What People Say
Gloria Cobb, Parent
My daughter has been taking private cello lessons from Jonathan for over a year now. He was recommended to us by my daughter’s orchestra teacher at her high school. Jonathan has a gift with the cello, his technique is impeccable and his playing experience is vast. The number of awards he has received at his young age really impressed us. But what sets him apart is the way he feels the music and how he interprets the pieces. You get chills when he plays. He always tries to convey this to my daughter, teaching her not only great technique, but also to feel the music, to play from the heart. He is very responsible and accommodating to our schedule. He is patient and will try to get the best out of the student. The lessons are affordable. I highly recommend Jonathan for private cello lessons.
Kevin Tran, Student
Jonathan is such an inspiring teacher! Before taking lessons with him, I was struggling a lot with trying to get things perfect. It got to the point where I would practice nonstop, and getting almost nowhere with it. When I had my first lesson with Jonathan, he was so kind, optimistic, and was willing to help me in any shape or form. He would always show me a different perspective and made me see music in different ways and open myself up. Jonathan would always help fix my bow hold, bow placement, fingerings, technique, and countless of other aspects that helped me improve my confidence in playing. He would always point out what is wrong and gives me an easy fix. Interpretation is my favorite part of learning from Jonathan. Other teacher's I've had say music should be one way or the other, but Jonathan removes any boundaries about what is possible with music. He makes me feel like a musician, and not some student learning the cello.
Helen Scovill, Student
I believe that Jonathan is one of the best teachers you could find. He is an extremely talented musician. But, what makes him an outstanding teacher is his personal, detailed attention to the student. Jonathan has a very gentle, observant nature that enables him to focus on every detail of playing the cello. I am an adult beginner and this instrument can be very difficult. However, Jonathan's ability to break things down and communicate every aspect to the learner demonstrates a talent for teaching that is way beyond his years. As an elementary school teacher myself, I can see how Jonathan would be very effective with all ages and ranges of musical ability. I give him the highest recommendation.
Carly Ramdeen, Student
I think Jonathan is a nice, patient teacher. Sometimes I think because the cello seems to come easy to him so that it's a little hard to explain just how to do certain skills, but he always finds a way to explain it in a relatable way in the end. Overall, Jonathan's a good teacher who has helped me go from a REALLY bad player to a relatively decent one. I feel like through lessons I have grown a lot more comfortable with the cello, and my technique, tone, and intonation have improved dramatically since I started.
Brandon Yoon, Student
What I like about Jonathan is that he always knows what's wrong, even the tiniest bits. He picks out every single little detail and explains their importance to me very well. This helps me improve a lot because it always makes the piece I am playing easier, and he also gives me tips that nobody else ever uses such as plucking the G or C string before playing it to improve tone. I have honestly improved so much. When I started with Jonathan in 6th grade, I couldn't even make it into Kendall Orchestra. When I was in 8th grade, I actually got into everything I auditioned for such as All-State, GCYS, and I made it into the top orchestra class in high school as a freshman. I have no complaints taking lessons from Jonathan, highly recommend!
Max Choi, Student
I've had many cello teachers over a span of 7 years, but Jonathan stands out as someone who made a huge impact on how much I enjoyed playing the cello. — I came out of every lesson more inspired than ever; Jonathan focuses on not only technique, but also the emotions, mood, and imagery in different pieces. In the end, I think that's what music's all about, and what separates a good teacher from a great one.
Daniella Perry, Student
I've improved so much since starting lessons with Jonathan. I have a very relaxed, flexible bow hold now and my tone has become fuller and about 2-3x louder than before. I like that Jonathan always has something for me to work on, and how he helps me with anything I'm confused about. I was terrified of thumb position at first, but it actually isn't as hard as it seems when I practice it the way he tells me to. Jonathan has also helped me with my confidence, and I feel more comfortable playing in front of people now as opposed to before. He also rarely ever stops the lesson on time; if we are in the middle of working on something, he keeps teaching until I understand it, or unless I need to be somewhere right away. He is very flexible and very understanding even when I arrive late sometimes or have to cancel the lesson last minute. Jonathan's the best cello teacher I've had by far.
Diandra Sarr, Student
When I first started lessons with Jonathan, I had a lot of technical problems, especially with my basic set up. I used to have an extremely tense bow grip; Jonathan would teach me how to relax and explained why I was so tense. I used to play with a lot of pain, and now I am almost completely relaxed. Since I basically had to start all over, Jonathan was very patient and understanding with me. If I didn't understand a concept that he was saying, then he will explain it in a relatable way. He is also always available to answer any questions I had sent him over text. Everything was intimidating at first, but after a while, I got comfortable.
Tiffany Chen, Student
Jonathan can always find something for me to improve on no matter what. He goes into so much detail on every piece and can easily spend a whole lesson on 2 lines of music if he really wanted to. If I don't understand something the first time, he will find 10 different ways to explain the same thing until I understand. Unlike some of my previous teachers, Jonathan's explanations are very relatable to me personally. He plans everything out for me step by step, and is very easy to follow. If you listen, follow his instructions, and actually do what he tells you, you will improve EXTREMELY fast.
Mariam Drammeh, Student
Jonathan has really refined both my playing style and the way I practice. When he teaches, he not only makes sure you understand what you're doing wrong, he explains why this is affecting how you play and how to improve this in the future. He truly is the best teacher to enlist if you want to improve, but don't really know how.
Arnela Mujkanovic, Parent
Jonathan is very easy to work with. He is very flexible with scheduling, and we have never had a problem arranging lesson times. My son Nermin has made very good progress; Nermin says he learns more with him than he does at school, Excellent overall.
Tina Sun, Parent
Jonathan is a very dedicated teacher who's passionate about teaching. He is always on time and even go above and beyond by go overtime. He communicates very effectively with his student so thye can follow his instruction to practice. Overall very good learning experience.