My live private lessons with Heather have transformed my playing, in the best ways possible. With 6 months of study, my bow strokes have become more organized and my sound is more focused. She methodically separates left hand and right hand skills so that you can comb through all types of challenges. She always circles back to working on good tone production.

    I also teach violin and studying with Heather has turned me into a much stronger teacher. My students are greatly benefitting. I am a section player in a professional orchestra. My orchestra playing has improved greatly. I am able to get the passage work much faster. In private lessons, I can easily send Heather an orchestral excerpt to work on at my next lesson. Technology makes it so easy. Plus, if I am having a technological challenge, Heather always offers tech support.  If you are considering taking private lessons, I would definitely not look anywhere else as Heather can meet all your violinistic needs! It is a pleasure to study with Heather and I look forward to continuing my own private studies with Heather.

    Alyssa Kuhn, Violinist
    Illinois, USA
    www.westendmusicstudio.com

    I am not exaggerating when I say that Heather and her Gorgeous Tone Academy (GTA) changed my violin journey in a radical way. I have Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance and have played for over fifty years. But, in just over a year of studying with Heather, beginning with enrolling in the GTA, I have re-set my bow hand and left hand posture. I am now playing more freely and confidently than I ever have in my life! Heather teaches in the most efficient and encouraging manner I have ever experienced.

    I know the expense of the GTA may seem daunting. However, I chose to view it in terms of the price of a lesson per week. If one considers ALL the information, musical excerpts, training videos, the live sessions, and the fact that all of it is accessible FOREVER (and the fabulous list of freebies included!), the price per week turns out to be very reasonable. Heather and her GTA will greatly enhance the violin journey of beginners or veteran players alike. Don’t miss the Gorgeous Tone Academy opportunity!

    Susan Stephenson,  Violinist & Suzuki Violin Teacher
    yourmusicalbaby.com
    Toledo, OH
    USA

    Before I started studying with Heather, I had some position hesitations, intonation issues, and really being able to draw the sound from my instrument. Since working with her, I’ve noticed more confidence in my playing and shifting. More accuracy and ease with my playing. My intonation and all around playing has really been enhanced into something I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own.

    I’ve learned so much already in just four lessons! I knew she was the perfect teacher for me through her amazing YouTube videos and what I was able to gain from them! She really knows how to get one to enhance their skills and make them a better player! I couldn’t be happier!! I’m so inspired and driven to be a better player now!

    Emilio Arredondo, violinist
    Houston, Texas
    USA

    Heather’s Gorgeous Tone Academy and Video Exchange program is wonderful, you have access 24/7 and can go back and repeat and continue to advance as your practice and ability increase! Always improving and learning as you progress! Heather is an amazing teacher, with kindness and humor, making the journey enjoyable and fun!

    She has a positive approach and I have never gone away feeling discouraged or disheartened. I am always excited to keep practicing and enjoy it as well, always ready to learn new things and try them out. I Love everything I have received so far!

    I am very picky when it comes to a teacher, I can learn from and also feel comfortable with. Heather is amazing and has such a passion to teach and play the Violin, she really wants, and is excited to see you succeed! She is an incredible Violinist and Teacher!

    Thanks Heather for not just being my teacher but for being my friend. The staff is also great to work with and prompt to answer questions and concerns.

    Jann Cook, Violinist
    Wyoming, USA

    I can’t say enough good things about Heather’s unique teaching style or how much it resonates with me. She’s more of a “Spiritual Warrior Violinist,” than a mere conventional instructor!! She uses a fun, spunky, energetic coaching style to motivate her students, while employing an intuitively inspired and distinctively holistic, “mind, body, spirit” approach to teaching. So, instead of merely teaching you how to play the violin, she actually empowers you with the tools to transform yourself into an “instrument for the instrument.”

    It’s truly an awesome way for professional intuitives to manage their energy effectively, while also developing/ deepening energetic sensitivity & awareness and learning to transmute vibration. It’s turning out to be an amazing tool in my tool-set!!

    So, if you’ve always wanted to learn the violin, but thought it was too challenging to do so, check out Heather’s school for Online Violin Education!

