Lessons
Chie has been teaching violin since 1999 and currently offers private lessons at her teaching studio in Stamford, as well as online via FaceTime and Skype.
Her teaching experience spans over two decades and includes faculty roles in violin, chamber music, and orchestra. She spent seven summers on faculty at Camp Encore/Coda in Maine and has served as a violin coach for the Chicago Youth Symphony and Northwest Indiana Youth Symphony. She was also head coach at the Young Artist Philharmonic in Greenwich, CT, and has acted as a judge for concerto competitions and seating auditions for these youth orchestras.
For four seasons, Chie was a teaching artist with the After School Arts Program (ASAP) Strings Project in Washington, CT, preparing young string players to perform alongside the professional Waterbury Symphony. Since the summer of 2023, she has been on faculty at the Chamber Music Institute in Darien, CT.
Her dedication to music education has also led her overseas. She was an artist-faculty member at OPUSFEST 2013: International Classical Music Camp in the Philippines, where she taught violin and viola lessons and coached ensembles. She continues to serve as a Visiting Mentor with the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth. In 2016, she was invited to coach the orchestra of Child Aid Asia Malaysia and gave a masterclass at Fine Art and Music in Kuala Lumpur.
She is currently based in Stamford, CT, where she teaches privately and continues to offer masterclasses and orchestral sectionals.
For inquiries about availability, please use the contact form at the bottom of the page.
Teaching Philosophy
Chie teaches students to read music from the very beginning, using a carefully selected progression of method books tailored for each student. Rather than simply copying demonstrations, students are guided to think critically, develop independent practice habits, and learn how to solve technical and musical challenges on their own.Her lessons go beyond preparing pieces for performance—they focus on building lifelong skills such as concentration, problem-solving, and, most importantly, the joy of making music.
Students are consistently well-prepared for auditions and have earned principal positions in youth orchestras and regional concert ensembles.
Chie is incredibly proud of her dedicated and hard-working students.
Her teaching experience spans over two decades and includes faculty roles in violin, chamber music, and orchestra. She spent seven summers on faculty at Camp Encore/Coda in Maine and has served as a violin coach for the Chicago Youth Symphony and Northwest Indiana Youth Symphony. She was also head coach at the Young Artist Philharmonic in Greenwich, CT, and has acted as a judge for concerto competitions and seating auditions for these youth orchestras.
For four seasons, Chie was a teaching artist with the After School Arts Program (ASAP) Strings Project in Washington, CT, preparing young string players to perform alongside the professional Waterbury Symphony. Since the summer of 2023, she has been on faculty at the Chamber Music Institute in Darien, CT.
Her dedication to music education has also led her overseas. She was an artist-faculty member at OPUSFEST 2013: International Classical Music Camp in the Philippines, where she taught violin and viola lessons and coached ensembles. She continues to serve as a Visiting Mentor with the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth. In 2016, she was invited to coach the orchestra of Child Aid Asia Malaysia and gave a masterclass at Fine Art and Music in Kuala Lumpur.
She is currently based in Stamford, CT, where she teaches privately and continues to offer masterclasses and orchestral sectionals.
For inquiries about availability, please use the contact form at the bottom of the page.
Teaching Philosophy
Chie teaches students to read music from the very beginning, using a carefully selected progression of method books tailored for each student. Rather than simply copying demonstrations, students are guided to think critically, develop independent practice habits, and learn how to solve technical and musical challenges on their own.Her lessons go beyond preparing pieces for performance—they focus on building lifelong skills such as concentration, problem-solving, and, most importantly, the joy of making music.
Students are consistently well-prepared for auditions and have earned principal positions in youth orchestras and regional concert ensembles.
Chie is incredibly proud of her dedicated and hard-working students.
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)