What is man’s ultimate direction in life? It is to look for love, truth, virtue, and beauty.” -Dr. Shinichi Suzuki

The Suzuki method, developed by Japanese violin pedagogue Shinichi Suzuki, offers younger students an age-appropriate entry point to the world of instrumental music lessons based on language acquisition theory. Students are immersed from a young age in the environment that uses the language we’d like them to become fluent in- in this case, violin, guitar, or piano. Students are most successful if they start very young (as young as three years old). At this age, their brains are in the “sensitive period” of language development and will absorb this kind of training much more readily than an adult. The student, parent, and teacher work as a team to support the young musician on his or her musical journey- parents attend lessons and function as the “at home teacher.” The home environment is supplemented as part of a larger environment and community through our studio group classes, which create a larger community of musicianship, emphasizes the joy of making music together and provides a source of community and resource on the Suzuki journey for the student and practice parent.

Suzuki Guitar Program

Who: Students and parents ages 3+
Where: Music Lessons Express Studio
Cost: $135+ per month for weekly private lessons and three studio classes per month
Schedule:

  • Private lessons scheduled individually
  • Book 1 Studio Class, 1-1:30pm
  • Book 2/3 Studio Class, 12-12:30pm
  • Book 5/6 Studio Class, 12:30-1:00pm

Suzuki Piano Program

Who: Students and parents ages 3+
Where: Music Lessons Express Studio
Cost: $135+ per month for weekly private lessons and two studio classes per month

  • Private lessons scheduled individually.
  • Book 1 Studio Class, Tuesdays from 5:30-6:15

Suzuki Violin Program

Who: Students and parents ages 3+
Where: Music Lessons Express Studio
Cost: $155+ per month for weekly private lessons and weekly studio classes
Schedule:

  • Private lessons scheduled individually
  • PreTwinkle Studio Class, Wednesdays from 5:00-5:45
  • Book 1 Studio Class, Wednesdays from 5:30-6:15
  • Book 2 Studio Class, Wednesdays from 5:45-6:30
  • Books 3 & 4, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month from 6:00-7:00

Preschool Violin @ Trinity Catholic School

Who: Students and parents ages 4-6
Where: Trinity Catholic School Music Room
Cost: $100 for six-week session, all materials included
Schedule: January 20, 2022 – February 24th, 2022

Level I: Thursdays from 3:45-4:15, starting January 20, 2022

Register for Spring 2022 classes HERE.

Instructors

Dr. Ben Lougheed
Guitar Instructor

Ben is a longtime instructor at Music Lessons Express where he is currently the Program Director. He is a registered teacher with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has completed six levels of teacher training with them, including the Guitar Practicum. He holds a DMA in guitar performance from Florida State University.

Dr. Erin Heidrick
Violin Instructor

Erin Heidrick is a violin instructor at Music Lessons Express where she teaches private violin lessons and PreTwinkle group class. She is a registered teacher and member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and holds three levels of teacher training from them. Erin is a doctoral candidate in violin performance at Florida State University.

Dr. Frank Kuhny
Piano Instructor

Dr. Kuhny is a piano performer and instructor at Music Lessons Express. He holds a doctorate in piano performance from Florida State University, degrees in piano and electrical engineering from Notre Dame, and is also a proficient organist. Frank is registered with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has completed all seven levels of their teacher training. He holds additional training in piano pedagogy from University of Illinois.

Natasha Marsalli
Violin Instructor and Executive Director

Natasha is the executive director at Music Lessons Express, where she has taught since 2010. Natasha holds degrees in music education and violin performance from The Florida State University and has completed additional coursework in those fields at Case Western Reserve University and The Cleveland Institute of Music. She is a registered teacher with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has been teaching Suzuki violin for more than a decade.