Sacramento Strings Violin Lessons

Erik has been instructing my granddaughter for over a year. She is a very headstrong girl of 10 and Erik knows how to instruct her in a way that she enjoys learning. He explains the mechanics of the instrument as well as the song. When she hits a challenge, he can use several methods to get her centered again; especially when he plays along.
In addition, I like the flexibility that Erik offers since life is busy for parents and grandparents. We don’t do it often but most places don’t allow changes in the schedule at all.

Eric is the most influential teacher for our 6 year old daughter. Eric is patient, good humored and relaxed, knows what he is talking about makes it easy to learn from him. Most teachers are annoyed and are «tired» of teaching lessons and it shows in the lack of concern and correction for the instrument/​student. He makes learning interesting and makes my daughter feel comfortable each step of the way. He is a perfect fit for any age or any level.
Thanks Eric!

As a former professional musician/​performance major I am in a unique position to review Erik.
The short: Erik is fun, funny, efficient, knowledgeable, has a beard and long hair. You will progress as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort but he will teach you something nearly all of my teachers/​professors/​instructors have failed to do: how to practice.
The long: I dropped out of college my senior year as a viola performance major in 1999. I haven’t touched my viola since then, and have recently been looking for instructors in my area. Nearly everyone I contacted downright turned me down due to my unique situation, but Erik was willing to meet with me to see if we would be a good fit.
He offers a free first lesson so that worked out nicely. He was able to quickly and accurately diagnose some of my problems and by the end of the first lesson I was already sounding much better than when I first got there. He seems to have a natural ability to give me as much feedback as I can handle at once. For example, if my bow was too slow, didn’t have enough pressure, using the wrong part of the bow, not enough hair, out of tune, and not using vibrato he would only tell me what I could handle instead of everything all at once and once I fixed the problems he addressed, the rest of the other problems were either fixed by me or addressed by him as appropriate.
He has a positive personality and a great sense of humor.
His practice studio/​room/​area is warm and inviting.
He loves Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major by Mozart so you know he has great taste in music.
He has long hair so you know he’s serious as a musician.
He has a beard so you know he’s not a woman.

Still taking lessons, slowly making progress. Erik has a lot of patience with me, a necessary tool of the trade.

This place is great. I was initially nervous about being an adult with no music experience, but Erik was very welcoming and made me feel comfortable. I’ve been going for about a month now and have already learned multiple songs and have been learning how to read music. Learning how to play violin has been a great experience for me. I would recommend coming here for lessons to anyone.

Erik is a great teacher. I only started playing viola a few months ago and with an unpredictable work schedule, I was happy to find someone who was available on Sunday. Erik has an easygoing and encouraging approach to teaching. He focuses on both technical skills and musicality, even at the beginner level, and can explain difficult concepts in a clear way. I leave each lesson feeling both challenged and motivated, with a good idea of what to work on for the week. It has been a pleasure working with Erik and I highly recommend him as a teacher.

Both my daughter (age 8) and myself study violin with Erik and have had excellent results.
APPROACH TO TEACHING
Erik’s teaching style is very attentive and engaged. Not once has Erik let the outside world intrude on our lessons. Never has a phone or computer interrupted us. Never has Erik been distracted from helping us improve our musical skills. I mention this because being focused on the customer in front of you is an area to which I’m rather sensitive. Eric’s attentiveness is excellent.
Eric provides explanations to students and then directs the student to perform an activity that incorporates the skills or concepts just described. Each activity is «bite-​sized» so that the student can focus on the the new technique or measure and so Erik can then offer observations and suggestions.
Erik tends to work with a student (at least for my daughter and myself) to perfect a single piece of music before moving on. This is different from other instructors that I’ve worked with that chose to blast through five or six pieces without really focusing on the details of each piece. Both approaches have merit, but I strongly prefer Erik’s approach (5-​stars).
DISPOSITION
Erik is a marvelous blend of 100% engaged yet simultaneously laid-​back.
By this I mean Erik if focused like a laser on his student. His sessions are distraction free. But Erik is NOT a high-​stress or tightly-​wrapped guy. Erik is understanding of his students challenges and difficulties. He is never ruffled or stressed. When a student has difficulty, Erik has multiple ways of explaining or demonstrating techniques.
Erik is an unflappable gentleman and is pleasure to work with. His calm demeanor and professional conduct rate 5-​stars.
FACILITIES
Our lessons are with Erik at a couple of different locations. He 2818 Tourmaline Way Studio is our preferred environment. It is a private residence but is spacious, open, clean, non-​smoking and welcoming. There are pets, but the area is immaculate and not once have my allergies even tickled.
The Tourmaline studio is a great environment for music lessons. The area is an open two story space with nice acoustics. The hardwood floors are beautiful and dust free. The studio has the requisite artistic display of instruments as well as the obviously well used drum kit, midi synth, Rode boom mic, digital recording gear and a proper upright stringed piano.
Having a good setting for music lessons is perhaps less important than having a great instructor, but I like to think of the studio environment sets the mood. Just being in the environment helps us focus on the task at hand. It helps us «get our heads into the music.»
The Tourmaline Way environment is an inspirational icing on an already 5-​star cake.
RATES and FLEXIBILITY
Erik’s rates are affordable. He has been willing to accommodate our schedule shifts within reason and given a couple of weeks of notice. I have found Erik to be more than fair.
SUMMARY
If you are looking for a first class violin instructor I recommend Erik Williams to you.

Erik is a great instructor! He teaches his student in whatever way they learn best. He believes that his students can make progress and get better, even when they feel stuck, and he encourages them frequently.
I took violin lessons with him for about six months and had to stop since life just got in the way. We worked through Suzuki books 2 and 3. He helped me get the right chin rest, bow and shoulder rests as part of the reason I played so infrequently was that it was uncomfortable. He helped me work on my vibrato from a completely different perspective than previous teachers.
I would highly recommend him to anyone, brand new or with years of experience. I played the violin steadily for seven years and came to Erik after not playing for six years. I have had many «professional» private instructors, some in a University setting, who are no match for Erik.