Our instructors are certified in a variety of pedagogical methods including Suzuki and Faber, and work with you to decide what is best for your child's progress. Many families choose the Suzuki method, known for teaching very young children in the same manner they learned their first language. Adults and students 10 years and up often choose traditional methods that focus on note reading skills.
Because every student is unique, we do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching. Some students learn best by ear, while others prefer reading music. Some people have hours to practice every single day, while others can only spare a few minutes twice a week. Some students are very serious and hope to become professional musicians, while others just want to have fun or learn something new. At City Strings & Piano, our goal is to provide the best experience for your unique situation.
Because every student is unique, we do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching. Some students learn best by ear, while others prefer reading music. Some people have hours to practice every single day, while others can only spare a few minutes twice a week. Some students are very serious and hope to become professional musicians, while others just want to have fun or learn something new. At City Strings & Piano, our goal is to provide the best experience for your unique situation.
Offices
Services
Violin Lessons
Report
Students aged 3 and up can start violin lessons in their home at any time with City Strings & Piano. The Suzuki method is a popular choice, especially for younger children. Our teachers are experienced in a variety of methods and with students of all ages and skill levels.
At City Strings & Piano, we are dedicated to fit music into your life. Our teachers are not only experienced, but also friendly and engaging. We are committed to making violin lessons work for your schedule and helping you or your child meet your specific goals. We offer violin and equipment rental and sales in your home, taking the hassle out of lesson preparation.
At City Strings & Piano, we are dedicated to fit music into your life. Our teachers are not only experienced, but also friendly and engaging. We are committed to making violin lessons work for your schedule and helping you or your child meet your specific goals. We offer violin and equipment rental and sales in your home, taking the hassle out of lesson preparation.
Viola Lessons
Report
City Strings & Piano was founded by viola players and we are committed to great viola lessons. Violin and viola are very similar, but there are unique differences that can only be taught by players with experience on the instrument. Whether your child is a beginning or advanced viola player, we will match you with an experienced viola teacher and performer.
Viola lessons in your home are not only convenient for you, but also provide a comfortable environment for your child's lessons. Our teachers get to know the family and practice environment, both of which can be helpful for success. They are also friendly and relaxed in lessons, which helps make viola fun!
Viola lessons in your home are not only convenient for you, but also provide a comfortable environment for your child's lessons. Our teachers get to know the family and practice environment, both of which can be helpful for success. They are also friendly and relaxed in lessons, which helps make viola fun!
Reviews (18)
Michal Urieli
Dec 29, 2021
My son studied piano with City Strings. I was impressed from the start with the thoughtful communication, and flexibility in scheduling in-home classes based on my busy schedule. I communicated mainly with Dominic, and with my son's piano teacher, Sunny. Dominic is kind, helpful and thorough, and Sunny, a Juilliard graduate, is a gentle, incredibly talented, and committed teacher. I would highly recommend City Strings to anyone. We are currently taking a break due to travel plans, but intend to return to City Strings when back in the city.
Erin Grau
Dec 28, 2021
From a curious 4 year old to a confident 7 year old musician, we've watched our daughter thrive with Sally as her teacher. She started playing violin, and now plays both violin and piano, she can read music, and even writes her own songs. Her little sister thought it looked so fun that she started playing when she turned 4, too! When our oldest first asked to play violin, I had no idea where to turn because I am not a musician, but after some research we found City Strings & Piano, and they've been so easy to work with, so professional, with such a strong roster of professionally trained musicians and gifted teachers, and they have the cutest and well-organized recitals. Even during the pandemic, they found creative ways to engage the kids in music. We highly recommend them!
Janie Hwang
Feb 22, 2021
My 10-year old daughter has been studying with Julia Birmbaum from City Strings for almost 2 year. Julia has done a great job helping her with specific songs, etudes and scales. She works with her on fundamentals, finger and bowing technics. The City Strings program provides a nice platform for lessons / recitals. Their cost structure offers good value and they have done a good job transitioning to virtual - in-person based on individual families comfort level with in-home lessons.
Janie Hwang
Feb 17, 2021
My 10-year old daughter has been studying with Julia Birmbaum from City Strings for almost 2 year. Julia has done a great job helping her with specific songs, etudes and scales. She works with her on fundamentals, finger and bowing technics. The City Strings program provides a nice platform for lessons / recitals. Their cost structure offers good value and they have done a good job transitioning to virtual - in-person based on individual families comfort level with in-home lessons.
Stephen Shen
May 24, 2020
I really enjoy my piano lessons with City Strings & Piano. Dominic has been so responsive to questions and finding the best fit in a teacher. The convenience of a teacher coming to my residence has saved me travel time and potential delays that would have taken away instructional time. My teacher Rita has been so patient and is so knowledgeable with a Ph. D. in music from U. Michigan. I feel that I'm really getting a fair value from my lessons. Would highly recommend for these reasons.
Michael Healey
Jan 29, 2019
My son (who's in third grade) has been taking violin lessons with City Strings since last fall. We're very happy with it. The price is reasonable, and you can't beat the convenience of having the lesson in your own home. But the best part has been my son's teacher, Caroline, who is excellent. She's great at dealing with kids on their level without talking down to them. She's got all kinds of tricks for motivating them and helping kids understand music!
