FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
In general, I believe I am in the middle of the pack with regards to pricing. Some charge more, some charge less. It is a commitment to enter into music lessons, and with me, you get my sincere commitment and focus to each and every lesson and student. In general, 30 minute lessons are $45, 45 are $65, 60 minutes are $85 with some degree of negotiation. I know of very young teachers who charge $110 or 120 an hour, I feel that is a bit too much.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Every person is different and each person comes with an individual set of skills and abilities. When someone is beginning cello we start with how you sit, which means figuring out the length of the end pin, the length of the end pin anchor or strap, where and how you sit on the chair. We start with plucking the strings, then learning how to hold the bow and then a little later I introduce the left hand. Some people need to learn how to read music, others already know. As far as the piano goes, if a person is a beginner, we begin by orienting our hands to the middle of the keyboard. We talk about the geography of the keyboard, and immediately I have a little tune that people can play even before learning to read music. Of course if someone has experience all this is different. I like to get a sense of how someone plays if they have had previous training. But as I said, everyone is different and has different skill sets.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I am a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, afterwards I studied privately with various people, free lanced, then was hired to be assistant principal cellist of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Italy. During my 5 years there, I frequently traveled to Milan to study baroque cello at the Scuola Civica di Milano and toured with I Solisti Veneti. I then became a member of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and played and toured with that group, the Jerusalem Symphony and Israel Chamber Orchestra for four years. Then I moved to England where I studied Viola da gamba and baroque music at the Royal College in London and free lanced throughout Europe. Since coming to the Bay Area of San Francisco, in addition to free lancing with many many groups, I have occasionally taken individual lessons, and observed master classes and have attended lectures. I am also a guest judge for many competitions in the Bay Area and continue to perform as a soloist and chamber music player in addition to free lancing and teaching.