Students

Music lessons can benefit all students, from the young to the young-at-heart! Through music, students learn more about their personal values and self-actualization. The cello is a wonderful music-making tool that can play many different genres: pop, rock, jazz, folk, along with classical as well. The Therrell Cello Studio encourages creative artistic communication through focused, balanced, and wellness-centered approaches.

As a Suzuki-Certified instructor with a BM in String Pedagogy and a Doctoral Minor in Music Education, I have had extensive teaching experience with students from ages 3 to 73. I have taught private and group classes for over a decade and worked with absolute beginners through pre-professional students.

Please send a message via the Contact page for details.

Our studio motto, “becoming lifelong artists," communicates a few key ideas. I want learners to affect an artistic life. Cello playing is only one medium for artistic expression. This requires refining and clarifying our personal definition of artistry. The best musicians generate sound from the core of their system. A musician gathers spontaneous energy and sends it out to dialogue with people. This takes clarity of intention.

I seek sensitivity to students’ motivations, background, and experiences. My intent is for us to find the most fulfilling music-making. The pedagogy passed down to me is from the legacy of the European tradition. The “standards” are important as much for what we gain from them as what it means when we choose other paths. An intuitive sense of balance in creative exploration is the utmost priority.

Learning is a balance between top-down vs. bottom-up approaches and convention vs imagination. I challenge students to generate critical reflections about their work. This involves open-ended questions, abstract vocabulary, and critical communication skills. I also make a point to reduce discussion and immerse students in the language of music. I strive to inspire, encourage, and motivate my students' high personal standards. I want them to risk safely and fail observantly for their learning mindset to flourish.

Read what students and families say about my teaching on the Student Reviews page.

I am committed to empathy and support for all my students and their families. For me, this is a constant learning process requiring personal reflection and scrutiny. I strive to be curious and compassionate about the lived experiences of the people I interact with.

I welcome conversations that allow us to treat others more respectfully and equitably. Ultimately my goal is to encourage students to express themselves in a safe and personally fulfilling way. This involves careful recognition of and sensitivity to my students' needs.