Our daughter is in middle school and has been studying with Michael for a few years now. He has done wonders with her tone and technique. He spent considerable time early on teaching her proper bowing, all the little important details she would never get at school that make a world of difference in sound and volume. At every school concert, her sound stands out above the rest of the violin section. Michael introduces more complex items such as vibrato, trills, shifting, etc., progressively, with exercises that build up towards the skill. Difficult pieces he breaks down for her to understand, and as needed he introduces the relevant music theory. Michael has worked with her on a number of exercises to increase finger speed, which have made her able to take on more challenging studies. One thing Michael has done that is helpful is to have her go back to an old piece she studied months ago. Revisiting a piece she previously struggled with, and now playing it fluently, he is able to show her how she has progressed, and she lights up seeing how she has improved. read more

Michael is a phenomenal teacher and musician. Within five minutes of meeting Michael Strauss at The Conservatory in Doylestown where my son was about to take a trial violin lesson, I could tell Michael was someone who understood kids. He sized up my son's personality with uncanny accuracy; when I asked Michael if I should stay for the trial lesson, Michael turned to my son and asked, "How old are you, Nick?" After Nick answered, Michael turned back to me and said, "Yes, you should stay. He's a young 13-year-old," and he was right. Michael was also right about my daughter, who joined us halfway through the lesson. Though she hadn't said anything but hello, at the end of the lesson, Michael told her that she was mature beyond her years -- and again, he was right. Surprising to me as it was that day, Michael's strikingly perceptive instinct became only more apparent and more surprising. At Michael's suggestion, I have joined him and Nick for every lesson for the last year and a half. Though Nick is more mature than he was when he first started playing violin, I have continued to join the two of them simply because it is an unparalleled treat to watch Michael work his magic with Nick and to watch Nick respond. Nick started as a remedial violin player and has progressed into an intermediate, and at times, an advanced student because Michael's methods work. Michael is gifted, and Nick knows that. At times on our way home from a lesson, Nick will ask me to repeat some of Michael's wise words that really struck Nick. At times, Nick and I discuss how apparent it is that Michael isn't just an incredibly talented violinist and violist, but how lucky we are to benefit from Michael's pure intellect and insight. Though I had spoken to Nick on many occasions about being mindful or about his posture, it wasn't until Michael had gotten through to Nick on ideas like these that Nick will ask me, "How does my head seem right now?", which is a Michael-ism about Nick's focus and posture. Michael is inspiring to Nick as a musician and as an adult. Michael's art is not only in his musicianship, but it is also in his thinking, which can be both deliberate and spontaneous, done in layers and in loops, philosophically and pragmatically, both simple and yet complex. Michael is able to perceive what Nick is doing and what he needs to do, all the while simultaneously delivering messages in ways that impact Nick very profoundly; Michael pulls from a familiarity with Science and Physics, Art and Literature, Theater, History, Music History, Math, current events and is somehow able to communicate in an amalgam of all of these modes -- and make it all make sense to a teenage brain. Michael shapes his lessons both carefully and as seamlessly as involuntary reflexes. Michael observes. He hears and sees what's happening with Nick and then pulls from an extensive palette of study and wisdom as well as from his teaching and his life experiences. Where he goes and what he weaves together in the course of a one hour lesson is a wonder, but a purposeful and powerful one. Michael is amazingly well-read, but what's more amazing is the command he has over what he has read and his ability to use so deftly all of what he knows and knows about people in order to craft a meaningful and mindful message that makes sense to his students. Two of Michael's other students are classmates of my son and my daughter. Their parents and I have spoken about our respect for Michael and the way he works with his students. Michael is a life-long learner. He puts my son at ease, partly because he can so evidently relate to anyone who is eager to keep learning. Michael is not just a teacher or a professional musician. Michael is a Renaissance Man who inspires those of us fortunate to witness his brilliance. He is an artist who knows people and knows how to connect -- not just with them but how to connect them to the way they need to think in order to be the best they can. Michael is influential, and it is a pleasure to watch his art unfold and be reflected in Nick. Michael is a role model for Nick, and Nick has chosen very wisely to look to Michael for guidance about music and about how a consistent adult behaves. As a 30-year veteran of teaching in a public high school, I appreciate Michael's many indisputable and impressive talents. read more