    Cristie Kephart Downs
    Intuitive Healer
    Connecticut, USA

    Having a lesson with you and having these assignments, I must say you’ve
    re-awakened my life.

    ~Vasi Kliniker
    California, USA

    As a child, I learned to play the fiddle. It was fun, but I was lacking instruction on technique. So, as you can imagine, a plateau was reached and no progression was made past that point, so in the case my violin went for 15 years. Your weekly exercises have truly been an inspiration and blessing to me, a homeschool mother of three. I am currently teaching my oldest son and two other children how to play the violin. I never would have dreamed that to be possible. So, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You!

    ~Janet Clifton

    Life, music and ideas, these are the wonderful materials, with which Heather weaves her holistic violin education program. Her love of music, deeply rooted in many years of performance, seeps into each person who is willing to drink from her wellspring of musical knowledge, and learn about how music mimics life. Much as life lessons teach us our personal rewards are derived from our investments of time, so Heather encourages her students, that their musical calling is enhanced by their time spent, embracing music and growing spiritually!

    Being a disabled Vietnam Veteran, then coming to the violin after years of battling the self doubt created by overcoming physical disability, I found encouragement at the door of Heather’s academy. I was no longer alone on a “stormy sea” of discouragement, Heather optimism caught hold and anchored me in the calm harbor of dedication to learning.

    Heather is no stranger to physical adversity, and this has affected her approach to teaching. Her program is designed to assist each student, to learn at a pace best suited for their personal needs. Young or old musicians can flourish under her guidance!

    She has my enduring thanks, and has blessed me by sharing her love and respect of life. Heather, thank you so much.

    ~Jim Clawson
    Oklahoma, USA

    I have enjoyed Melodic Etudes in First Position so much, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to review and solidify basic techniques. These etudes which Heather wrote will become the basis of my practice routine whenever I have an opportunity to practice.

    I began this study with only one year of violin playing, and there were a lot of basic bowing and finger techniques which I never had a chance to work on before the study.

    The local teacher whom I was studying with was only focused on correcting my bow arm, and she never worried much about my intonation or the finger frame on the left hand until pretty much towards the end of my study with her.

    When I found out about Heather’s online studio, I became interested with her methods of building a solid foundation for adult learners. I first began with the Position Mastery class, which I soon found out was still way too advanced for me. So I waited until she offered melodic etudes for first position.  I thought this would be a fantastic opportunity for me to really focus on learning the techniques I need to be working on in a fast but systematic manner.

    Indeed, throughout the course study, with every etude study, I had opportunities to work on different aspects of basic techniques.  Right away in the first etude, I learned how to use the speed of the bow, as well as its position on the strings to play more musically with dynamics, which was something I was never given an opportunity to work on prior to coming to Heather.

    Also, Heather really emphasizes on a solid left hand frame. As she corrected my hand frame, my intonation instantly got better.  I am glad that I had a good start with Heather.

    Anne Berberian, Violinist
    KUWAIT

    Heather’s Weekly Violin Exercise Program brings new levels of awareness to my violin playing and teaching. She breaks down complex technical issues into very manageable bits that encourage progress.

    What’s more, the exercises span a wide range of techniques that involve both the left and right hand. Thank you, Heather!

    ~Danielle Montague-Judd
    violinist, fiddler and teacher
    UTAH, USA

    I came across Heather’s online academy searching for online violin learning resources as I was looking for a comprehensible pursue learning violin. I was instantly intrigued by the 52 violin exercises and went for it after much contemplation.

    It is indeed as valuable and effective as promised and I am also happy to find myself being part of an active online community where Heather throws in challenges every month and answers doubts and questions we may have concerning our individual processes.

    Shaheen S.
    MEXICO

    Heather’s book, Master Third Position is amazing! As a violinist and a violin teacher I have encountered quite a few books on the topic of shifting positions. From my point of view, I believe that this book is helpful to everyone – beginners thru advanced learners! All the different finger patterns are a delight and the exercises are wonderful and interesting to play. What I love the most is, that the exercises focus on all four fingers and relationships between them, not only on the “simple” shift from first to third position, which I was used to from the books I have encountered so far.
    Also, all of Heather’s exercises/books on violin technique are wonderful and extremely helpful. Beginners have a starting point and can learn a lot faster and advanced players also have a starting point for refreshing and upgrading their violin playing. I highly recommend Heather’s books to every violinist!

