testimonials
"Our whole family feels so privileged for Elise to have taught our daughters violin, from preschool to high school. She was preeminently gentle, joyful, and still rigorously serious. She never ceased to nurture and instill the overall confidence and self-esteem they exude today. Now as young women, they reflect with awe on their childhood studies with Elise."--Steve L.
"Ms.Elise makes learning fun. She has so many fun toys and games to get my kid engaged. She is so encouraging and it is obvious that she has a special bond with each of her students. We feel so lucky to have found her!"--Olivia A.
"Elise is the most wonderful music teacher! Our son started with her when he was only 3.5 years old. She is extremely innovative, kind, and patient. He is almost 9 now and has gone through plenty of ups and downs with learning violin. Elise has always been tuned in to what he needed to help him grow as a musician and retain his interest. She has helped instill in our son a love for music, a devotion to hard work and practice, confidence as a performer, and a passion for composing."--Felicity H.
“Elise is an amazing teacher. She taught my older daughter from age 5 to age 15 and turned her into a very competent classical violinist who earned a spot in a prestigious high school orchestra. Even though I live in Sausalito, I drive to the south end of San Francisco for lessons for my younger daughter who also started at age 5. Elise is amazing with beginners and small kids, but she also does a great job with very advanced students; just come to one of her recitals and see for yourself.”--Michael S.
“I had many music teachers myself, so I can truly say that Elise has been the most patient, loving, and kind teacher to my daughter who was very introverted and sensitive. During 13 years of lessons, we found Elise’s teaching technique to be very sound, proactive in approach, and creative. She is also great at being flexible to different learning styles and needs. We had a great experience!”--Ronica L.
“My daughter studied with Elise for 14 years, from kindergarten through high school. Elise is kind, patient, encouraging, and fun. Violin study can be challenging and sometimes lonely for small children, but with games, group activities, and lots of enthusiasm, Elise helps kids stay focused and makes learning fun. Elise doesn’t just teach kids violin, she shows them how to become musicians.”--Sara O.
“We feel so lucky to have found Elise. She is an outstanding musician and teacher, and she inspires her students (and their parents) with a combination of humor, high expectations, gentleness, honesty, respect, and love. When it was time for our son Myer to transition to a new teacher, Elise helped us find exactly the right person and spent nearly a year helping with a successful transition. Myer went on to solo with local groups, to attend summer camps at Interlochen and Tanglewood, and to travel to Argentina with his college orchestra. Most important of all, playing the violin remains an important source of joy for our now 23-year old son, and we have Elise to thank providing the foundation that has made this possible.”--Mike P.
“Our son has learned violin with Elise since the age of 6. He's now 13 and it amazes me to think how much he has gotten from her teaching! Elise's style is both warm and effective--he's always had a natural respect for her. We've felt so lucky to have Elise and the violin as part of his life—and ours." --Brad W.
“Ten years of lessons with Elise was the best educational investment we ever made for our daughter. Elise is a kind, gracious and dedicated teacher who gives her students a solid foundation of skills, resulting in steady, gratifying progress. She goes out of her way to create community and continually finds opportunities outside of lesson time for advancing students to grow as musicians. The fond memories we hold from our time with her are priceless.” --Jean M.
"Our daughter Cora is 10 and she has been studying with Elise since she was 4. We have been so happy with the way Elise approaches her teaching with kindness, creativity, and developmental understanding. Cora is beginning to flourish as a musician and is enjoying her growing mastery of the violin with Elise as her trusted guide into her musical life. As parents, we have found communication with Elise to be easy and mutually respectful. Elise is a great match for our family as a music teacher."--Malcolm G. and Seth B.