Classical training philosophy

June has a firm belief in proper setup from the start and a strong technical foundation.  She specializes in reconstructing weak technical foundations and building on top of a solid setup. 

There is more than one right way to play.  There are parameters, mostly dictated by comfort and ease of playing.  The goal is to achieve maximum efficiency with the least amount of effort.  

Everyone is built differently, and to teach everyone to hold the instrument the same way is to put the student in a box. June pays attention to every student’s individual needs and will provide a different setup for students when what they are doing is not working for them (i.e. it does not sound good, it hurts, etc).  It is difficult for students at times to become aware of their bodies and whether they are producing the best sound they can.  That is where a teacher steps in, to introduce a new perspective based on years of experience.

June does not believe in spoon feeding lessons to her students. She expects her students to take active part in the learning process. This means no finger tapes!  June has been extremely successful in training students who were previously dependent on tapes to learn to develop an internal sense of pitch.

June also emphasizes ergonomics of play. Having been injured in the past as a result of poor ergonomics in her playing, June stresses comfort and technique to minimize the likelihood of injury for her students.

Finally, learning to play the violin is all about the journey rather than the destination. June expects her students to focus on moving forward in the journey, not on achieving musical perfection.

"A great deal of playing the violin properly involves the correct setup of the hands - one which will allow you to "grow" into various techniques naturally and relatively effortlessly... barely making it through a simple piece with bad setup does NOT qualify as playing that piece or the violin, for that matter. In a way, the more advanced students I have - who have had teachers overlook fundamentals of hand placement earlier in their training - present me with my greatest challenge. I need to somehow, without destroying their desire to play, instill in them not only a DESIRE to play well, but an understanding of what playing well actually MEANS.

And, on the other hand, few things give me more pleasure, as a teacher, than to see a student turn a painstakingly acquired proper setup into second nature. It's something I know will stay with them years from now."

-Emil Chudnovsky, teacher, multiple competition prizewinner, recording artist