Testimonials
Former students have successfully pursued post-secondary studies in the many disciplines including the fields of medicine, engineering, and music. Alumni have studied music at the University of Western Ontario, Wilfrid Laurier University, McGill University, University of Toronto, and the Glenn Gould Professional School.
Students have participated and received scholarships at York Region Music Festival, Barrie Music Festival, Richmond Hill Music Festival, North York Music Festival, and Kiwanis Music Festival of Toronto. Students have also been awarded silver medals from Royal Conservatory of Music for outstanding examination results.
Students have been chosen to perform at festival gala concerts, Ontario Suzuki Association conferences, Sheila van Gijn Scholarship concerts, and Thanks to Dr. Suzuki concerts.
I highly recommend Wendy Seravalle-Smith to anyone of any age who wants to learn to play the violin, viola, or cello.
I have known Wendy since 1990. At that time, I was looking for a violin teacher for Jeremy, my 5 year old son. I had studied piano at the Royal Conservatory for many years as a child and I decided that the Suzuki approach would be a better way for my son to begin to study the violin. In my search for a Suzuki violin teacher in Thornhill, I was fortunate to find Wendy.
When Jeremy started his violin lessons, I decided to learn how to play the violin at the same time. At the beginning, my main motivation was to help him practice more effectively but very soon after I started lessons with Wendy, I realized that I wanted to learn for myself. Jeremy continued to take lessons with Wendy for about 10 years. I took lessons with her for about 15 years and towards the conclusion, I joined the York Symphony Orchestra where I play second violin. After I started my lessons, playing in an orchestra became a major goal for me. I will always be indebted to Wendy for helping me reach this goal. Playing in the orchestra has enriched my life enormously and has helped me cope with whatever problems and stress come my way.
Jeremy was not easy to teach as he has a developmental disability. But Wendy was up to the challenge and was able to modify her approach to meet his unique needs. She approached him with sensitivity. She was patient, encouraging and always caring. She encouraged him to progress at his own pace. I know that learning to play the violin has had a very significant positive impact on Jeremy’s cognitive abilities. Now, at the age of 26, he works in daycare centres as a teacher’s assistant and most days, he plays his violin for the children. They love it and he comes away feeling wonderful.
Wendy was just as adept when it came to modifying her approach to meet my unique needs as an adult and as a previous piano player. It is a reflection of her teaching skills that I have been able to achieve my goal of playing in an orchestra.
There are many aspects of Wendy’s teaching technique and approach which make her an effective teacher. She is genuinely committed to teaching and takes a personal interest in each of her students. She is very organized and keeps detailed records of each student’s progress. She helps students set realistic goals for themselves. She knows how to break down complex musical passages into components her student can manage. She has many exercises and games in her teaching repertoire which promote a wide range of musical skills. She offers a unique blend of both traditional Royal Conservatory as well as Suzuki methods. She is an examiner for the Royal Conservatory and has also been a guest teacher and adjudicator at Suzuki music festivals and programs. She equally supports both students who wish to participate in music competitions and/or take Royal Conservatory Examinations and those who do not.
Wendy is a very special teacher who is passionate about her work, and as a result, encourages her students’ passion for music to blossom.
The most all-encompassing thing I can say is that Wendy teaches with love and kindness (and a touch of firmness, when needed).
She passes along to her students (and their parents) a love of music, an enjoyment of playing, a sense of exploration and discovery.
In our family Bridget, being the elder, became her student first. Dawn naturally followed. Each was and is different from the other; Wendy recognized those differences and drew on the strengths of each one to help them both develop as players and as people.
As a family we learned so much from her: to listen, to be more patient, to enjoy and celebrate the steps along the way to learning to play violin and viola. And she helped us by clearly showing us what those steps were, by setting goals with and for Bridget and Dawn and helping them reach them, and by celebrating with them and with us all each one’s accomplishments.
As a teacher she gives her students opportunities: opportunities to learn, to work together, to share what they have learned, to share their music with the world around them, to grow.
With us, she explored new paths, and always made us feel that she traveled beside us. What more can you ask of a teacher?
Thank you for for everything, Wendy!