Emily Chen
About
I have been studio teaching since 2003 and classroom teaching since 2006. I am a true musician in the sense that I both teach and perform regularly and am able to bring my experiences to my students in their lessons as well as giving them opportunities to see me in action.
- Concertmaster of the Narragansett Bay Symphony
- Concertmaster of the South County Chamber Orchestra
- Violinist and Co-Manager of La Bella Musica (string quartet)
- Violinist in Piano Trio
- Artistic Director of the URI Summer Music Academy: String Camp
- Private Teacher of Violin/Viola at my private studio, RI Philharmonic Music School, Moses Brown School
- Conductor of the South Kingstown Summer String Orchestras
- String Teacher at Narragansett Public Schools (gr. 3-12)
- Music Director/Conductor at GEAR Productions
- General Freelancer (playing for musicals/special events/church services/funerals, adjudicating and/or conducting at music festivals)
I get to work with all ages (I've worked with students as young as 3.5 years old to those that were in their 70s and still going strong) and spread my love of music to them! Playing music is such a personal thing -- it's so fun for me to learn about each of my students on a personal level as they get older and see how they are able to shape the music they play (or see how the music shapes them!)
No reviews (yet)
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
For beginners, we get the student playing during the first lesson. Note reading is very high on my list of important things so we're reading right off the bat and notation is introduced during the second lesson.
For those that have already been playing for awhile, we will identify any holes in their foundation and work on solidying their foundation before we continue their progression into harder music.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a bachelors in both music education and music performance. I believe that you have to be a good performer in order to teach well -- I am the concertmaster of two orchestras and perform in a string quartet and a piano trio.
I have been teaching private lessons since 2003 and classroom strings since 2006. I have attended numerous string teacher conferences to further my professional development as both a private and classroom teacher.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
I charge $30 for 30-minute lessons, $40 for 45-minute lessons, and $50 for 60-minute lessons. Please inquire about longer lessons as I may not always have the availability to do so.
How did you get started teaching?
I was asked if I would be willing to teach two 10-year old best friends the violin in a group lesson -- they had already had a year of school instruction under their belt so they could already play.
For classroom teaching, I was sought out by a fellow music teacher to start a string program at a local charter school while I was still in college. The program offered violin, viola and cello to students in grades 3-5 and met once a week for a half hour.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Try a few different teachers if you can. Make sure that personalities are a match as that's so incredibly important when it comes to one-on-one instruction!