Lessons
Chie has been teaching violin since 1999. Currently she is offering private lessons at her teaching studio in Stamford, and via FaceTime and Skype. New students are accepted throughout the year.
She was on violin, chamber music and orchestra faculty at Camp Encore/Coda in Maine for seven summers, and was a violin coach for Chicago Youth Symphony and Northwest Indiana Youth Symphony. She also served as a judge for concerto competitions and seating auditions for those youth orchestras. She served as a teaching artist for the ASAP (After School Arts Program) Strings Project in Washington, Connecticut, for four seasons, preparing young string players to perform side-by-side with the Waterbury Symphony. Her artistry took her outside of the United States; she was on artist-faculty at OPUSFEST 2013: International Classical Music Camp in the Philippines where she taught violin and viola private lessons and ensembles. She holds a position of Visiting Mentors with Orchestra of the Filipino Youth. In the summer of 2016, she was invited to coach the orchestra of Child Aid Asia Malaysia, and to give a master class at Fine Art and Music in Kuala Lumpur.
Chie is currently teaching privately in Stamford, CT. Please inquire her availability by using the contact form at the bottom of the page.
Teaching Philosophy
Chie teaches how to read music from the very beginning. Please see below for method books. During lessons she leads students to thinking rather than copying from teacher’s demonstrations. That way students learn how to work on certain passages and techniques and figure out problems by themselves. Lessons' goals are not just a successful performances of musical pieces but skills for focusing, solving problems and of course, enjoying playing instruments and making music. Her students are always well-prepared for auditions and have won principal seats in youth orchestras and regional concert orchestras.
Please check back on the blog for student achievement entries. Chie is very proud of her hard-working students.
Student recitals are open to public. Please check on my blog and concert news updates.
She was on violin, chamber music and orchestra faculty at Camp Encore/Coda in Maine for seven summers, and was a violin coach for Chicago Youth Symphony and Northwest Indiana Youth Symphony. She also served as a judge for concerto competitions and seating auditions for those youth orchestras. She served as a teaching artist for the ASAP (After School Arts Program) Strings Project in Washington, Connecticut, for four seasons, preparing young string players to perform side-by-side with the Waterbury Symphony. Her artistry took her outside of the United States; she was on artist-faculty at OPUSFEST 2013: International Classical Music Camp in the Philippines where she taught violin and viola private lessons and ensembles. She holds a position of Visiting Mentors with Orchestra of the Filipino Youth. In the summer of 2016, she was invited to coach the orchestra of Child Aid Asia Malaysia, and to give a master class at Fine Art and Music in Kuala Lumpur.
Chie is currently teaching privately in Stamford, CT. Please inquire her availability by using the contact form at the bottom of the page.
Teaching Philosophy
Chie teaches how to read music from the very beginning. Please see below for method books. During lessons she leads students to thinking rather than copying from teacher’s demonstrations. That way students learn how to work on certain passages and techniques and figure out problems by themselves. Lessons' goals are not just a successful performances of musical pieces but skills for focusing, solving problems and of course, enjoying playing instruments and making music. Her students are always well-prepared for auditions and have won principal seats in youth orchestras and regional concert orchestras.
Please check back on the blog for student achievement entries. Chie is very proud of her hard-working students.
Student recitals are open to public. Please check on my blog and concert news updates.
Testimonials from students
Viola quartet coaching at OPUSFEST 2013, photo by Joachim Navarro
"Thank you Teacher Chie for coaching our violin quartet and being such a great teacher. More than the technical side of playing we will not forget what we learned from you about enjoying and making music together. We learned so much from the little time that we had for lessons and I hope I can become as good as you as a violin teacher :) I hope we could meet again in the future and perhaps play something together"-- Daniel Estrellado (violin and chamber music student from OPUSFEST 2013)
" Thank you so much ma'am Chie for teaching us everything we need to know. I hope that you and the other artist faculty had so much fun and good time with us ... and hope to see you very soon! I really learned a lot from you, and thank you for helping us survive the Paganini Variations and also the Concerto for Four Violas" -- Vera Mei Cuevas (viola and chamber music student from OPUSFEST 2013)
" Thanks Mam Chie Yoshinaka. I hope to see you in the next OPUSFEST. I was very thankful that I had a teacher like you... thanks for helping us improve our techniques and also coaching the Paganini Variations" -- Rhom Ceazar Altavano (viola and chamber music student from OPUSFEST 2013)
"Thank you for your love, teaching and supports for each and everyone of us, we had a great time with you. Hope to see you soon 😏 " -- Karl Rafael Chaves (violin participant of Child Aid Asia Malaysia 2016)
" Thank you so much ma'am Chie for teaching us everything we need to know. I hope that you and the other artist faculty had so much fun and good time with us ... and hope to see you very soon! I really learned a lot from you, and thank you for helping us survive the Paganini Variations and also the Concerto for Four Violas" -- Vera Mei Cuevas (viola and chamber music student from OPUSFEST 2013)
" Thanks Mam Chie Yoshinaka. I hope to see you in the next OPUSFEST. I was very thankful that I had a teacher like you... thanks for helping us improve our techniques and also coaching the Paganini Variations" -- Rhom Ceazar Altavano (viola and chamber music student from OPUSFEST 2013)
"Thank you for your love, teaching and supports for each and everyone of us, we had a great time with you. Hope to see you soon 😏 " -- Karl Rafael Chaves (violin participant of Child Aid Asia Malaysia 2016)