Testimonials
Hear from current and former students about their experience working with me!
Brittany
"My kids, two young Suzuki learners-- a book two student and a newbie, were so lucky to have Helen substituting for 6 months while my kids' teacher was on break. Helen has wicked skills on violin and has honed her talent and hard work especially for teaching. She knows the Suzuki repertoire inside out. Seemingly effortlessly, correcting notes and bowings even while playing the duet accompaniment. Helen brought creativity to the lesson, guiding my book two daughter Alice through the process of song writing, helping her through "writer's block" to bring out her inner muse. She coached Alice on how to practice-- not more, but better. Helen brought a lovely mix of discipline and tenderness to the lessons. She coaxed my six year old into twinkles with creativity, patience, and expectations. Thank you Helen!" (December 2022)
Kim
"We had a terrific summer of violin lessons with Miss Helen! We met on a Zoom call which helped my daughter feel comfortable from her first in person lesson. Miss Helen was so creative giving her several fun ways to practice each week. She tailored the lessons to match my daughter's abilities, while also challenging her to grow and even compose. I am thrilled with the progress my daughter has made. She is reading music well and is developing quite a "musical ear". We all loved when Miss Helen would play along with her; she plays beautifully and it was inspiring to my daughter. Her teaching set my daughter up for success and she enjoys the violin more than ever!" (December 2022)
Acadia and Shawn
"Helen is a great violin teacher. She breaks a song up into learnable chunks. She is a patient and friendly teacher for anyone trying to learn the fiddle and I recommend her for violinists of any age or ability."
​
"We first met Helen at Maine Fiddle Camp. She helped my daughter, a beginner at the time, overcome nerves and feel confident trying something new. She was attentive, responsive and offered individualized feedback. We continued to work with Helen through the pandemic. Despite the challenges of teaching and learning remotely, my daughter continued to grow as a musician under Helen’s guidance. She was flexible and creative and delivered the Suzuki method with fidelity. In addition, she taught fiddle tunes and music theory in ways that honored my daughter’s learning style. Most importantly, she made learning fun!" (December 2022)
Gail
"Helen & I met at Maine Fiddle Camp and we started working together when she came to Boston in Sept. 2019. During the pandemic we had zoom lessons which worked so well because Helen pays close attention, even remotely! I knew of Helen’s reputation as a fantastic teacher for children and was not surprised when I learned, first hand, about her patience and encouragement with adults, as well. She helps me with things I’ve been working on since before we met, has introduced me to new skills and encouraged me to stretch myself. Helen clearly loves teaching, cares about her students and wants her students to love playing much as she does! I have recommended her as a teacher to several friends and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to others as well!" (September 2021)
Sarah
“Helen is such a good fiddle teacher for me. She makes it fun and is very patient and supportive, and I can tell that she enjoys teaching. She lets me choose the music that I want to learn, but also keeps me focused on developing good form, practicing bowing, and doing lots of scales and arpeggios with the metronome. She explains music theory, so that it all starts to fit together in my mind. She has many good tips and exercises to improve technique. I am becoming a better fiddle player with Helen’s guidance, and I feel lucky to have found her!” (April 2020)
Laura
"Helen sparked a love of music in our daughter. Her teaching style is both creative and disciplined, providing inspiration and structure for a child to musically thrive. Our daughter has learned both Suzuki method and traditional fiddle songs from Helen. The Newell family is known as movers and shakers in the fiddle community of Maine. Helen is carrying that tradition forward with fresh perspective and advanced classical technique. I highly recommend Helen as a violin and fiddle teacher to students at various stages in their musical development."
(October 2019)
Jayden
"Helen was very professional and affordable. She brought a great deal of enthusiasm and experience to her teaching experience. Even though she is very busy she was always flexible with her schedule. One thing that meant the most was when she would share my learning experience with both me and my parents by filming me while I played. This helped me see areas in which I needed to work and also helped my parents see what we work on in practice and also the progress I was making. I loved working with Helen and hope I get the chance to do it again if she comes back to Maine this summer." (October 2019)
