Robin Zebrowski's Reviews

It's hard to write a review for a teacher who is as amazing as Dr. Schmidt. Jackie introduced me as an adult student to the violin in graduate school - I had never picked up an instrument, was 28 years old, and she totally took on the challenge to teach me using the Suzuki Method. I was her student for a year when we were both in Eugene, Oregon, and she did such a good job that I stuck with the instrument even after she graduated and moved out of the city. More than 2 years later, we were both living in Portland, Oregon, and I took up private lessons with her again, enthusiastically. I had sought her out when I learned she was in my city because, in spite of amazing interim instructors, no other teacher has been able to be as flexible in adjusting individual lessons as Jackie.

In addition to her regular lessons, Jackie would step things up with additional musical pieces if she thought I was up to the challenge, and she would slow things down when she saw me struggling with specific measures. She has tricks and exercises to deal with any unexpected trouble spots in a piece of music (of which my untrained adult fingers found plenty). You never feel as if you're doing a bad job with Jackie as your instructor - she's encouraging and helpful, and personable in a way that invites you to challenge yourself for her sake. I never wanted to let her down, and that was an easy motivator to be sure I kept up with my practicing!

Jackie also went above and beyond her duties as my instructor in private lessons. During the summer after each year of my lessons with her, she graciously took 3 of her students on in small group lessons so we could get experience playing with others. The individual attention is amazing, and she is so attentive to each student that she brings them to the next level at precisely the right time, never rushing things and never letting anyone slack off.

When I learned she was leaving Portland, I was extremely saddened to lose the best violin instructor I've ever had, and I hope Minneapolis knows how lucky it is to have her!

(Please note: I am a professor myself now, and so I'm acutely aware of how important it is to be able to teach to the student in front of you and not be a cookie-cutter instructor that just teaches the same thing, the same way, to everyone. This, if nothing else, is what makes Dr. Schmidt such an incredible violin/viola instructor in private lessons.)