Jeffrey - Teacher #1228

Instruments:
- Mandolin
- Oboe
- Piano
- Viola
- Violin

Services:
- Dictation
- Ear Training
- Music History
- Music Theory (Advanced)
- Music Theory (Beginner-Intermediate)

Languages:
- English
- French
- Japanese
- Mandarin
- Spanish

Teaching Philosophy

My goals as a teacher are to teach the student the skills necessary for interpreting and performing a whole wide range of music, while encouraging analytic and creative thinking. The way that I have been taught violin, viola and music has allowed me to bring this creatively analytic approach to everything I do, and I can help students bring this thinking into other realms as well. My training in the basics Alexander Technique not only has been greatly useful in the development of my technical skills as a player, but it has also improved my physical life outside of music as well. The psychological and emotional tactics for performance can be applied to enhance any kind of performance. I could go on and on about the value of studying the arts.

I am very fortunate to have studied and worked with a handful of world-class musicians, and I am very eager to pass along their wisdom (as well as some of my own) to enthusiastic students. I teach players of all ages and levels, as long as they have an intense desire to learn and improve. Although I can only call myself an expert in the methods that have worked for me, I remain flexible to the needs and goals of the student.

Topics covered in lessons with me:
Technical facility
Posture and body use
Efficient, expressive and varied sound production
Rhythm, groove and ensemble skills
Essentials of music theory and ear training
Practice methods and strategies
Tactics for fighting "stage-fright"
Audition preparation
Professionalism and career development

Musical Education

University of British Columbia - Bachelor of Music (viola)
Southern Illinois University Carbondale - Master of Music (orchestral conducting & viola)
My principal teachers included David Harding, Reginald Quiring, Edward Benyas, and Michael Barta (violin)

Awards and Distinctions

Playing music has taught me so much about life that I feel would have been missed had I chosen any other profession. For starters, I have learned the necessity of patience, diligence and creative problem-solving, as music is an art and not an exact science. Playing such a bulky instrument as the viola, which is only marginally larger than a violin, presents unique physical challenges, and the act of performing conjures up inevitable emotional and psychological issues. However, these challenges are not insurmountable - we can only strive to ingrain methods that work, and chip away at habits that get in the way. In the collaborative process that is teaching, I work with students to develop a personalized method for problem-solving, and help them to discover their unique musical identity, help others realize their inner merits and awards, their personal distinctions.

Special Skills and Training

•Served as vice-president of the Scandinavian-Nordic Cultural Association for two years. •Taught English and Music to children in Tokyo, Japan and Beijing, China •Singer and violinist with a local mariachi band. •Played in numerous symphony orchestras both locally and abroad. •Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate. • Hot Springs Music Festival •Studied arts administration with Laura Rosenberg and viola with Amadi Azikiwe •Ticino Musica International Classic • Studied conducting with Arturo Tamayo •Conductors’ Academy International Masterclass •Studied orchestral conducting with Jonathan Brett and Maciej Żółtowski •Atlantic Coast International Conducting Academy •Studied orchestral conducting with Colin Metters and Luis Clemente •Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy (PRISMA) •Studied conducting with Maestro Arthur Arnold, Music Director of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and studied viola with Andrew Brown and Susan Gulkis Assadi •SALT New Music Festival and Symposium •Studied conducting with Professor Ajtony Csaba, Asst. Professor at the University of Victoria

Rates

30 Minutes: $39.00
45 Minutes: $49.00
60 Minutes: $59.00

There is a one-time registration fee of 25 $ charged with the first lessons. All Taxes are included in prices, if applicable

NOTE: Your Credit card will be charged ONLY when the first lesson is set up and confirmed with the teacher

Policies


1. Cancellation Policy

Lessons not cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice are billable to the client and payable to the teacher. This does not of course apply to travel fees unless the notice is effectively given at the door and the teacher has travelled to the location.

2. Cessation (quitting) Policy

A client must provide a 2 lesson notice period to stop lessons. So a weekly student needs to give 2 weeks of notice, a biweekly student works out to 3 weeks notice and a twice weekly student works out to a week of notice.

3. Illness Policy

Lessons cancelled due to illness or extraordinary circumstances with less than 24 hours notice remain billable to the client and payable to the teacher.

BAH teachers are encouraged to offer a make-up lesson at a future date in the interest of client relations and general goodwill. This only makes sense as teaching a student with the flu for example, will ruin the rest of your week's employment.

No more than 2 lessons may be made up due to illness within a 60 day period.

4. Rescheduling Policy

Any lesson can be cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice.

Summer Vacation and Extended Absence Policy

Clients may schedule longer absences for trips etc. 24 hours notice is required.

It is normal and typical for students and about 20% of our teachers to schedule a break in the summer. We do not enforce a notice period (see cessation of lessons) at the end of a long summer break.

5. Evaluation Period

There are no free trial lessons with Beethoven at Home but we do offer a 2 lesson evaluation period where it is easy to try out a teacher. There are no free lessons during the evaluation period and clients may choose to discontinue the lessons at any time by providing the required 24 hours notice. After the student's 3rd lesson the required 2 lesson notice period will apply (see cessation of lessons above).

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