Welcome to the doublebassblog.org teacher directory! This is a regional listing of double bass instructors from around the globe. If you would like to be added to the directory, send me an email and let me know!
United States
California
Alden Cohen – San Francisco Bay Area
Mr. Cohen has decades of experience teaching double bass and cello students. Many students have won auditions into the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra as well as other youth orchestras in the Bay Area. Mr. Cohen’s students develop daily routines, organizational, goal-oriented and critical thinking skills on top of becoming an accomplished artist. He has a passion for helping children to adults learn how to play the music they love for double bass.
Mr. Cohen is also an experienced musical arranger, publicist, and music theory instructor. He has written two books called, Virtuoso Bass Skills for Double Bass Rookies, which is a compilation of original and borrowed bass techniques and famous melodies specially arranged for the double bass and Pre-shift Practice with Scales, to help improve the accuracy of the left-hand.
Contact: cohendoublebass@gmail.com 510-788-0358
https://aldenfcohen.wixsite.com/bass
Jason Heath – San Francisco Bay Area
Colorado
Meyer Neel – Denver Metro Area
Denver Double Bass Crew
Florida
Mitch Kolesaire
Ponte Vedra Beach (First Coast) Florida
Website: Under Development: Please email with the subject heading: Double Bass Lessons Desired at mitchkolesaire@gmail.com
I specialize in teaching beginners and intermediate players on double bass, with at least some prior music reading knowledge in treble or bass clef.
The studio is located in Ponte Vedra Beach – Northern St. John’s County, and is convenient to Jacksonville’s Southside and St. Augustine as well.
My inspiration is developing proper technique from an early start, to avoid injury and enhance enjoyment of the instrument.
My goal is to launch the student to a lifetime of playing the double bass.
My students learn to bow regardless of their main style of play.
Jazz Bass Focus: I teach the jazz bassists pizzicato techniques for jazz expression, as well as rhythmic comping for swing, latin, jazz, rock, and less so, funk.
Jazz students play all major scales, as well as blues and minor scales, and are developed to build walking bass lines from chord symbols, keeping good time, and working the entire fingerboard. I encourage the intermediate jazz students in jazz competencies such as memorizing the head, the chord progressions and how to walk or groove to support their horn players, and advanced rhythm and reading.
I seek out live music performances where they can witness the bass in its role as a rhythm, tonal, and solo instrument.
Orchestral focus: I develop proper orchestral techniques from fingering positions to bowing, based on pedagogical materials from Simandl and Nanny. I can assist with audition material when required and for some students, can offer performance opportunities in a Community Orchestra to enrich their appreciation for classical and pop string repertoire.
Illinois
Joshua Harrison | Northern Chicago Suburbs
Working out of my Deerfield studio, I offer lessons to classical bass students of all levels ages 10 and up.
email: doublebass.josh@gmail.com
phone: 847-275-6260
As an educator, I serve as bass faculty at Trinity International University in addition to my private studio teaching. I am an active freelance performer throughout the Midwest with such ensembles as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, Grant Park Symphony, Ensemble Dal Niente, and others.
Greg Sarchet – metro Chicago
Member of Lyric Opera of Chicago bass section. Bass teacher at Northeastern Illinois University. Available for serious high school-age pupils.
email: Scrtchbox -at- aol.com
Double bassist Greg Sarchet has had over 20 years teaching experience, and currently teaches at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA), and most past students have been accepted at major universities and conservatories, including Manhattan School of Music, Boston University, Northwestern, Indiana University, Rice, DePaul University, Chicago College of Performing Arts, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, and others.
He has had a wide array of musical experiences and training, from studying with his first teacher, jazz luminary Rufus Reid, to receiving his degrees from the Juilliard School, to hundreds of television/radio commercial recordings. His ongoing international exchange efforts have been recognized with two Chicago Artists International Program awards, which sent him to the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria , Hungary, and Great Britain for performances, masterclasses, and archival research for the Vienna Waltz Ensemble. He is a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and for nearly 20 years has served on the faculties of Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University, and presently Northeastern Illinois University and Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of the Performing Arts.
Bill Harrison – metro Chicago
I offer private lessons on upright and electric basses either downtown or on the NW side. I teach technique, practical theory, reading, styles and improvisation. My main area of interest is jazz and pop, but all types of musicians (including beginners) are welcome in my studios.
