• Enrolments open for private lessons in Kildysart, County Clare for 2024/25.
Please email me to book a free consultation lesson.
• I have 28 years of experience teaching classical violin for young beginners and all the way up to diploma level.
• Online classes also available.
• Admission is subject to audition/interview.
Please email me to book a free consultation lesson.
• I have 28 years of experience teaching classical violin for young beginners and all the way up to diploma level.
• Online classes also available.
• Admission is subject to audition/interview.
"My daughter has had violin lessons with Emma for a year and the progress she made during this time was amazing. Using the Colorstrings method, Emma brings a playful and child-centred approach to her violin teaching, where the student is both nurtured and developed holistically as a musician, while also gaining the essential technical skills of classical violin playing. My daughter loves every minute of her lessons and I would not hesitate to recommend Emma to any prospective violin student."
Orla Flanagan
Orla Flanagan
Violinist
I started started my training as a classical violinist at the East Helsinki Music Institute in Finland, from where I went on to study violin pedagogy at the Helsinki Conservatory of Music. What shaped me most as a young violinist was being a member of the youth orchestra the Helsinki Strings, recording and performing with them in Europe, America and Asia. The orchestra was conducted by the creators of the Colourstrings teaching method, Géza and Csaba Szilvay, who have strongly influenced my own teaching. In Finland, I also played in the Wegelius Chamber Orchestra (led by John Storgårds), the Hyvinkää Orchestra and the Nova Chamber Orchestra.
In the mid-nineties I moved to Ireland and began teaching the violin in Leeson Park School of Music in Dublin, where I worked for six years and acted as Head of Strings for three of those years. I began taking private lessons with the violinist Ronald Masin around the same time, and remained his student for many years. In 1999 I obtained first prize in the Arthur Catterall Cup for best performance of a violin concerto in the Siemens Feis Ceoil.
From 2006 - 2008 I was teaching at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and I have also tutored at the Dublin Youth Orchestra's summer courses in Aravon and at the Wegelius summer course in Närpes, Finland. I have had the pleasure and privilege of teaching many talented, young Irish violinists, including Siobhán Doyle, Deirdre Reddy and Tadhg Byrne.
I am currently running a private violin studio from my home in Marino in Dublin, but will be moving to County Clare this summer. I have performed with pianists Shirin Goudarzi-Tobin, Peter Dains, Catherina Lemoni, Dearbhla Collins and Salla Karakorpi. My current duo partner is the pianist Márta Erdei. I was principal leader and soloist of the Dublin Baroque Players for the season 2010-2011. I hold a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music, and am the current secretary of the Irish branch of the European String Teachers' Association.
When not practising or teaching, I paint at home in my studio. I also love reading, walking by the sea and browsing in stationery stores
In the mid-nineties I moved to Ireland and began teaching the violin in Leeson Park School of Music in Dublin, where I worked for six years and acted as Head of Strings for three of those years. I began taking private lessons with the violinist Ronald Masin around the same time, and remained his student for many years. In 1999 I obtained first prize in the Arthur Catterall Cup for best performance of a violin concerto in the Siemens Feis Ceoil.
From 2006 - 2008 I was teaching at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and I have also tutored at the Dublin Youth Orchestra's summer courses in Aravon and at the Wegelius summer course in Närpes, Finland. I have had the pleasure and privilege of teaching many talented, young Irish violinists, including Siobhán Doyle, Deirdre Reddy and Tadhg Byrne.
I am currently running a private violin studio from my home in Marino in Dublin, but will be moving to County Clare this summer. I have performed with pianists Shirin Goudarzi-Tobin, Peter Dains, Catherina Lemoni, Dearbhla Collins and Salla Karakorpi. My current duo partner is the pianist Márta Erdei. I was principal leader and soloist of the Dublin Baroque Players for the season 2010-2011. I hold a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music, and am the current secretary of the Irish branch of the European String Teachers' Association.
When not practising or teaching, I paint at home in my studio. I also love reading, walking by the sea and browsing in stationery stores
“I have been a student of Emma’s for 6 years. As well as being a gifted musician she is an outstanding teacher. She is so invested in the growth and progress of all her students. There is always a plan, a goal, a method to solve every hurdle. So much passion and energy is brought to every lesson. It has been an absolute privilege to learn from Emma and anyone lucky enough to get her as a teacher will not believe the progress that is about to happen!"
