Cello Lessons:
The best hardest thing you'll ever do.
Welcome to my cello studio! Enrolling your student in private lessons is the most surefire way to ensure they progress consistently and properly, in turn laying the foundation of a deep passion for and lifelong interest in playing the cello. We will spend a lot of time studying musical fundamentals and the mechanics of cello playing in order to build up a toolbox of practice techniques, with the aim of achieving an ability to freely express musical ideas. Simply put, my goal is to teach students how to teach themselves!
In order to be the best cellist you can be, you need to know:
‣ The first step to being sorta good at something is being bad at it.
Learning an instrument is one of the hardest things you can do, but it also teaches many incredibly valuable life skills: discipline, patience, perseverance, organization, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, and many others.
‣ And you'll probably be bad at it for a while.
These are not skills that can be nurtured in a week, or a month; they take a long time to develop. When you sign up for lessons, you are making a commitment to stay enrolled for the year, and if after that time you decide to try something else, then I wish you the best!
‣ But if you keep working on it, eventually you'll be sorta good.
Slow, consistent practice is the #1 predictor of success when learning a new skill. It beats natural talent, it beats passion, it wins every time. If you practice consistently and intelligently, you will improve.
‣ When you get sorta good, you'll want to get even better.
Setting measurable and achievable goals is the easiest way to see progress. With smart goal-setting, you can practice more in 20 minutes than some people can in an hour. That's more time for Netflix!
And you will need to get (if you don't already have):
‣ A metronome and a tuner.
Korg makes a basic two-in-one model that you can buy here. If you'd rather use an app, TonalEnergy costs $4 and is easily worth 10x that: iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
‣ Somewhere to practice in front of a mirror.
It doesn't need to be fancy or huge, but it must be large enough to see both hands while playing. You might already have somewhere at home that will work. Dressing mirrors are perfect for this.
‣ Sheet music.
The actual stuff we practice! This is not an inclusive list; you will periodically be responsible for purchasing new books as they are required. If you have any questions about what to get, please don’t hesistate to ask!
Beginning students will need:
- Alwin Schroeder's 170 Foundation Studies, Volume 1
- Suzuki Cello School, Volume 1 (also available with practice CD), and eventually Volume 2 (practice CD version)
More advanced students will need:
- David Popper's High School of Cello Playing
- Later volumes from the Suzuki series, which we will discuss during lessons