Private Lessons

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My primary goal as a teacher is to make playing the violin and viola easy and fun. My teaching begins with a strong technical foundation. Having strong basics allows the musician to play their instrument with ease, having the freedom to play musically and creatively. I provide students with a balance of scales and arpeggios, etudes and technical exercises, and classical repertoire. Depending on the student's interests, I may supplement with fiddle, pop, or jazz tunes. It is my goal as a teacher to "decode" each individual student's personal learning style. I strive to create a fun and safe learning environment and to instill the values of lifelong learning, curiosity, and improvement in my students.

I have over ten years of private teaching experience and have worked with students between ages 5 and 75. My teaching experience combines my formal training and degrees in violin performance and pedagogy, the latest research in string pedagogy, and discoveries from my personal practice and performances with a sense of humor, curiosity, and play.

I firmly believe that students can begin learning a musical instrument at any age. While I love working with children, I have developed a specialty in teaching adults. Many of my students are adult learners between ages 25-65 who are either learning an instrument for the very first time or have had previous experience playing other instruments as children, including the piano, trumpet, and saxophone. I have developed a specialized progression for training adults which develops good habits, solid technique, and beautiful sound on the violin or viola.

Location

My home studio can be found the Westwood neighborhood of Kalamazoo, Michigan. My studio is located only 2 miles from Linden Grove Middle School, Arcadia Elementary School, and El Sol Academy and is convenient to Downtown Kalamazoo, Western Michigan University, West Main Street, and US-131. I am also able to offer lessons to students around the world online through the Zoom platform or through my TakeLessons Profile.

Please do not hesitate to be in touch with any questions that you may have!

Pricing

$30

30 Minute Lesson

$40

45 Minute Lesson

$50

60 Minute Lesson

Lessons are prepaid in full upfront monthly. Students are issued a monthly invoice via My Music Staff, and are payable via:

ACH Transfer with no fee
Credit Card with 3% convenience fee
Google Pay with 3% convenience fee
Apple Pay with 3% convenience fee

All payments are processed through Stripe

Reviews

“Megan is my daughter’s first violin teacher and we are so thrilled to take violin from her! She is always delightful and encouraging. My daughter looks forward to her lesson every week and is inspired to practice every day. She thinks Megan is the best teacher (and so do I)! She has a charming and positive teaching style. As a result, my daughter is progressing and most important, she loves playing the violin.

— Jessica T. (Winter, Age 6)

“On top of being a fantastic violinist and teacher who pays great attention to detail and works with you to make sure that you know how to improve your playing, Megan is also one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. This makes her the perfect teacher for anyone who wants to have a positive and successful experience learning the violin.”

— Jacquie P.

“Megan has been a fantastic teacher for an adult learner like me. I was so intimidated to start violin lessons at 28. When was the last time you were a complete novice at something as an adult? However, after my second or third lesson with Megan, I felt comfortable and confident about attempting to learn my first instrument. She gives clear instructions and positive, constructive feedback. I never feel any judgment (even when she knows I didn’t practice...) or that she’s just trying to “get through” the lessons. She clearly cares about the long-term progress of her students and fostering a life-long enjoyment of the violin. One of her greatest strengths is her adaptability - she doesn’t take a “one-size-fits-all” approach to her teaching. She’ll initially demonstrate what works for her and other students but will quickly shift her teaching style to fit your learning. As you would expect, she’s passionate about violin but also has the rare quality of being passionate about *teaching violin*. It’s been a gift to work with her and I’m looking forward to continuing our lessons.”

— Tina M.

“Megan is a phenomenal instructor. With a patient demeanor and bubbly personality, she made learning the violin as an adult a fun process!! I constantly find her instruction constructive and well paced, with a flexibility to keep the lessons fresh! She is also great at creating a strong foundation. I would recommend her for anyone willing to dive into music!”

— Ben S.V.

“I am in my 60's and had never picked up an instrument in my entire life. I met with Megan, I explained my trepidation and she put my fears at ease and got me started. From the very beginning, Megan's enthusiasm was contagious. She showed me how to get started and provided a clear path to my goal of learning how to play violin. I am writing this review in the age of Covid where we cannot meet in person. Megan showed me how to transition our lessons to virtual meetings without skipping a beat. She was also very receptive to a particular path that I wanted to go down and adapted her approach to fit my request. It has only been a few short months and while we are still working on the all-important basics, we are now working on our first song together! Highly recommend, and I would not think of working with another instructor as long as Megan is teaching.”

— Dan P.

“Megan is so pleasant and fun! She has strong focus on technique, and explains these practices in a way I can understand. Since I am a beginner, and adult learner, it's important that my music teacher is patient and cheers me along throughout the process - Megan definitely has that gift. I also appreciate that she writes down technique tips and exercises for me to practice at home (so I remember what she taught me in class.) I'm looking forward to continuing to learn from Megan, and play music beautifully on my Viola one day.”

— Heidi D.

“Very friendly and explains concepts very clearly. I had a great lesson and learned so much! When I went home to practice all that I had learned my violin playing was cleaner than it had ever been!”