Enchanted Woods Violin Studio is among a small number of violin studios in the country with the expertise to take students to a symphony level of proficiency while offering a state-of-the-art experience for young children. Our unique program, guided by highly experienced faculty Elise Winters and Emily Rolka, balances violin skills with well-rounded musicianship.
In our academy we have researched European methods and created an entirely new method of learning violin. This method, named Kaleidoscopes because of its holistic nature, is being increasingly adopted by teachers throughout the United States and abroad. It is a synthesis of “best practices” which integrate old methods with new research.
Teachers who visit our studio are stunned to observe the sophistication of even our youngest students. They remark with surprise on the passion, playfulness, effortless concentration and joy our students bring to their violin study. Other than committing to daily violin practice, these children and families are completely ordinary; their extraordinary results flow naturally from our methodology.
If you ask another violin teacher if they offer a holistic curriculum, they would answer “yes.” That is because in the United States very few violin studios (outside of a few music conservatory programs) have the elements which have been considered essential in Europe for three centuries. Most teachers genuinely don’t realize that they are missing an entire dimension, and would have no idea how to implement this if someone suggested it to them.
It would be as though all art teachers structured each class around a different paint-by-number coloring page, and had no idea that you could actually draw freehand! Or as though all architects simply copied designs from someone else’s books. Or as though all restaurant chefs only served pre-packaged meals and didn’t know that they could actually design their own recipes.
We recently had a student transfer into our school from a nationally renowned Suzuki program. He had a nice posture and tone, but did not know how to construct any scale that he hadn’t been taught note-for-note by his teacher. He read every new piece using the notes of D major, regardless of what key it was in, and had no idea that anything was wrong. It is as though he had been taught to pronounce Russian correctly, yet had no idea what he was saying, and couldn’t hold a conversation. This result is actually not unusual; it is the normal result of the training methods which are widely practiced in the United States.
Our methods draw on the Montessori principle of self-guided learning, which allows students to exercise their critical thinking and observation from the beginning. Students perceive patterns and can apply these patterns to new material. They learn to discern the chord structures which underlie the melody line, study how composers create mood and form, and themselves learn to compose. They know more than how to type notes on their fingerboard; music lives creatively for them.
As in Montessori education, the violin teacher offers only the guidance needed for the child to discover the rest on their own. As a result, the child feels genuine ownership in each discovery, building the curiosity, creativity and critical thinking which underlie innovation in every field.
In addition to offering a more well-rounded musical training, our school believes in educating the whole child. We consider leadership, respect, communication and critical thinking to be an essential part of becoming a musician. Opportunities for character development and personal growth arise naturally as students tackle challenging pieces, perform on stage, and collaborate with peers. Later, our Coaching Practicum pairs advanced high school students with younger peers, guiding them to develop analytical, emotional, communication and leadership skills.
Your child’s grade school teachers will each see only a glimpse of who they are and their development. Their violin teacher will provide stability and continuity over many years, building a trust and understanding which can be especially helpful during the sensitive years of adolescence. In addition to ensuring the highest level of excellence on the violin, the teacher takes it as a matter of personal responsibility that your child grow into a resilient, joyful, caring, and confident adult.
Our studio has very few openings each year, but we are always glad to welcome families who share our passion for helping children to reach their full potential.