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Violin teacher in Maryland, Anybody know one?

Schools: I'm just trying to look for a good teacher that has experience in teaching in the Maryland area (especially Baltimore County).

From William Li
Posted May 17, 2004 at 08:47 PM

I'm a intermediate (maybe advanced) student that has played all the Suzuki books, the 'Czardas', the Bruch concerto, the Vivaldi concertos, etc... I'm just trying to look for a good teacher that has experience in teaching in the Maryland area (especially Baltimore County). Also, I've played the violin for around 3 years or so..hehe. Anyone know a good teacher or is one that's in Maryland?

From Christianna Stavroudis
Posted on May 17, 2004 at 08:53 PM

Hey William, I'm moving to Baltimore County myself and have also been playing for three years. I found several Baltimore teachers on violinist.com's teacher listing (under "find a violinist" on the home page). Also, try musicstaff.com. You type in your zip code and the site retrieves teacher profiles. I have found both this website and musicstaff to have very good teacher profiles and listings. You can also try the Peabody Prep (website: http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/index.php?pageID=194) and other music faculties at some of the area colleges and universities (College Park, UMBC, etc.). Good luck with your studies and perhaps I'll see you this fall!

From Eric Livingston
Posted on May 17, 2004 at 09:05 PM

I studied with Adrian Semo, associate concertmast of the BSO, for a time. You might try him.

Eric

From William Li
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 12:36 AM

OMG, so much teachers in MD; never knew that! since there are so much teachers out there to choose from, any suggestions on which teach is best for me? also, is this guy named Jonathan Kim any good? (I'm just asking because he's shown up everywhere).

From Ryan Sharon
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 01:06 AM

Um...Doesn't Emil live in Maryland?...
I wouldn't mind studying under him!

From Tommy Atkinson
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 12:50 PM

Look at the Peabody Prep program. They have some fantastic teachers there, also Dr. Szabo at Towson University has some really fine young players; he's definitely worth trying a lesson with.

From Andrew Sords
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 01:40 PM

Go to Emil Chudnovsky...

From Evelyn Ray
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 02:12 PM

Wow! Three years and you've done all that? I'm impressed. Is it average to finish all the Suzuki books in 3 years or are you exceptional? Did I misunderstand?

From Michael Avagliano
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 06:33 PM

Emil is a _great_ teacher. Cathleen Jeffcoat at Peabody Prep is also very good, from what I hear.

From William Li
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 08:08 PM

Thanks for all the replies and recommendations. I'll try to contact those teachers, expecially Emil, since she's been named a frew times here. Secondly, yes, I've only played the violin for 3 years, but i've played the piano since I was three, so I guess there's a connection there...

From Fiddle Nerd
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 08:12 PM

Ah, yeah, she's great!

From Kelsey Z.
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 08:17 PM

lol...

William, Emil is a he. :)

From William Li
Posted on May 19, 2004 at 09:39 PM

lol, didnt kno that...

From Emil Chudnovsky
Posted on May 24, 2004 at 09:26 AM

Hey, thanks for the votes of confidence, folks! For what it's worth, I do have a couple of openings starting this summer and will be happy to listen and offer my opinion to anyone looking for a teacher in MD.

From Tracy Queen
Posted on May 26, 2004 at 02:22 AM

My teacher is going out of town for the summer. I need a violin teacher for about 8 young girls at the GirlScouts. These children really need the opportunities that they normally would never have. Please contact me if you are available. The site is in Baltimore and the summer program will run about 4-6 weeks once a week. We are looking to start in July. E-mail me at tqueen60@aol.com

From Brahms Violin
Posted on May 26, 2004 at 03:01 PM

Great teachers in the Baltimore/Maryland area include Leri Slutsky, who teaches at the Peabody Prep, Clara Berkovich (the first teacher of Hilary Hahn) who has a private studio, and Rebecca Henry, who also teaches at the Peabody Prep.

From Cathleen Jeffcoat
Posted on June 15, 2004 at 06:05 AM

Just to let you all know, Leri Slutsky has just retired from the Peabody Prep. The reason I know is that I am a collegue of his and we just had a farewell for him last month at Peabody.

And yes, there are many great teachers here in Baltimore!!!! I am very lucky to work here with my collegues at Peabody Prep and Conservatory, along with collegues in Washington, DC.

From Cathleen Jeffcoat
Posted on June 15, 2004 at 06:05 AM

Just to let you all know, Leri Slutsky has just retired from the Peabody Prep. The reason I know is that I am a collegue of his and we just had a farewell for him last month at Peabody.

And yes, there are many great teachers here in Baltimore!!!! I am very lucky to work here with my collegues at Peabody Prep and Conservatory, along with collegues in Washington, DC.

From clinton rebello
Posted on August 15, 2004 at 09:02 PM

Does anybody know a great teacher in the Greenbelt area??

From owen sutter
Posted on August 16, 2004 at 10:48 PM

lol, at least emil APPEARED to be a he when i met him and his cd insert also mentions him being male...

From nate r
Posted on August 17, 2004 at 03:22 AM

Keng Yuen-Tseng.

From clinton rebello
Posted on August 17, 2004 at 05:09 PM

Nate, is that teacher in the Greenbelt area??

