Testimonials

"Annie is an incredible musician, and better yet, one who can show someone else how to do it. Her engaging personality and musicality make each lesson a joy, but beyond that, her ability to keep my skills improving has made playing music one of the great pleasures of my life.
- Steve S. 

"Annie is an incredible teacher. She knows exactly what I need to work on and prescribes the perfect practice. She is flexible with what I’d like to learn and puts in extra time and effort beyond what would be expected. She is not only an extremely talented musician, but a lovely and good-natured person, as well. I highly recommend her."
- Karen P. 

"Working with Annie has been an incredible experience. She is always happy to cover absolutely any material that I want to cover. She is experienced/knowledgeable/confident/talented enough to bring great value and techniques to my learning experience. I have had face-to-face and Skype lessons with Annie and the way she teaches helps me to play way above my skill level. Not only is Annie an incredible talent, she is a wonderful and valued teacher. "
- Fred T. 

"Annie is a great bluegrass fiddle teacher! She can break techniques and skills down into manageable chunks and is very supportive in her teaching. It’s such an honor to learn from the best! "
- Julie S. 

"I was trying to teach myself the fiddle. I decided I should get some lessons, I started with Annie via skype and have loved every minute. She made me feel comfortable from the start. Lessons are well paced and she allows for participants input. I always look forward to my next lesson. It is one of the highlights of my week."
- Mark R.

"Annie is the sweetest person we know. She is very approachable and non-intimidating, even though she’s this on-fire, crazy-good fiddler. She recognizes your level and adapts the lesson perfectly. She breaks a song down expertly into manageable phrases. One of the most valuable things she does is that she makes a personalized video clip of what you just learned at different speeds. She sends it to you after your lesson so that you can practice on your own. We absolutely love Annie and highly recommend her."
- Juli M.

"I've known Annie for many years. Annie is enthusiastic and encouraging, and pushes me just enough so I believe in myself. I cherish my lessons with her!!"
- Mary C. 

"I’m interested in old-time and bluegrass music mostly from before the ‘50s/’60s. I taught myself to play the guitar in the ‘60s and tried to learn to play the fiddle by ear for years with limited success. I worked with a few fiddle teachers who weren’t thrilled by my lack of interest/ability in reading music or learning music theory. Annie was completely different! I contacted her in 2014 and she welcomed me into her home for my first lesson. She knew all the same really obscure fiddlers I liked and at the same time helped me with the technical side of playing the violin. I’ve even learned most of the double-stops (chords/triads) and can now mostly learn any new tune on my own – with an occasional fix-up from Annie. My (modest) goal is to learn some of the major tunes by the most famous fiddle players from before the ‘60s – I’m getting there, though I’m not yet able to play as fast as the originals. I found I could email a tune to Annie that I liked, she would learn it and at our next lesson teach me the notes & chords and play it for me slowly so I could make a video of it and learn it myself at home. Needless to say, I think Annie is a completely fabulous fiddle teacher!"
- Jack R.

"Annie is an incredible musician who has skillfully shared her knowledge with me. Taking lessons with her has helped me improve greatly as a bluegrass fiddler!"
- Jessie M. 

"Annie makes fiddling fun. If you want to learn bluegrass fiddling, Annie is an encyclopedia. As you probably already know, she has an incredible ear, sound and style. She's often asked to play/sing/record with a lot of top musicians across bluegrass, swing, square dance, cajun...you get the idea. And she's a patient teacher (of any level of skill) and performance coach to improve fiddling skills/toolbox and set lists (I can't tell you how many times I've asked her to sing/replay a phrase for me so I could learn/hear it again and again). She can play/learn almost anything you might want to learn/explore - and you'll have fun doing it."
- Bill H. 

"I am learning to play by ear from her. She will work on any piece I ask or suggest songs to help me learn slides, double stops, Fills and whatever I'm working on. Learning bluegrass. I appreciate her constant encouragement." 
- Larry V. 

"I love working with Annie! I'm an adult beginner fiddler, and Annie is amazingly patient and encouraging with me, and our lessons are always enjoyable and fun. Our FaceTime lessons are better and more productive than any in-person lessons I've had. Annie follows up each lesson with a short video that recaps what we've covered, such as her playing tunes at slower and then uptempo speeds, demonstrating bowing techniques, showing fingering patterns, etc. I can then review the videos at my convenience and refer back to them as often as needed. She is always on time, has never missed a lesson, and is very understanding if I have to reschedule when conflicts with my schedule arise. I couldn't ask for a better teacher; she is as good an instructor as she is a fiddler!" 
- Amy S.  

"I grew up playing chamber music, but quit playing the violin when I was 18, 43 years ago. I met Annie at a bluegrass class and have a lesson with her every 2-3 weeks. She comes up with a great answers and demonstrations for every question I have. She has taught me old time bowing ie shuffles, pulses and where to put them. She devises breaks for bluegrass songs that I learn by ear, one that is easy and then a more complex version. I have learned how to think about double stop finger positioning, how to do fills, intros and endings and she knows just about every tune you could ever ask about. She gives me great on-line resources for music and technique. She is encouraging, kind and knows music to her bones. I look forward to every lesson, and look forward to having more time to play some day."
- Cheryl H.

"I'm a classical violinist, but I went to Annie for help with my bow arm. Annie is amazing -- a terrific fiddler and happy to impart her knowledge and skills to others. She is very encouraging and patient, even when this pupil doesn't seem to get the hang of it, and lessons are always a delight."
- Nancy S.