About me
Like for most of us, it is a small collection of moments and people that set the course of my professional life. One of those moments and one of those people that I cannot but give some mention here is my biology teacher in my senior high school years, and more to the point one specific lesson about photosynthesis. After explaining to us this very complex process, she stood there, her arms spread wide, with slightly red cheeks and exclaimed: „This, people, is the miracle of life!“
The special thing about this woman and her teaching was a wonderful mix of knowledge, interesting, fun, exciting and motivating! Why? Because she loved and respected her subject, knew a lot about it and seemed to love nothing more than to share this love and respect with others. Her lessons were without any doubt the best in my entire school career.
When, a few years later, I was receiving my first violin pupils, it quickly became clear to me that I needed to make sure to teach at a similar level. Because pupils’ time and thirst for knowledge is way to precious to not strive for that very level. I will leave the judgment of whether or not I succeeded to other, but I hereby declare that that is my purpose!
To make this page complete here a few dry facts:
- I’m teaching the violin since about 15 years, in private, but also in several music academies in Germany and Belgium
- I also had the opportunity to teach groups music theory, ensemble and klezmer
- I received a classical training on violin, got a Masters degree in Musicology, Music Pedagogy and Sociology (Gießen, Germany), studied Jazz Violin in Brussels (Belgium), and took a teacher training in Gent (Belgium), equivalent to the “2tes Staatsexamen“.
- since 2007, I am intensively involved in klezmer music and free improvisation.
- my most important musical projects are and were Halva (Modern Klezmer Music), Azind (Traditional Klezmer Music), Gilgul (Contemporary Yiddish Dance Performance), Bakad Kapelye (Party Klezmer), and String Carpet (Swing).