Maxfield Live Arts

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Introduction: As a top-educated cellist with performance degrees from Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin I have studied and performed with many of the leading musicians and artists around the world. In my teaching, I have taught students and ensembles young and old, from beginner to advanced, with an emphasis on matching learning strategies with individuals and their goals. My students have gone on to play with local rock bands and world music ensembles auditioned into great music schools.

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Vikki v.

Dec 4, 2015

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Hired on Thumbtack

Cello Lessons (for adults)

Ismet T.

Nov 19, 2015

If you are interested in playing the cello and you are looking for somebody to teach and inspire you, I would highly recommend Maxfield. I was 32 when I bought a cheap cello, and I was introduced to Maxfield through friends of friends while I was looking for a cello instructor in Madison, WI. I had absolutely no idea what I was against as I started my lessons. I had played some recorder, drums, harmonica and guitar in the past, but I had had no experience with a bowed instrument. I also lacked any proper musical training, apart from music classes in middle-school. Later on it became apparent that I wasn't going to be the best pupil: I had a full-time job, and I wasn't putting in the necessary time practicing on the cello to gain better command of the instrument. There are a few things about Maxfield that made me hang on and continue my classes with him for nearly two years: - First, his love for the cello, his excitement when sharing something about his instrument with you, the pleasure he gets from music, it is contagious. This may sound cheesy to some, but, to me, this one goes at the very top. - Second, even when I had not made any progress since the week before, Maxfield would always put something new on the table at our lessons, maybe a new exercise, a new piece or a simple snippet of a bigger piece (Bach? Bartok? Michael Jackson?), a new way of fixing my poor posture, an anecdote on why we do something in that specific way. This was important, especially because new info/experiences develops a feeling of progress, and that is essential for my motivation. (I would like to open parentheses to add that I am not a native speaker, so he had to play around with examples/explanations at times to make sure I *really* get it, and that he never made me feel guilty for slacking, which would have been a motivation killer.) - Third, he can access the full range of what the cello can do. This is his instrument, no doubt. I very much enjoyed the times he would pull out some (usually complicated) piece he had studied to show why a certain exercise is important, or how a seemingly complex progression of sounds is actually quite simple, or how people have taken a simple technique and gone crazy with it. It's nice to see what's possible on the cello, even if when you know you can't possibly do it yourself. I put this last, because chances are, people who identify themselves as "cello instructors" will be sufficiently proficient on the instrument, especially for someone at my level. I did perform on stage with my cello once, when I accompanied a Turkish folk song at a cultural event on campus, in front of ~250 guests. Although the lack of experience showed, I hit all the right notes at the right times, and I consider this my highest achievement on the cello. Nowadays, when people ask me about my favorite instrument, I tell them "even though I can't do it right, it is the cello." I believe this is Maxfield's highest achievement with me.

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What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
$80 for 1 hour lesson $65 for 45 minute lesson $50 for 1/2 hour lesson All lessons are taught in student's homes or space established by the student. Negotiable transportation charge if more than 1/2 hour from my base.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I work with my students to understand their goals and motivations in music to find both the most effective and fun-filled music and methods to learn the great instrument of the cello. My students go on both to attend major music schools and play in local rock bands.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Maxfield holds cello performance degrees from Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin and has worked with renowned artists music festivals and events around the globe to expand the role of cello and art in daily culture, challenging his students, audiences, and colleagues to find new ways to connect in the modern world. From his love for chamber music and recognition of music and art as an integral vocabulary for expanding global dialogue, understanding, and peace, Maxfield pursues performance, creation, recording, and collaboration in classical, contemporary, tango, popular, and interdisciplinary artistic projects. This has led to performances with members of the Emerson Quartet, Choreographer Sally Gross, and renowned tango artists Hector del Curto and Pablo Aslan. As a teacher, Maxfield draws from the musical vocabularies he has developed across musical genres, to find the best way to connect his students to the music they want to play. His work in a variety of body awareness modalities and contemporary dance, Suzuki Teacher Certification, and extensive pedagogical study make him an ideal teacher for students young and old, beginner and advanced.

Maxfield Live Arts

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