Jane Landstra

Reviews of Jane Landstra

• "I feel so lucky to have Jane teach my daughter."

  • 
  • • 5/5 stars
  • Suzanne Olson

  Review of Fiddle Lessons, July 22, 2009

  My daughter Meg insisted on writing her own review, but as the "violin mom", I also wanted to share my perspective. Meg started taking fiddle lessons from Jane 3 years ago, at age 7. Jane is a patient, caring instructor and her love and respect for the fiddle traditions are present in every lesson. You can see the way these tunes have been passed on over generations and preserved and the more I see, the more I am in awe of that process. Jane has been so nice to include Meg in on playing for dances and even will teach her a tune on the spot if she doesn't know it. Our favorite venue is the Poulsbo Midsommer celebration. Meg also takes classical violin and plays in a youth orchestra, and we have not had any problems at all mixing the two - in fact, I think it has made her a better player. I would highly recommend Jane to any parent considering fiddle lessons for their son or daughter.

  • Pros:
  • Helpful, Engaging, Encouraging, Smart, Patient, Fun, Good communicator

  • How was this location?:
  • Awesome

  • How was the price?:
  • Great value

  I would recommend this teacher

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• "I would recommend Jane to anyone!"

  • 
  • • 5/5 stars
  • Suzanne Olson

  Review of Fiddle Lessons, July 22, 2009

  Jane is someone who makes you feel so empowered by her traditional teaching methods and support. She's always thankful to any signs of appreciation from her students. Her group sessions an teaching style makes you think, wow, with her as a teacher, anyone can do this. Jane really brings people together. Her cozy home definitely reflects her welcoming personality. It all started when I was in 2nd grade, when I was checking out "The bat boy and his violin", my school librarian told me about Jane. She wrote her name and phone number down on a tiny post-it. My mom kept that post-it tucked away in a file folder for months. One day she finally called. I ended up really liking Jane's teaching style over time. I would recommend Jane to anyone, even if you've never even held a violin. She is an inspirational role model to me both in violin, and in life. Meg Olson, age 10.

  • Pros:
  • Helpful, Engaging, Encouraging, Patient, Good communicator

  • How was this location?:
  • Awesome

  • How was the price?:
  • Great value

  I would recommend this teacher

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• "Great Experience!"

  • 
  • • 5/5 stars
  • Jean Strauss
  • Bainbridge Island, WA

  Review of Fiddle Lessons, July 22, 2009

  As a rank beginner with Jane Landstra last fall, she had me up and playing the celtic fiddle within just two months. I took a handful of private lessons and then attended her group sessions and LOVED it. When I started, there was no way I would have believed I could have learned so much so fast. What I liked about Jane's teaching method is she just allows students to dive in, to play, and to learn by listening and feeling, more than by book lessons. I recommend her highly!

  • Pros:
  • Helpful, Encouraging, Smart, Patient, Fun, Good communicator

  • How was this location?:
  • Awesome

  • How was the price?:
  • Great value

  I would recommend this teacher

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• "Down to earth and caring with years of experience"

  • 
  • • 5/5 stars
  • Dr Dawn
  • Seabeck, WA

  Review of Jane Landstra, July 19, 2009

  Jane is a warm and caring teacher. Though a very talented musician, she never looks or talks down to me as a student. This sort of thing can really matter to someone who may be hesitant or nervous. Every time I learn a new song from her (which she teaches by ear--no notes while learning, a plus for really learning and retaining the music) she imbues the learning experience with patient enthusiasm and helpful pointers for style, rhythm, timing and technique. I love that she offers a group lesson series periodically and that she keeps students abreast of contra and other dances in the area, sometimes inviting students to play at them after they have learned a couple of sets well. It is a great experience to play for an enthusiastic audience and a real confidence builder. She has introduced me to a world of music (Cape Breton, Scottish, French-Canadian, Scandinavian and more) that I have fallen in love with and which I had no real concept of when I first scouted out a Celtic fiddle teacher a few years ago. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

  • Pros:
  • Helpful, Engaging, Encouraging, Smart, Patient, Funny, Fun, Good communicator

  • How was this location?:
  • Awesome

  • How was the price?:
  • Great value

  I would recommend this teacher

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