Jamillah Davis-Hernandez
Jan 13, 2019
Joe Masi
Dec 01, 2018
I can not say enough about Dominic and his team at City Strings & Piano. His staff is absolutely amazing and have taught my 10 year old son how to play violin. A special thank you to Irene for her patience and commitment. If you or someone you know is looking to learn or advance their musical knowledge then look no further! City Strings & Piano is the only place to go. I sincerely mean that. Joe M. NYC
Camillia Matuk
Oct 25, 2018
My 3.5-year old son has been taking violin lessons from Dominic at City Strings & Piano for a month now, and he loves them. Dominic knows exactly how to how to make him excited about music and about practicing. In addition, having Dominic come to our home, and being able to rent instruments directly from him, has really simplified the whole process for us. We look forward to our lesson every week!
Janie H.
Oct 15, 2018
Their platform makes finding and scheduling on-going children's violin lessons easy. Their fee is based on monthly installments but their trial lesson allows one to figure out it they are the right fit before making a commitment. The teacher they assigned works very well with our 8 yr old. He provides a nice balance of structured enrichment, encouragement and expertise. Some of the pieces she is working are quite hard and he is able to break down the music in manageable steps so is able to learn and not get frustrated.
Jon Yaeger
Jul 23, 2018
Julia Bloom
Jun 23, 2018
My daughter takes cello lessons from Courtney and our whole family has enjoyed having her as a weekly visitor. I second Katie's review - Courtney is professional, knowledgeable, and all-around easy to work with. The individualized instruction in Suzuki method has been really helpful for my daughter since her previous experience was school orchestra.
She enjoyed participating in a packed-out recital this past year and is preparing to audition for the local youth orchestra now, at Courtney's suggestion. I appreciate the connections Courtney has to the larger music community and her encouragement to us to get involved in it. It's also been great working with Cara on payment and other administrative details - quick response time, clear communication.
She enjoyed participating in a packed-out recital this past year and is preparing to audition for the local youth orchestra now, at Courtney's suggestion. I appreciate the connections Courtney has to the larger music community and her encouragement to us to get involved in it. It's also been great working with Cara on payment and other administrative details - quick response time, clear communication.
Susan Mitchell
Jan 03, 2018
We have two sons who have both taken lessons at home with Cincinnati Strings. Thomas, who is 10 years old, has been taking violin lessons, first with Dominic and now with Scott Jackson, for over three years now. Duncan was 16 years old when he started taking piano lessons with Jordan Neiman. The teachers have all gotten to know both boys as individuals and adjusted their teaching to best suit their learning styles while making the lessons fun.
Sometimes it can take several different approaches before a new passage or piece can be mastered. Scott and Dominic, with patience and perseverance, are able to push Thomas beyond what he thought he was capable of doing. Thomas in turn has not only been learning to play violin and develop a love of music, but along the way is himself learning about patience and perseverance. Having lived in different cities, we have worked with a variety of music teachers and we have been really pleased with Cincinnati Strings. The convenience of having the lessons at home with these fantastic teachers and the added option of their group class really is the best I could have hoped for.
Sometimes it can take several different approaches before a new passage or piece can be mastered. Scott and Dominic, with patience and perseverance, are able to push Thomas beyond what he thought he was capable of doing. Thomas in turn has not only been learning to play violin and develop a love of music, but along the way is himself learning about patience and perseverance. Having lived in different cities, we have worked with a variety of music teachers and we have been really pleased with Cincinnati Strings. The convenience of having the lessons at home with these fantastic teachers and the added option of their group class really is the best I could have hoped for.
Joshua L.
Oct 26, 2017
Cara Macari
Jul 07, 2017
My 5 year old daughter couldn't wait to start violin lessons. It was only after finding City Strings and Piano that we were able to find a teacher that was not only a masterful instructor, but also knowledgable about various teaching approaches, and flexible and responsive to my daughter's specific learning style. She got to participate in a wonderful recital experience. I highly recommend City Strings!
Sarah J.
Mar 02, 2017
Patrice Poulin
I started learning cello a few months ago. As an adult, I needed a teacher who could be flexible and patient with my learning style. I'm not a middle school kid learning music for band. CS&P gave me a great teacher who comes to my house each week and who is flexible enough to accommodate schedule changes due to my job. But more importantly, my progress has been above my own expectations.
My teacher makes it fun to learn and practice daily injecting the right amount of music theory as we go along so I can play increasingly complex music. And since I enjoy learning technique and scales a lot, we focus more on that rather than learning simplified songs for my level. Ultimately this strategy will pay off and has already made me a better cellist student than I could have expected. I highly recommend the school in general and my teacher in particular.
My teacher makes it fun to learn and practice daily injecting the right amount of music theory as we go along so I can play increasingly complex music. And since I enjoy learning technique and scales a lot, we focus more on that rather than learning simplified songs for my level. Ultimately this strategy will pay off and has already made me a better cellist student than I could have expected. I highly recommend the school in general and my teacher in particular.
Katie J.
City Strings has been great. My daughter (who is in 8th grade) has been taking cello lessons with Courtney since November. Courtney teaches the Suzuki method where as my daughter has been learning essential elements in school since 4th grade. By practicing the Suzuki method, she feels like her technique has improved and it's been a satisfying challenge for her.
The fact that we can have lessons at home with City Strings was the reason I went with them. We have a set time/evening for the lesson and the few times it doesn't work, Courtney has been flexible and we've moved the lesson to a time that works for all of us. I highly recommend City Strings- especially Courtney. She is professional, full of knowledge, and is just amazing.
The fact that we can have lessons at home with City Strings was the reason I went with them. We have a set time/evening for the lesson and the few times it doesn't work, Courtney has been flexible and we've moved the lesson to a time that works for all of us. I highly recommend City Strings- especially Courtney. She is professional, full of knowledge, and is just amazing.