Verner Music Studio
About
We are husband (strings) and wife (piano, Japanese and ESL) who are passionate about teaching. We lay foundations and ground work for learning and appreciating music. We both began learning music at a very young age and love sharing music with others and have experience teaching all ages and levels. Our children have grown listening to professional orchestra rehearsals in the womb and behind the stage.
We enjoy and excel at laying a firm foundation for learning music and languages. Although we have learned and are aware of various methods, we are flexible in our teaching which allows us to help students grow in the way they learn best. The joy of learning and appreciation is part of learning with us and by building a firm foundation, we assist students to be their own teachers as they grow in their abilities whether it be music or languages.
We celebrate milestones and love seeing our students grow and brim with excitement about what they are learning to do. Our students grow not only in their musical or language abilities but learn to apply what they've learned through the lessons to their every day lives as well.
Contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Highlights
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Frequently asked questions
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Antony has performed as a chamber and orchestral violinist and violist in the US and internationally. He most recently performed with the Tenth Chamber Ensemble in Philadelphia and with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. He has an undergraduate degree in violin performance and composition from Victoria University and a masters in violin performance and chamber ensemble from University of Michigan. He has been a Teaching Artist with the renowned Sphinx Organization, Flint Symphony Orchestra, for a US based El Sistema program, at the Chamber Music for Adult Musicians at Curtis Institute of Music Summer Programs and in several university orchestra settings. He has over 25 years of experience providing music education and access to students of diverse backgrounds, levels and ages. He provides violin and viola private lessons of any level, cello and double bass beginner lessons and chamber music coachings, composition and theory lessons in person and on Zoom.
Shino has been a piano and theory teacher as well as a Japanese and ESL private tutor and translator for over 20 years. She is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music with a bachelors in piano performance and masters of arts from Columbia University. Because of her interest in vocal performance, she has taken private lessons from conservatory level professors and has sat in many master classes learning from top classical voice teachers in the country. She has worked with orchestra musicians, faculty members and Teaching Artists at the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, a US based El Sistema program and the Curtis Institute of Music. She provides classical piano lessons of any level and also theory (dictation, sight singing), sight reading lessons and beginner voice lessons in person and on Zoom.
As an ESL and Japanese instructor, she has experience teaching K-12 public school, college students and adults. Born in Japan, she is a native speaker of both English and Japanese languages. She has been sought after as a translator for parent teacher conferences, corporate and medical documents and hired as a consultant and translated for the New York Philharmonic Young Composers program when they were in Japan.
How did you get started teaching?
Antony began teaching his siblings violin and theory at the age of 13.
Shino began as an assistant to her teacher in high school. She quickly grew in her abilities that she was entrusted to teach her entire studio of close to 30 students. One student was accepted into Juilliard's Preparatory Program. She also taught a small class of three year old students ear training and dictation.
She began translating at the very young age of five for her parents and classmates. She continued that as she grew older and it became part of her profession in her early 20's.
What types of students have you worked with?
All ages, all levels.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Know your goals and what you are hoping to learn to find the right teacher/fit for you. Just as there's a difference between learning a sport (knowing the rules and proper way to use the equipment if there are any) and just having fun (no rules, just playing without using the equipment properly), you'll know what to look for in a teacher if you know what you're desiring.
For language, do you want to speak with the proper inflections? Then look for a teacher that is a native speaker. Are you looking to read and write with proper strokes? Look for a teacher who has had formal education in those areas.
For music, be aware that there are many who advertise themselves as teachers but lack appropriate skills to teach and help students progress well long term. When a student learns from someone who is properly qualified, it can prevent injuries and bad habits and students will be playing pieces that are appropriate for their age (growing hands and fingers) and skill level (where they are in their technical abilities). They will have the ability to teach you foundational technical skills that will (in the long run) propel you forward and ground you as you continue to grow in your musical journey. Get to know their background and their musical journey (How did they learn? Where did they study? How were they educated? Who were their teachers? How many years did they study? What is their goal in teaching? Why do they think they're qualified to teach the particular instrument?)