NYC Violin Studio

NYC Violin Studio offers group and private lessons, performances, recordings and violin rentals. Here is the story behind the studio.

The founder, Antoinette Ady, started violin at the age of 7. She was lucky enough to have a school that offered an in-depth music program and her days were filled with many types of orchestral activities. Daily practice daily, lessons, orchestra rehearsal and eventually pit and chamber orchestra kept her always learning something new. Instead of watching tv, she practiced. When she felt sad, she practiced. When she felt happy, she practiced. When it was a beautiful day outside, she went outside and played beautiful music. She played classical music at the bay and indie rock by the pond. She started joining cover bands in college and playing the composed violin parts in the songs they covered.

Fast forward years later, she suddenly had a crashing realization once day while practicing. She had always considered that musicians were artists. However, she didn’t consider herself an artist, only a musician. She realized it was because she had never created a single thing on the violin – only other people’s works or ideas. The fact that it took her so long to even see this camouflaged hole was the most disconcerting part of the realization. It was from that moment forward that she not only started writing music, but also decided she needed to change the violin education system from within, to break the loop of Suzuki robots. Suzuki is not a bad system inherently, but it cannot be the sole educational material if that child hopes to understand music theory before college-level instruction. Yes, really. Creative urges must not only be explored and encouraged, but to go forward confidently and keep creating new and better ideas, a string player must know enough music theory to be able to set a scene musically, create the storyline, or both (rhythm, harmony, melody). Antoinette spent years studying a myriad of pedagogy to formulate the most efficient and effective training system which would empower her students to play anything they wished, whether it was written down in sheet music, heard by the student and to be emulated, or heard in their own heads and a creation of their own to be played on the violin.

Beginners must learn the basics well, and correctly the first time. Even more importantly, in our opinion, students must be having fun. It is our goal to keep lessons and learning fun while also strengthening core skills. We borrow the best from various sources are not locked into one dogmatic school of training. Everyone is different, physically and mentally. Thus, learning violin cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach.

In 2018, the special prescription used in private lessons was re-formatted and is now being delivered to beginners in group classes, starting them off on the right foot from the very beginning. NYC Violin Studio draws in many adult learners who have no time to waste learning bad technique from uncaring instructors, or instructors who have been trained in one system only and are blind to other schools of training.

Our goal is to empower our students to be able to play anything they want, whether from sheet music, heard out loud, or heard in their own heads. We do this every day and are proud of all those we have helped so far. We look forward to starting new violinists out on the right foot with a real understanding of music and the ability to fill their role in it as they see fit.