Sacramento Strings - Violin and Viola Lessons
Sacramento Strings - Violin and Viola Lessons

Sacramento Strings - Violin and Viola Lessons

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Introduction: I am a classically-trained, professional-grade violin and viola instructor. However, I approach all students with the same level of dedication to improving their craft, regardless of skill level or age. I'm very aware of the fact that the whole point of learning music is to enjoy it, so I don't take myself too seriously and I will work with you to make the most progress without discouragement. Teaching violin and viola is my sole source of income, and has been for the last 9 years; most of those in Sacramento. I'm proud of this -- it's allowed me to accumulate an impressive amount of experience. At the end of the day, though, the reason I stand out as an instructor is simply because I try very hard to be a great instructor. Every student is vastly different from the last and needs a different lesson plan. I don't use templates; every step of the way, your learning experience is entirely personalized, whether you are a brand-new beginner or an accomplished semi-pro. Don't practice enough? We can work around that, or find a solution for it. Motor skill deficiencies? We have drills for that. Lack of tone recognition? We'll play around with singing and piano familiarity in addition to the violin. Don't underestimate your ability to learn! Besides being a professional-grade violin and viola teacher with a wealth of experience, I have invested heavily in making sure that my students have access to every possible amenity that they might need. While my strongest trait as an instructor is my ability to teach well, having access to proper equipment can make a significant difference in how quickly and comfortably a student learns, whether they are new to the instrument or already advanced. I have an in-house collection of different shoulder rest styles so that we can find an optimal playing position, regardless of the student's clavicle angle or neck length. I also have access to many different chin-rest styles, and am very well versed in which chin-rests work for which people. For example: did you know that being left-eye dominant tends to make a center-mounted chin rest more desirable? I have my own rental program with a line of violins that I have found to be absolutely optimal for a beginner. Of course, no one is obligated to rent from me and I have many other sources for rentals if that is the choice of the student. I only offer it as a convenience. If you are looking to purchase your own instrument, I have experimented with many different brands of violins and have found the ideal instruments for different budgets and playing styles. I have personally played violins that range in price from $50 to $300,000, so I have a very good idea of the range of violins that are available. Although I generally recommend that a brand-new student rents for a while until they develop a taste for what they want out of a violin, I do have a few great starter-brands that I've had good success with. I love teaching. To me, every student is a totally different challenge, so it keeps me on my toes. But nothing makes me as happy as seeing a student make music. I try to get students playing duets with me as quickly as possible because it really demonstrates how enjoyable the musical experience can be. It's a conversation with another musician, really. And with more advanced students, we can delve further into the artistic aspects of what we're doing. We can turn a good performance into a great one. That's another special moment. Even just learning the basics can be turned into an art if we go about it the right way. It's a novel experience for me with each different student, and I always look forward to discovering the music inside a new student. Your first note, your first song, your first duet, and your first concerto are all landmarks to me.
Overview

Hired 4 times

16 years in business

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Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for professionalism, responsiveness, and value.

Exceptional 5.0

13 reviews

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pro avatar
Kimberly J.
Aug 8, 2019
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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

Details: 10 - 13 years old • 0 - 2 yrs of formal training • Yes, the student can read music • Classical violin • Classical • Folk • What the teacher recommends • Yes, the student has a violin • 30 minutes • My home, venue, etc. • At the pro’s location

Violin Lessons
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Thumbtack Customer
May 16, 2015
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From Facebook

From Facebook

Erik is very friendly and patient. I make mistake after mistake (I am new to the Violin), and Erik never makes me feel bad. He is very encouraging, yet honest about what you should work on. He is a very intuitive person, who has plugged that into his teaching skills. He explains new techniques and skills easily each week. Some of the ways Erick teaches are by modeling, effective communication, watching you play and figuring out where you need guidance, and sometimes hand over hand to teach muscle memory or a new technique.Erik is easy to reach if you need anything in between your lessons each week. He has been very accommodating to me. Each week he is promptly on time and devotes the entire time to you. There is never a wasted moment! He teaches and you learn a lot in a half hour time slot!!! Even though I have only been his student two or so months, I have learned a lot. I highly recommend Erik! He is a devoted teacher.
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Katie H.
Feb 15, 2016
My 10 year old daughter had been taking violin lessons with another teacher for about 6 months before we thought to try another teacher. Nothing was wrong in particular, but I thought that maybe a different teacher would be worth a try. I liked that Erik's first lesson was free, so I tried him first. In the first 15 minutes of them working together, the difference was as plain as day. The first thing Erik did was disassemble her technique and rebuild it in an intuitive and logical fashion. He was able to explain it to her in a way that was not only easy to understand, but also humorous and lighthearted. Despite this, when my daughter would get distracted, Erik was able to quickly bring her back into a state of focus without being harsh or commanding. My daughter visibly enjoyed her lesson and I was happy to know that her technique would be led in the right direction from now on, without it feeling strict or boring. I wish we would have found Erik sooner!
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Tara S.
Feb 22, 2016
My experience with erik has been great, to say the least. When I called him to ask about beginner violin lessons for an adult student (that's me), I was terrified. A few teachers I contacted before even told me they don't teach beginning adults because they don't have the head-start that kids have and can't become professionals. But I didn't want to become a pro, I just wanted to learn the violin! So anyways, I called Erik and he was super helpful and reassuring, spending about 30 minutes on the phone with me answering all of my silly questions. In the first lesson, he let me use one of his rental violins and I learned way more than I thought I'd be able to on the first day. He carefully talked me through how to hold the bow and covered everything about technique I could possibly imagine. He said it was because I needed to do it right from day one to have smooth progress in the future. I've been super, super happy with him as an instructor so far. And learning the violin as an adult is NOT that scary!
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Donna R.
Mar 8, 2016
A+ instructor. I was having trouble finding a teacher that could show me anything new because I already had over 10 years of experience playing, so about half of them knew less than I did. I recently moved from a small town in the middle of nowhere so even though I have played for a long time, I didn't have great access to quality teachers. Anyways, erik was able to introduce me to challenging pieces, as well as fixing technique problems that came from years of bad habits. Very refreshing. I have also been trying to teach my 6 year old viola on my own time and when I mentioned this, erik actually gave me some really helpful advice on teaching him (and teaching myself to be patient).