From Brahms Violin
Posted on August 17, 2004 at 06:46 PM

He teaches in Peabody Conservatory.

From clinton rebello
Posted on December 2, 2004 at 10:13 PM

anybody know any really strict teachers in this area? I want one because I feel it will be best for me. With a strict teacher, I will play the best I can, and won't get away with anything. The teacher I have now is not good. He doesn't help me with all of my problems and lets me move on to other repertoire when I haven't given my best performance of my current song. I really don't like this. I want to become an excellent violinist but I don't feel that I will with my current teacher. Please help!!

From Jude Ziliak
Posted on December 3, 2004 at 03:26 AM

Victor Danchenko is notoriously strict. He teaches at Peabody. Good luck.

From Christian Vachon
Posted on December 4, 2004 at 07:57 PM

Hi,

There are several great teachers in the Baltimore area, many of which are at the Peabody Prep. There, I would personally recommend Dr. Christian Tremblay for someone of your level (a very personal opinion). Simply terrific all around! Emil is there, you should definitely contact him. As for Victor Dancenko mentioned in the previous post, he teaches only Conservatory students and at Curtis. In a few years, maybe... Good luck and Cheers!

From howard vandersluis
Posted on December 6, 2004 at 05:18 PM

Hi Clinton,

As many folks here have said, there are many great teachers in the Baltimore-Washington area. However, I'm concerned about what you said about your current teacher. Why do you think your teacher is letting you get away with not doing your best? Is it possible your teacher may know a thing or two that you don't about pacing? I think you should have a talk with your current teacher about your concerns. You might be surprised at what the teacher would have to say about you and your work as well as his/her reasons for letting you move on to new pieces (not songs!) when you think you shouldn't be moving on. Keep in mind too that a truly strict teacher may not be too interested in hearing what YOU think you should be working on...
That having been said, I think that you should consider Emil Chudnovsky. He's very disciplined in his approach but also very responsive to students' needs and concerns ( I've seen him teach many times) and he teaches in Silver Spring as well as Baltimore.

Good Luck!

From clinton rebello
Posted on December 6, 2004 at 08:55 PM

Hi Mr. Vander Sluis! Thank you for your response. I would like to explain why I feel the way I do about my teacher. First of all, I have been struggling with vibrato for a long time. I told my teacher about it, and he just did vibrato in front of me. That's it!! And then he told me to go home and practice it. He never gave me the basics about it, nor did he give me any excercises to do to achieve it. And at every lesson now, he tells me that my vibrato is too stiff. But he doesn't say anything else. He tells me to go home and practice it. Practice what?? He never tells me how to practice it. However, after stumbling across the violinmasterclass.com website, I know what to practice to get a good vibrato. They break it down nicely for you. I learnt some things that my teacher never even told me. Also, I am worried about my bow arm and basic excercises to loosen up my hand. I feel my bowhold is too stiff, and he never talks to me about my right hand. However, this past summer, I hadn't heard from him for the longest time, and so I started looking for a new teacher. I went for trial lessons with other teachers, and they all told me that I had to loosen up my right hand. So basically, I am worried about my technique. My teacher does not work on my basic techniques at all, and I am worried that one day, it will affect my playing and I will not be able to advance any higher. So, that is why I feel the way I do about my teacher.

From Maximillian Tresmond
Posted on December 6, 2004 at 09:11 PM

Clinton,
Just go with Emil. He's a modern day god of the violin-one of the best around. I wish I lived in Washington, as I would hope to study under him.

-Max

From Mariam Gregorian
Posted on December 6, 2004 at 09:37 PM

James Stern teaches at the University of Maryland. He is fantastic, if you can get in with him. I think he teaches a few high school students.

From Jenni Thompson
Posted on December 7, 2004 at 12:48 AM

question, how did you finish the suzuki books in 3 years??

From clinton rebello
Posted on December 7, 2004 at 01:56 AM

Mariam, do you know how I could get in touch with James Stern??

From Christian Vachon
Posted on December 7, 2004 at 02:39 AM

Dear Clinton,

If your teacher does not teach you technique, then you have every reason to be worried. A solid technical foundation accomplished with a good teacher will save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run. You will have to do it at some point; better now than later. Everyone here has tossed out some excellent names. Hopefully you can find the right fit for you.

If you do want to contact James Stern, you might be able to get his contact info through the University of Maryland. Here is the link to U. Maryland's contact info.

http://www.music.umd.edu/directory.html

Good luck!

From Christian Vachon
Posted on December 8, 2004 at 03:49 AM

From Jonathan Kim
Posted on January 7, 2005 at 04:43 AM

Hello Christian Vachon.

How are you doing? =)

From Henry Flory
Posted on January 8, 2005 at 02:16 AM

You can actually study with Mr. Danchenko if you are not enrolled at Peabody. I am a student of his and I HIGHLY recommend him. James Stern is also excellent. I had a masterclass with Emil, which was both enjoyable and very informative.

From Christian Vachon
Posted on January 9, 2005 at 02:44 PM

Hey Jonathan,

Long time... I am fine and you? Hope things are going well at Peabody.

Cheers!

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