an instrument has been with me for as long as I can remember. My first experiences with teaching were as a practice partner to several of my teacher’s students when I was in high school. During my final two of eight years at Juilliard I began teaching at various schools in and around New York City while also gradually building a sizable private studio that I maintained for over 10 years. I then moved to Westchester County, kept a few of my city students, and gained many more as a faculty member at Vassar College. I taught at Vassar for three and a half years until the birth of my daughter when I decided to teach private lessons exclusively so I could be home as much as possible. In addition to my extensive experience teaching in the tristate area I also greatly enjoy working with students, chamber groups, and orchestras around the globe when I am on tour with my quartet which I have been doing for two decades.

I have experience teaching all levels of violin as well as beginning to intermediate piano. I have worked with students as young as 4, and as grand as 60+. I do my best to tailor my lesson plans and goals to the individual, paying great attention to my students’ desires and continually checking in to see how everything is feeling. I believe that while methodology is important and an essential part to learning an instrument, the process itself is not a “one size fits all” situation. We each have different strengths and weaknesses, sizes, backgrounds, personalities, etc. that play a major role in how we learn and approach an instrument. I believe it is my job as a teacher to help guide students to find their individual voices in music by using the knowledge I have gained through my experiences and simultaneously learning what works best for each individual as we get to know and trust one another. Music is a special and positive force in the world and it is my joy and honor to share that joy through teaching and performing. Wherever your journey with music takes you, I hope to see you for a lesson or at a concert sometime soon.

—AMY—

“Is music and/or cello among your first thoughts each morning, and is it among your final thoughts every night?” This question, posed to me by one of my mentors, is one of the reasons I have devoted my life to music. If you have answered “yes” to these questions as well, then we have a common passion already. Having been an educator since the age of 20, it is my firm belief that music education is not meant solely to train people to become professional musicians; rather, it exists to build community and foster more empathetic, kind, goal-oriented and focused relationships.

Having grown up in a musical household with a professional violinist father and professional cellist mother, sounds of music and pedagogy are engrained into my earliest childhood memories to the point where a phrase from a piece of music evokes a certain aroma because a meal was being prepared in the kitchen by one parent as the other parent was teaching. This power of music is something that I hope to pass on to my students. If you are a newcomer to the cello, regardless of age, we can work together to lay the foundational skills to be able to grow as a musician. If you are an intermediate student auditioning for schools and/or youth orchestras, we can hone your skills to get you to that next level of playing. If you would like to use your skills in a way that focuses more on improvisation, I have decades of experience in that arena as well. If you are a professional cellist needing an extra set of eyes and ears before a big audition or competition, I am happy to offer guidance and mentorship. My hope is to continually create realistic goals to motivate my students to improve their playing and understanding of cello in a way that is fun and inspiring, yet without sacrificing the hard work and dedication that comes with studying a musical instrument.

—Felix—