Linda
Linda
Violin Lessons
Making music and playing an instrument is a wonderful gift that we have been given. Music uplifts and enriches the soul, regardless of our age or ability. Through teaching the instrument that I know most intimately, the beautiful violin, I am hoping to share the joy, understanding and knowledge that music has brought me so far. Learning and enjoying music is a never-ending journey that I share with my students and fellow musicians.
I am absolutely passionate about teaching the violin and I think I probably have one of the best jobs in the world! It is so rewarding to help a young students to develop their instrumental, musical and personal skills, and to see the fruit of the work when they blossom into enthusiastic and confident violinists. The end of term concerts where my students share their music with parents, friends and relatives are magical mile-stones.
Some students become professional musicians and others keen amateur violinists, and for some the violin lessons are a meaningful part of their overall education. Whatever paths my students will walk in life, I hope their memories of the lessons we have shared are just as fond as mine.
Studying violin pedagogy for four years at the Helsinki Conservatory of Music taught me a lot, but I learned even more from observing at close quarters the tuition of my own teachers; in particular Géza and Csaba Szilvay who invented the Colourstrings method, and my wonderful mentor Ronald Masin. I have gained invaluable insights at masterclasses, courses and seminars. I have learned a lot from discussions and collaborations with my friends and colleagues and from listening to them play and teach, but the ones I have learned the most from are my students and their parents. Their enthusiasm, hard work, continuous support and feedback have helped shape me as a teacher. I am truly humbled and grateful to them. Thank you!
I am absolutely passionate about teaching the violin and I think I probably have one of the best jobs in the world! It is so rewarding to help a young students to develop their instrumental, musical and personal skills, and to see the fruit of the work when they blossom into enthusiastic and confident violinists. The end of term concerts where my students share their music with parents, friends and relatives are magical mile-stones.
Some students become professional musicians and others keen amateur violinists, and for some the violin lessons are a meaningful part of their overall education. Whatever paths my students will walk in life, I hope their memories of the lessons we have shared are just as fond as mine.
Studying violin pedagogy for four years at the Helsinki Conservatory of Music taught me a lot, but I learned even more from observing at close quarters the tuition of my own teachers; in particular Géza and Csaba Szilvay who invented the Colourstrings method, and my wonderful mentor Ronald Masin. I have gained invaluable insights at masterclasses, courses and seminars. I have learned a lot from discussions and collaborations with my friends and colleagues and from listening to them play and teach, but the ones I have learned the most from are my students and their parents. Their enthusiasm, hard work, continuous support and feedback have helped shape me as a teacher. I am truly humbled and grateful to them. Thank you!
Testimonials
"You have got Isobel to a marvellous place where she is accomplished and comfortable in violin and the journey there has been superb - a relaxed and focused journey where you supported and guided her all the way through. She wasn’t just getting lessons, she was mentored and nurtured. So, thank you for that. To be able to enjoy music the way she can has made her life so much richer."
Niall Fanning
"Emma Montonen is an outstanding violinist and teacher. As her pupil for the past two years, our twelve year old son has become much more confident and skilled in playing the violin. Emma has provided him with a very strong foundation, guiding him expertly through exams and concert performances, while nurturing what promises to be a lifelong love of the instrument."
Sheila Callaghan
"Your patience, dedication, and passion for teaching have been evident in every lesson. Olivia has not only grown in her violin skills but has also developed a profound love for music, thanks to your nurturing guidance. Each lesson with you has been a joyful and enriching experience, and Olivia has always looked forward to your classes with great excitement.
Finding a teacher as wonderful as you is rare, and we deeply appreciate all the time and effort you have invested in her musical journey."
Sylvia
"Emma Montonen has been our daughter’s violin tutor for the past six years. Her professionalism and the standard of her tuition has been of the highest standard and our daughter has thrived under her tutelage.
We would recommend her as a violin tutor or music theory teacher."
Padraig O Connor and Aoife Ni Chaoimh