Ruth Bergman

The greatest influence on my teaching and musical development came from my parents. As a child, I spent many afternoons listening to my mother teaching voice lessons in the next room. My early music reading lessons came from my father playing and singing children’s songs at the piano with me on his lap. From them I learned the importance of a supportive, encouraging environment, good modeling, repetition, patience, and positive, creative, constructive communication. All of these lessons continue to influence my approach to teaching music.

I have enjoyed working with violinists from 3 years old to adult students. I strongly believe in meeting the needs of each individual student by tailoring my approach to help develop each students’ potential. I try to demand the highest level of achievement possible for each student, and I strive to communicate the joy of making music and reaching goals, large or small. I am dedicated to teaching effective practice habits in lessons, and also focus on teaching healthy physical alignment and technique for ease of playing.

I agree with Dr. Suzuki’s belief that “every child can learn, given the proper environment.” An important part of my mission is helping parents to nurture their child’s talent through positive communication and enthusiastic engagement with their child’s learning process. My approach to teaching is based on the principles of the Suzuki Method. To read more about the Suzuki approach here (link to SAA).