Lessons in Your Minnesota Home With Experienced and Friendly Teachers
Lessons in your home are ideal for the busy Minneapolis-St. Paul family, and it’s our mission to make lessons as convenient as possible, so that you can fit music into your life! Our friendly and fun teachers use Suzuki and traditional methods for lessons with beginners, kids or adults. They are all active musicians in the Minneapolis area and have degrees from the renowned music institutions in Minnesota and beyond. Teaching is an important part of their work, and they love sharing their talents with students of all ages.
“It was so lovely to have our daughter’s violin teacher come to US. Our lives are busy, and being able to stay home was invaluable. Romulo is patient, funny and oh so talented. I highly recommend!”
Experience the captivating world of music right in your Minneapolis home, an experience custom-tailored for the vibrant lives of busy families. At City Strings & Piano, we are on a dedicated mission to make music lessons an effortless part of your daily routine, allowing you to embrace the joy of music with ease. Our team of passionate and skilled teachers is well-versed in both Suzuki and traditional methods, catering to beginners, kids, and adults alike. Every instructor is an active musician within the Minneapolis area, boasting impressive credentials from renowned music institutions in Minnesota and beyond. Teaching isn't just a profession for them; it's their true calling, as they take immense delight in sharing their musical expertise with students of all ages.
When you reach out to us for in-home music lessons, our devoted music education specialists will work hand-in-hand with you to find the perfect teacher who resonates with your unique musical tastes and aspirations. Our exceptional team of teachers is dispersed throughout Minneapolis, each one fully dedicated to guiding you or your child on a mesmerizing musical journey. We teach in homes around Minneapolis and St. Paul, including Edina, Maplewood, Minnetonka, St. Anthony, Roseville, Wayzata, White Bear and Woodbury.
“Brenna is a wonderful violin teacher: she’s talented, helpful and extremely encouraging! And I LOVE the convenience of getting my lessons at home. I highly recommend City Strings!”
When you sign up for lessons with City Strings & Piano, we find a time that consistently works for you and your teacher. Having a dependable lesson time greatly increases your child's success in their music lessons. We suggest the same for practice time. Our fastest progressing students tend to practice for smaller amounts of time, but nearly every day, and often at about the same time each day.
We pride ourselves on offering the personal touch that all the best music lessons have. You can contact your teacher directly at any time, and we encourage you to do so, especially if there is a questions about practice! Our team is always available to discuss your progress and loves to hear about how all our students are doing.
Scroll down to read about news from our Twin Cities studio, meet our amazing team of teachers, and contact us to see how you can sign up!
Contact Us
Get started with music lessons near you in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Use our form, email, or text to inquire. We'll learn about your musical objectives and connect you with a suitable teacher. Enjoy violin, viola, cello, guitar or piano lessons in the comfort of your home.
Tuition for weekly lessons is $161, $234 or $306 per month for 30, 45 or 60 minute lessons. Additional time for longer lessons or lessons for siblings or parents is discounted 10%, reflected in the tuition amounts above.
Meet Our Violin, Viola, Cello & Piano Teachers
Meet some of our teachers available for lessons in your home, below. They are violin, viola, cello & piano experts who love to share their experience with their students. They always craft individual lesson plans for each of their students so they can reach their ultimate musical goals. Students can start lessons as young as 3 years old, so contact us today to find out more about how we can fit music into your life.
Isabel Carter, violin, began her studies at St. Joseph’s School of Music in Saint Paul, Minnesota where she studied the Suzuki method with Dr. Anna Cromwell. She has had the pleasure of working with a range of talented and exceptional teachers such as Peter McGuire whom she studied with while she attended Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota.
As a passionate performer and music educator, she enjoys being a member of the Mankato Symphony Orchestra as well as being employed at S.S. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Mankato, Minnesota where she teaches a music class consisting of music theory, violin and viola group lessons, and coached chamber ensembles. She also conducts the Buela Youth Orchestra and the Saint José Sanchez del Rio IVE Minor Seminary Orchestra affiliated with the church. She has gained experience teaching a diverse range of students of all ages who come from different cultural, multi-lingual, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Her main goals as a teacher are to instill a love for music, provide the student with solid technical skills, and to present a non-judgmental engaging learning experience. Read more about Isabel here.
Dr. Courtney Bell is a passionate Suzuki cello instructor, inspiring students to love music first and map their individual musical journeys second. Conveniently located in Saint Paul, MN, Courtney works with students across the twin cities from the earliest ages to any age at which a student agrees to continue their studies. Having completed a Doctor of Musical Arts in Cello Performance at the University of Minnesota in 2017 (a student of Tanya Remenikova), Courtney is now focused on honing her pedagogy with continued Suzuki Method training and a post-baccalaureate certificate in k-12 instrumental music education. Other completed degrees include a Master of Music in Cello Performance from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford (under Professor Mihai Tetel) and a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance at Stetson University (under Professor David Bjella). She is currently registered to teach books 1-4 as a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Having studied the cello since 2001 and taught since 2010, Courtney has cultivated a philosophy that emphasizes working smart, not hard. In alignment with the Suzuki Method, she is committed to the belief that every child can learn when the parent, teacher, and student work as equally critical partners. Additional experience working with young cellists comes from her summers as the cello teaching intern at the Upper Midwest String Camp in St. Joseph and counselor at Michigan’s Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp where she lived alongside campers and served as a musical mentor. Courtney has previously worked closely with the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony as the rehearsal assistant for the novice orchestra, Philharmonia East. She continues to successfully prepare students for entry into the program. Courtney designed and taught her lecture course “Music and Terror: The Lives of Prokofiev and Shostakovich” as a University of Minnesota Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Scholar Adviser in spring 2017.
Read more about Dr. Bell's extensive performing and teaching career here.
Featured Students in Minneapolis-St. Paul
Congratulations to 17 year old Matthew McNamara for receiving a superior rating at the Minnesota State High School League Solo and Ensemble Festival! Matthew was honored with a score of 39/40 for his performance of J.S. Bach's Arioso for solo cello. He received specific praise for his "lovely, even vibrato and sound". Matthew is a junior representing Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, MN.
When asked what he believes has been his toughest challenge in practicing the cello, he responded that bow control and contact point have been his focus. He is most proud of accomplishing a sense of ease in his shifting, and developing the ability to choose his own fingerings. Matthew is currently a student of Dr. Courtney Elizabeth Bell in Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
