Mannfried Funk Cello Instructor

«Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.»
–Honest Abe
For all those about to bust orchestral maneuvers (in the dark or otherwise), get ready to sharpen your axe.
My son’s first cello lesson with Mannfried Funk (my friend exclaimed that this is the best musical name a person could have, bar none, and he’s dead-​on!), began with an almost entirely visual assessment of where he was at skillwise, as evidenced by his physical relationship to the cello. In about 45 seconds, Mannfried had it all dialed in.
My kid has always been running to catch up. He started orchestra a year behind the flock in his first school, then 2 years behind the excellent and more intensive Eckstein orchestra (which rehearses daily). In each case, he caught up, and in each case was Most Improved. But all that hustling to «learn the music» meant he never «learned the cello.» Mannfried makes this important distinction, and it’s incredibly astute. He took one look at everything: posture, limbs, sweep of the bow, and – not unkindly – told him to just put the cello down for a while.
It was an awesome lesson. An abnormally long lesson. They talked about physics and gravity, about proaction and reaction, about efficiency, conservation of energy, and minimization of effort. He had Maximo stand up, then return to the chair and position himself with the cello no less than five times to reinforce the muscle memory of what will be an entirely new, more efficient posture. This guy knows his shit backwards and forward.
And let’s not forget his SINGING DOG. He said that for a while he’d sequester the dog upstairs to keep him from singing along, but he’d still hear him up there, disconsolate and humming.
But the lesson. Every student could and should have this kind of a foundation, and truthfully no group instructor will ever have the time and resources (and many would never have the intimate knowledge themselves) to impart this kind of an education – it approached the metaphysical.
There are talented practitioners, and there are talented teachers, and they’re not always the same people. I’m sure this guy can play like a house on fire, but christ on a cracker, has he got a genius for teaching. He doesn’t talk down or patronize, nor is he gruff or the stern taskmaster. He is a persuasive, knowledgeable clinician with an intuitive, and highly prescriptive approach.
Not only am I thrilled we’ve found him, I’m considering reinitiating lessons myself. I could not recommend him more highly to any student at any stage of their musical evolution. And for beginners, a few sessions with him ought to be mandatory.

I started taking cello lessons again with Mannfried Funk, a former Seattle Symphony member. He’s got a great teaching space in his home on Phinny ridge but also makes house calls.
He’s a super likable guy and very patient. Something I need to get up on YouTube is his comical dog — who literally sings along when he’s playing (stops after a bit — it’s not a distraction).
If you’re looking for a Cello teacher in Seattle (or the Eastside) I’d highly recommend him.
You can reach him via email at