Teaching
Matthew is an experienced violin and viola teacher. He has taught students of all skill levels, from complete beginners to advanced students.
Matthew works with partner organisations in New York and New Jersey to provide lessons to the community in both individual and group settings. Inquire directly with the organisations listed below for availability and rates.
Where I Teach
Newark School of the Arts
Group Suzuki for ages 5-9 and 10-15, and Individual lessons for all ages. Available Monday and Saturday.
New York Music Co-op
Individual lessons for all ages, located online, in your home, or in one of our studios in Manhattan. Inquire for availability.
Honey Academy
Individual lessons for children located in Flushing. Available Sundays.
I seek to tailor my teaching approach to the needs and goals of every student, with respect to their individual backgrounds and experiences that they bring into their lessons. I provide an equitable and supportive environment for enjoyable music making, open to students of all ages and skill levels. I seek to impart not only the joy of making music, but also the critical life skills that we learn through the process of making music, and how these skills and ideas can apply to all aspects of our lives, our education, and enjoyment of work and art.
I teach students of all skill levels, ranging from complete beginners through to advanced students. My teaching approach draws from the methods and concepts from Dalcroze and Kodaly, method books including Essential Elements and the Suzuki method, to the more advanced viola pedagogy of Karen Tuttle and Bruno Giuranna, the famous pedagogues who instructed my own teachers. I supplement this with concepts from the Alexander Technique and Body Mapping to promote efficient physical use and prevent common injuries. This holistic approach allows me to tailor a teaching program for each student that meets their needs and skill level.
Why Learn the Violin or Viola?
Not only is music making – like all forms of art – an enjoyable and fulfilling experience in itself, the process of music making teaches us many skills that are useful in all areas of our lives and our education. Studies have shown that school children who learn music as part of their education tend to have better academic performance than their peers who do not learn music. In general, these student show greater aptitude in pattern recognition, lateral thinking, problem solving, and creativity. They perform better in STEM subjects, languages, and social sciences, and music students who participate in ensembles tend to perform better in team environments.
Music is its own language, one that, in my experience, transcends our individual backgrounds. It can be a near perfect vehicle for teaching critical thinking processes and life skills that we apply in all areas of life, such as critical and lateral thinking, understanding and applying abstract concepts, creativity, problem solving, time management, goal setting, and discipline. I see it as my responsibility to highlight those connections to my students so that they can apply these skills in all areas of their lives and education, as well as make it fun for everybody involved while keeping the learning process more engaging.