Private Lessons
The interaction between a single teacher and a single student is at the core of the Virtuoso Suzuki Academy philosophy of music education. Each student’s needs are identified right from the beginning and a process of matching with either a more structured or a more flexible teacher begins.
Depending on the student’s age and interests, the appropriate teaching method is chosen. With each person, we take the time to match up teachers and students based not only on schedules, but also on learning styles and preferences.
Our unique approach to teaching music involves communication and goal setting as well as designing a program that meets the unique needs of each student — adapting to his or her challenge level, assessing technical strengths and weaknesses, and creating an atmosphere tailored to the student’s own learning style.
Our faculty members are entrusted with the mission and core values of the school and their daily work represents the Virtuoso Suzuki Academy’s dedication to educational and artistic achievements.
Orchestras and Ensembles
New York Young Musicians’ Ensemble
The NY Young Musicians’ Ensemble, is the Virtuoso Suzuki Academy’s prime chamber group consisting of hand picked mostly high school students (with some exception of extremely talented middle schoolers).
NYYME alumni reside in the violin section of the “New York Philharmonic”and other major US and European orchestras, at “Juilliard School”, “Manhattan School of Music”, “Carnegie Mellon”, “Eastman School of Music” and “Aaron Copland School of Music”.
The NYYME members alternate between serving as soloists as well as the ensembles’ tutti players performing music from the classic standard repertoire which is both demanding and rewarding for a student musician and ranging from baroque, through American fare (L.Bernstein, A.Copland, W.Grant Still) to commissions written specifically for the group by living composers.
The Ensemble’s performances take the group on international tours to Beijing (China), Paris (France), Tuscany (Italy), Greece and interrupted by COVID Calabria (Italy) tour and on local turf from concert halls such as: “Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall”, “Steinway Hall”, “Lincoln Center”, “Flushing Town Hall” or “Landmark on Main” to their outreach concert destinations such as: “LI Alzheimer Foundation” or “JCC” in Long Island where they support their community through music.
Chamber Orchestra
The Chamber Orchestra, open to string players introduces students to string ensemble playing. Young musicians performing at NYSSMA levels 3 through 5 /Suzuki level 4-6 receive intensive technical instruction and preparation for future work in the more advanced groups. The Chamber Orchestra literature is selected primarily from the original editions although in some cases, arrangements and transcriptions of both popular and classic repertoire are performed.
Open to non-Virtuoso Suzuki Academy students by placement audition.
Beginners String Ensemble
(NYSSMA 1/Suzuki level 1-2)
Advanced String Ensemble
(NYSSMA 2-3/Suzuki level 3)
Both String Ensembles are designed to introduce young string students to the fundamentals of posture, technique, sound production, sight reading and ensemble playing. Smaller than NYYME and the Chamber Orchestra, they provide young musicians with a strong foundation for a lifetime of music-making. The String Ensembles’ literature is based on arrangements and transcriptions of both popular and classic repertoire often prepared by our composer- in- residence, Mr. Robert Paoli.
Open to non-Virtuoso Suzuki Academy students by placement audition.
Chamber Music Program
The importance of chamber music in students’ education cannot be overestimated. It teaches them how to hear themselves as others hear them, how to be objective, and how to hear the music all around them. It also teaches them how to adjust to their colleagues at all times. This is a very different experience from practicing or working alone.
The Chamber Music Program is a 6-week program culminating in a performance. The level, repertoire, and instructor will vary depending on the combination of instruments.
This program is open to all the students of the Virtuoso Suzuki Academy with prior knowledge of sight- reading skills.
Enrollment of non-Virtuoso Suzuki Academy students will be determined based on a placement audition.
Musicianship Class
This unique program offers students an opportunity to understand the interpretation of the pieces they are working on in a larger context of the music history and music theory. By being able to analyze the pieces theoretically, students will be able to choose an appropriate phrasing, and dynamic contour. By knowing the historical circumstances of the piece’s origin, students will be able to apply the right style and articulation.
One might think of a painter equipped with good quality paints, brushes, easel and a few basic painting techniques. Such a painter will not be able to recreate stylistically correctly a battle scene of Napoleon’s army, for example, without knowing the historical circumstances of the battle, without studying the soldiers’ uniforms and insignia of that era and without being exposed to other paintings which have been painted during those historic times.
Both the music theory and music history concepts are explained appropriately to the specific age group with necessary worksheets provided and hands-on activities involving practical use of the student’s specific instrument.
This class is open to all the students of all instruments of the Virtuoso Suzuki Academy.
Non-Virtuoso Suzuki Academy students will be accepted based on a placement interview.