Hello! I am a Long Island-based viola and violin teacher currently working towards a Master's degree in viola performance at Stony Brook University. I have taught more than a dozen violin and viola students ages 6-70 over the past 5 years, and I continue to maintain a hybrid studio in Northern Virginia in addition to lessons online and on Long Island. I hold a Bachelor of Music degree in viola from the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore. I care deeply about the quality of my lessons, and I continuously improve my teaching materials to meet the needs of each student and to reflect each new insight I gain about string playing. My approach in lessons is based on having a long term plan for each student of becoming an excellent all-around musician, while achieving satisfying results in the short term. The most important skill I focus on with every student, young and old, is being able to analyze a technical or musical problem, break it down into a set of realistic steps, and work with efficiency to gain and retain the results. In other words: understanding how to practice in a rewarding but challenging way. In my viola and violin lessons, music theory work is vital to making musical progress, whether through understanding chords and tonal harmony, or simply reading music fluently. I was the recipient of the Azalia H. Thomas Prize for Music Theory in my graduating class at Peabody, and I regularly compose and arrange music for my students and peers. I am glad to teach theory and composition independently of instrumental instruction for interested students, but know that if you would like to study an instrument with me, you will build a great base knowledge of theory.