Cello Lessons: Individual, Workshops, Sectionals & Clinics

In addition to cello lessons in my private cello studio in Atlanta for all ages and levels of experience, I lead cello workshops and masterclasses. I teach beginners, seasoned players and professionals and am a cello instructor at Emory University.  Read more about individual cello lessons on my teaching page. Cello lessons are one-on-one, whereas I offer cello workshops as group lessons.

I also coach string sectionals for cello players in school, community and university orchestras. View several sample programs as well as feedback from past cello workshops and clinics below.

Cello Lesson: The First Note Fundamentals

Part 1 – The first note – the transition from silence to music.

You order a new piece of cello music on-line. It finally arrives. You excitedly rip open the envelope and turn the cover to the first page. You run to your cello, plop the music on your stand and get ready to play the first note. . . and that’s where you freeze. Or maybe you go ahead and practice this piece for a few weeks and you want the opening measures to be special, but you never really get into the “swing” until several measures into the piece or movement.

In the first part of this interactive cello lesson, we’ll look at “the first note” and what we can teach ourselves about a piece, practicing, and performing. We will have four volunteers each bring a piece (or movement) to this part of the workshop for demonstration on what the first note has to offer.

Part 2 – The notes that follow – sight-reading without sweat

So, you may dread the thought of “sight-reading,” but it’s like other aspects of playing the cello. You gotta learn to do it, and you might actually learn to enjoy it. We will be playing cello choir music with varying levels of difficulty (hey, if it were easy, you wouldn’t need this cello lesson).

Cello Lesson: Turn the Beat Around!

Have you ever had a piece that just confounded you with a tricky rhythm? Do you hate your metronome? Come on; admit it; you still have trouble even spelling “rhythm”! Well, this interactive series of cello lessons will teach you to stop fearing tricky rhythms and start to love what your metronome can do for your practicing. Percussionists should not have all the fun.

This three-hour hands-on cello workshop will help you turn around your attitude about learning challenging rhythms and how to get the most productivity out of your limited practice time.

Part 1

Roy will guide us through the stumbling blocks in this cello lesson that tricky rhythms pose as we learn new music. He will have on this journey his trusty metronome and provide us with tips and techniques for getting the most of that musical tool that deserves more honor than it gets.

Part 2

In the second hour, Roy will conduct a mini-master class with students performing music that pose interesting rhythmic challenges, as further demonstration of how to approach and learn tricky rhythms.

Part 3

We all get to play a cello ensemble piece, applying what we have learned to the group setting.

Cello Lesson & Workshop Reviews

“Roy was very helpful…especially with bringing out the moving parts and listening to each other’s part. We still have a lot of work, but I also see we are better than a few weeks ago.”

“I got so much out of Roy’s comments and suggestions, and I’m looking forward to meeting in the smaller groups. Can we hire him to be our conductor?”

“I feel we got tips/hints/feedback that made an immediate difference in how we sound. There’s still a ways to go, but we moved leagues forward yesterday.”

“Incredible progress. Really. Thanks, Roy. ”

“Having a professional coach like that was really great and productive. Thanks.”

“Roy was very helpful. I wish we could have more of him.”