Our Approach: The Kurganov Method
I'm deeply passionate about teaching, pedagogy, and supporting young people in their development. This passion is rooted in my own journey—having started the violin at the age of 16. That experience has given me a more conscious understanding of how students progress, what they need at various stages of development, and how to guide them effectively.
At the heart of my teaching is the deep study of the great musicians of the past and analyzing how they do what they do, and how we can learn from them in the search for our own unique voice. In school, I developed a reputation for coaching fellow students in preparation for orchestral auditions. Some of those colleagues went on to win major jobs such as positions in the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, The Gulbenkian Orchestra of Portugal and the Israel Chamber Orchestra.
By merging my extensive knowledge of the Russian, European and American violin traditions, analysis of all major violin studies, and values derived from HIP (historically informed performance) practice, I have been able to construct a method that is centered around problem-solving techniques, creating an efficient workflow, and fostering an understanding of how technique and musical expression are inevitably connected. Having started playing the violin at age 16, I have excellent recollection of my intense studies during those years. I remember all of the mistakes and the experimentation -- what works and what doesn't. I believe in a very organized methodology and have compiled my own progressive technical manual for advanced violinists.
Related to my teaching practice is my constant exploration of style and rhetoric in musical performance. I was privileged to study intensely with emissaries of the "golden era" of violin playing, and this sparked a greater interest in how style functions in music, and if cross-fertilization exists across musical techniques of various aesthetics and even national traditions.
