1st Lesson Free!  No obligation.  Call Sue at 503-268-2404

 

 

University trained music instructor and musician, Sue Lewis, is now accepting new music students for the fall quarter at her studio located at 1040 NE 58th Ave. Portland Oregon.  Click on "Contact Us" on the right column of this page for map and directions.  Studio hours are Monday through Thursday from 10am to 9pm. 

 

Space is limited so sign up now for weekly private lessons for violin, viola, cello, bass and piano.  Also included for Free is a once a month group lesson where students can learn exciting ensemble skills and have fun meeting other students in a social setting.  Since ALL the string instruments are taught, group performances have a rich and beautiful ensemble sound ranging from high (violins), to low (cello and bass) and in between (viola).  Intermediate to advanced piano students learn to accompany the string ensemble in performance.  Sue makes learning fun and exciting and at the same time strives to make sure students are mastering technical skills essential for beautiful playing.

 

Sue Lewis specializes in string and piano instruction using both modern and traditional methods that develop "the complete musician" as opposed to strictly traditional classical methods like "Suzuki", although, she uses this for those students wanting to study strictly classical music after completing the introductory course.

 

To start with, several simple songs are learned with an emphases on great tone and rhythm.  The song selection is designed to be performed for many occasions such as at holidays or for church and school events.  This makes for varied performance opportunities through out the year.  The introductory music consists of well known pieces of all styles such as classical, folk, blues, rock, ragtime and bluegrass.  All pieces in this series are arranged and composed by renown composer for strings and piano, Dr. Lawrence Lyons.  His collection of teaching pieces is called "Rainbow Tones Strings Series" and "VIP Stings."  Each piece teaches a musical concept such as syncopation, rhythm, note reading, articulations, asymmetric time meters and so on.  Each book comes with a CD with piano accompaniment which makes practicing at home much more enjoyable for the students and frees up the teacher to focus on the students instead of playing the piano. For more information on Dr. Lyons music for strings and piano, go to www.vipstrings.com.

 

Next, students are gradually introduced to scales, arpeggios, music theory, ear training, sight reading, singing and dance in a spiraling curriculum that adds new skills as students are ready.  Singing, dance and piano reinforce playing skills in a fun way that allows for discovering other talents and creative potential  All this works together to produce "the complete musician".  The complete musician is a person who has excellent rhythm, pitch, note reading skills and creativity, a person who can enjoy and appreciate music in it's various forms over a lifetime whether it be for personal enjoyment or as a career. 

 

For the intermediate and advanced player who wants to audition for university scholarships, an accelerated intensive course is available in partnership with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.  In this program, the student is prepared for a once a year rigorous exam requiring the playing of select pieces, scales and arpeggios, sight reading and ear training.   The candidate performs for the visiting Associated Board Examiner from London England and is graded on a point system.  Upon passing the student receives a beautiful certificate and additional awards for high scores.  Once a year at a separate time, a written exam for music theory is taken.  The exams are graded 1 to 8 and can be classical or jazz depending on the candidate's choice.