Celestial Resonance Violin Studio--Celeste Ellis Whiting

Teaching Philosophy

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein

Playing violin is essentially the same pursuit it was in the 17th century. This is a big plus in an age of information overload, 200+ cable channels, and overabundant digital gadgets. It draws on and fosters development of enduring human qualities--patience, perseverance, self knowledge, endurance and discipline. Learning to play violin can cultivate spatial reasoning, problem solving, aural skills, music literacy, fine motor development and body awareness. All these skills are transferable, with lifelong benefits.

My primary goal is to cultivate broad musicianship through violin study. Music literacy and solid aural skills are central components of this approach. We focus on fundamentals of violin, and fundamentals of music. These concepts are approached through a variety of teaching methods. This allows for the different learning styles and ways of understanding unique to each student.

"Instruction begins when you put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he understands and in the way he understands it." (Kierkegaard's Journals)

My first task in working with any student is to understand what the student understands and how he or she understands it. This process is ongoing throughout the teaching/learning during lessons. The student can count on clear expectations for assignments and practice. For elementary school children, this entails explicit directions for practice assignments including what to play how many times and in what manner. As students mature, I work to help them learn to discern their own way of learning and understanding. As soon as they are able, (usually at the middle school level) I seek to impart problem solving skills that they can apply at home during practice sessions.

Celeste Ellis Whiting, B.M., M.S., is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Music in Urbana-Champaign. She has also studied at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, and the Meadowmount School of Music in New York. Her primary teachers include John Fredrickson, Catherine Tait, and Alberto Jaffe.

Her violin and music history studies are supplemented by graduate work in music librarianship and bibliography at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (University of Illinois).

For the last ten years, she has devoted her work to teaching individual students of all ages and ability levels. The threads that run through all these teaching relationships are a deep awareness of the student as a whole person in a complex world and a simple willingness to honor and cultivate a student's genuine desire to learn to play violin. Central to the teaching practice are compassion, challenge and respect.

An experienced reference librarian, she draws upon a world of resources--print, digital, and audio--to create a rich learning experience for students of varying ages, skill levels, and interests.

Conveniently located on the westside of Ann Arbor.

Call today to schedule a lesson or ask about instruction.

(734)998-1097

Contact Celeste by email with any questions or comments.