Teaching

My training is primarily classical, but my musical world blew open when I realized violin could take me into rock, bluegrass, blues, old-time, and more. When I teach, I try to give my students the tools to blaze their own artistic path–whatever genre, instrument, or creative endeavors they end up pursuing.

I’ve taught violin, songwriting, and music history through Blue Balloon Songwriting School, the Music Staff Studio in Nashville, TN, and The Met high school in Rhode Island. I’m now partnering with BloomBars, a community arts center in Columbia Heights, D.C. to help launch their music lessons program. 

Private Lessons

I offer private instruction for students of all ages. For violin, I generally recommend starting at or after age four, though I’m happy to discuss younger students individually. Songwriting can be woven in for students drawn to composition and creativity.

My lessons build foundational technique while developing broader musical and expressive skills.

1. Listening: While I can teach from sheet music if requested, I will always integrate learning through imitation into lessons. To train students’ ears and brains as well as their fingers, I use call and response, intervals, intonation, and rhythm exercises involving singing, clapping, and dancing.

2. Creativity: My students practice the art of improvisation and innovation, learning how to communicate original thoughts and sounds within existing musical structures (e.g., within a fiddle tune), technical constraints (e.g., on an acoustic violin), and social contexts (e.g., jamming). I encourage students to push boundaries while respecting traditions and limitations and to express themselves intentionally and intelligently through sound.

3. Artistic Awareness: I expose students to the enormous versatility of their instrument and variety of contexts and cultures in which it can be used: classical, bluegrass, old-time, jazz, and beyond. Using YouTube, demonstrations, song studies, and discussions, students learn about the historical and contemporary musical scene they are entering.

You can read more about my teaching philosophy here. Or listen to the song I wrote about teaching (“For My Teacher”)!

Rates depend on location, duration, area of instruction, and number of sessions. I meet with most of my students every week, either at my home, at their residence, at Bloombars, or online. Contact me for details.

Group Classes

For young children (ages 2-6) and their families, I run a weekly music class at BloomBars: Pirate Adventures with Captain Sage. Each weekly class offers a new opportunity for budding buccaneers and their families & caregivers to sing, stomp, and explore together. Suggested donation is $15-20 per child; adults are free.

RSVP (optional) at eventbrite. 

Academic Tutoring

I also run a small company called Pearwise Tutors. We offer instruction in SAT test prep, college essays, AP physics, and more. Visit pearwisetutors.com for more info.