    ~Zala Hribernik, violinist and teacher
    SLOVENIA

    I am loving the Weekly Violin Exercise Program, I find the video clips each week along with the exercise, helpful and concise, and I love the the focus of a violinist and a composer each week too, all very inspirational and keeps me motivated.

    I thought your fourth finger exercise looked brilliant.  A very big thank you to you Heather, you’re style of teaching really works for me. Putting it all into practice and passing it on to my students each day gives me a thrill like no other. A very exciting time to be playing the violin, I’m loving every moment

    As an adult beginner violinist who wants to accomplish everything in a short amount of time, I was overwhelmed looking at the many techniques I need to master to play beautifully. Fortunately, I found Heather and her Violin Journey Mapping Program.

    The program helps me focus on my goals, also helps me structure and organize my daily practice session. This is very important for me who started to play violin as an adult.
    Aside from the technical aspect, the program also prepares me to be positive throughout my violin journey and appreciate ourselves more.
    I think this program is for me to keep for life because every once in a while, I go back the videos and inspiration in the program to help me make sure I am on track.

    Heather is an answer to a great wish of mine: a passion to play violin effectively. Since a teacher was not available, I developed a practice routine for myself, yet moved forward slowly. After a cry for help on LinkedIn, Heather was recommended to me by one of her students; he said that he highly recommended her and that she had it all figured out. Indeed, he was correct.

    Right from the start she took charge in a supportive, friendly but businesslike, no-nonsense approach to giving me feedback on the violin. She is an insightful teacher that works on multiple levels; for example, for the nut and bolts of violin technique, she assigns very effective exercises; for the reflective level she suggests ways of recording, writing and videoing yourself in order to be present; and, for the philological level, she gives of exercises to over come stage fright. 

    For me, Heather is like the Jillian Michaels (work-out guru) for violin, in that, you follow her program and it is a short cut to being an effective player. I have been studying with Heather now since January and my improvement is noticeable not only to myself but to the outside also. During the last gig I played, a lady commented, saying my violin filled the room soulful beauty. I received the compliment with a smile remembering all the feedback from Heather and practicing she inspired me to do. If you are serious about improving, I highly recommend Heather.

    Darcie Khunakayev, Violinist
    Mammoth, California
    USA

    The diverse formats and the online group with Heather’s frequent comments and contributions make Online Violin Studio an effective and individualised learning tool in a community setting. It works, and it is fun!

    ~Anne Brüggemann
    GERMANY

    I started coaching sessions with Heather in January 2014, having been finding my own way along without a teacher for around 3 years. I knew that I had major issues with intonation, tone, timing and vibrato to name but a few, and I had no structure to my practice although I played for an hour and a half every day. I had never tried or even considered violin coaching online but having studied Heather’s website and watched a few videos it looked like she ticked all the boxes. Having a free half hour Skype session with Heather then absolutely convinced me.

    I found her approach light and inspirational, whilst she was able to shine a laser beam on the weaknesses in my technique in an instant and give me clear instructions on how to correct it, accompanied by exercises to wire it into my nervous system. In the following months since then I have loved every session and have seen week on week improvements in my playing beyond what I dreamed possible.

    Heather’s way of bringing awareness to every pitch is inspirational and has revolutionized my intonation. Having worked with Heather online for these few months I don’t know if I would want to go back to conventional face to face teaching. It has so many advantages. Heather can just pull up some relevant teaching materials or sheet music and I have it instantly. I get links to videos so that I can continue learning between the sessions and can prep new things that we are going to work on. Plus I get a recording of our session so I can go back and check on anything I wasn’t clear about – and go back to earlier recording to see just how far I have progressed over the weeks. Then one of my favourite things – I get written notes after the session, with what to work on for the next session which has been great for giving me clear guidelines on what to practice each day, providing me with the structure that I had been lacking.

    In short, I can’t praise Heather’s coaching sessions highly enough.

    Nicholas Bourne Hulme
    U.K.