Violin & Viola Lessons with Emily Benoit
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Interested musical styles
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Introduction
Welcome to my violin and viola studio in Pittsburgh, PA, and online! I believe that every student can enjoy the process of studying an instrument, and can learn to play with ease and joy. As a result, I work to determine each student's learning style, look for ways to encourage individual ownership of learning, and adapt my approach to help meet each student’s needs and goals. I teach both Suzuki and traditional lessons, and draw from a variety of musical styles and approaches to help students develop a broad range of skills that include a strong technical foundation, ear training, sight-reading, ensemble playing, and musical self-expression. Through this approach, I hope to help students develop a lifelong love for music that will serve them in all future endeavors, musical or otherwise.
Teaching and Education
In and around Pittsburgh, Emily is a strong champion of music education, and she currently runs a thriving teaching studio. She has experience teaching students of all ages, preparing students for success in competitions, auditions, and recitals, and is trained in a variety of teaching approaches that include the Suzuki method. Emily is an active member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and studied at the Greater Washington Suzuki Institute and the Japan Seattle Suzuki Institute, after receiving her Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University, and her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music.
Performance
Emily has performed throughout much of the United States and abroad. She has performed as a substitute musician with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and was a member of Spoleto USA Festival and the Sarasota Opera. Emily also spent time in San Francisco, where she was a member of the Santa Cruz Symphony and performed as a substitute musician with the San Francisco Symphony.
Overview
Hired 3 times
Background checked
1 employee
14 years in business
Payment methods
This pro accepts payments via Cash, Check, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle.
Specialties
Interested musical styles
Reviews
Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and responsiveness.
Exceptional 5.0
9 reviews
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Patrick C.
Jun 28, 2022
Our daughter started violin lessons with Emily during COVID-19 and we could not have asked for a better teacher! Her style of teaching was perfect for our 7 year old - patient, motivating, and thoughtful. As much as intonation and technique are important principles in the early stages of violin, Emily really stressed the musical qualities of each piece. In addition, her weekly take-home lesson notes helped our daughter stay organized and efficient in her practice. As a former professional musician, I can say with complete confidence that Emily really shines as a teacher. Our daughter looked forward to working with her each week. Highly recommend!
Trevor A.
Sep 4, 2020
I was originally nervous about taking lessons as an adult who hadn't picked up a violin in years. Emily quickly and easily dissipated all of those fears with her excellent instruction. Even over Zoom in the COVID-19 era, she paid careful attention, provided an incredible amount of helpful feedback, and helped me work back towards a high level of violin proficiency. Lessons have been of incredible value and I would recommend Emily for violinists of any tier.
Han Y.
Jul 30, 2020
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Hired on Thumbtack
As an adult learner, I was not sure if I would have enough passion when I started. But Emily help make learning the violin a pleasant thing to do.
She is skillful and patient. The learning process is really smooth as she always have useful tips when I am blocked. I used to learn the piano and have worked with several instructors, but I will say Emily is the best instrument instructor I have known.
Details: 18 - 25 years old • No formal training • Yes, the student can read music • Classical violin • Classical • No, but the student is planning to purchase a violin and would like the teacher's advice on it • 60 minutes • At the pro’s location
Violin Lessons
Josh P.
Jul 10, 2020
I cannot emphasize enough how happy I am having chosen Emily as my Violin instructor. I'm an adult beginner having never played an instrument and she has been perfect. She always leaves me an excellent lesson plan and has helped me from selecting my violin to 6 months in, gracefully putting up with some truly horrible sounds a violin should not make.
When life gets in the way and I can't practice enough she adapts the weeks lesson on the fly in case I've not gotten to things. I also wanted to learn music in general and again she has proven to be exceptional. I can throw a random question into the middle of the lesson and she's on it. Lastly with Covid-19 we switched to on-line classes and there has been no discernible drop off in the quality of the lessons.
Learning the Violin is wonderful, Emily had only made it better.
Jenee H.
Jun 24, 2022
We reached out to Emily during the pandemic, as we were seeking a Suzuki violin teacher for our two children, who have had no previous exposure to violin or other instruments. From Day 1, Emily has been so encouraging, positive, and consistent. While learning violin via Zoom isn't ideal, Emily taught all of us how to hold the violin, adjusted when necessary, and above all had so much patience with the kids and with me. She is a pro at finding the things that interest the kids to keep them engaged, and finding creative solutions for their learning. We love her approach to the Suzuki method - emphasizing listening to the music, singing the songs, and finally learning the songs by listening to her play the notes. She also brought in reading music to help them learn the notes and rhythms, so they are not waiting many years to learn that skill. Finally, she sends a tailored practice checklist every week, which helps so much with the daily practice schedule. We highly recommend her!
Credentials
Background Check
Emily Miller