I’ve been in the music business for over 30 years, having performed with a variety of jazz luminaries, for many Broadway shows, for private and corporate events and in the recording studio. I have a music degree from Depaul. My teachers include Mark Kraemer, Warren Benfield, Karl Fruh, Dave Holland, Cliff Colnot and Alan Swain.
Please visit www.billharrisonmusic.com for a lot more info about my career, teaching philosophy, a sample video lesson and a bunch of free stuff to help you get started.
Eric Hochberg – Evanston
I am available for private lessons on jazz and popular double bass and bass
guitar in my Evanston studio. Technique, theory, reading, musical style,
improvisation are covered. Beginners to advanced students are welcome.
I have been a full time professional bassist for over thirty years and have
played with such luminaries as the Lyle Mays Quartet, the Paul Wertico Trio
and Kurt Elling. I have toured the world with various groups and played on
upwards of 1000 recording sessions.
I can be reached at 847-425-1670.
Maryland
Paul DeNola – metro D.C.
I am a member of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. Previously
I was in the Oregon Symphony. I have a Masters from USC (CA) and a Bachelors
from IU. Teachers have included Bruce Bransby, David Moore, Nico Abondolo, and
Barry Lieberman.
I have been teaching privately for over 10 years now, and was also an assistant
instructor at USC, and on faculty at Linfield College in McMinnville, OR.
I teach out of my home in Alexandria, VA and have students from around the DC
Metro area.
Massachusetts
Robin Betton- Boston, MA
I am available for lessons on double bass and electric bass. I love teaching jazz to people of all ages and levels.
Bio: BM, New England Conservatory, studied privately with Richard Davis, Eddie Gomez, John Lockwood, Cecil Mcbee, Don Palma, John Mcneil and Ran Blake. Actively performing with the Robin Betton Trio and with a variety of ensembles throughout the east coast and internationally.
email: robin.betton@gmail.com
website: www.robinbetton.com
phone: 617-861-7060
Darren Sacks – Boston
Darren Sacks is one of the most well-known private teachers for double bass lessons in the Greater Boston area and specializes in audition preparation for music festivals, colleges, and youth orchestra programs. Sacks is currently a substitute bassist for the Boston Lyric Opera. He has also performed in several professional orchestras across Connecticut including the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra, the New Britain Symphony Orchestra, and the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Sacks has been invited to coach chamber ensembles at the Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestra and the Rivers School Conservatory. While studying with Sacks, his students’ achievements have included performing in the MMEA All-States Festival, the MMEA Northeast Senior District Festival, the Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestra, and the CJMEA Elementary Honors Orchestra.
Sacks focuses on improving his students’ playing ability by focusing on their technique, phrasing, tone, and provides deep and engaging insight on the way they approach practicing by demonstrating effective solutions to address any issue. He studied privately with world-renowned double bassists including Lawrence Wolfe, assistant principal bass of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Robert Black, founding member of the New York City-based contemporary ensemble, Bang On A Can. Sacks is a member of the American String Teachers Association, the International Society of Bassists, and Boston Musicians’ Association.
New Jersey
Isaac Trapkus
I teach from my home in Princeton, NJ. I have experience working with students from middle school age through adult and experience levels from beginner to college/conservatory level. I received my Master of Music degree in Double Bass Performance from the Juilliard School in 2008, studying with Eugene Levinson, Principal Double Bass of the New York Philharmonic. During my time at Juilliard I was the winner of the Concerto Competition and performed the Vanhal Double Bass Concerto in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.
Website: http://sites.google.com/site/isaactrapkus
Massachusetts
North Carolina
Leonid Finkelshteyn – Triangle Area and online
www.leonidfinkelshteyn.com
lefinkel1@yahoo.com
Leonid is Applied Lecturer of Double Bass at NC State University and also has a large private studio of double bass students Bassist Leonid Finkelshteyn enjoys an active career as a performer and teacher. Currently principal bassist of the North Carolina Symphony, which he joined in 1996, and the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra in North Carolina, since 1999, Finkelshteyn also serves on the faculty of North Carolina State University and the Eastern Music Festival in addition to maintaining a large private studio of double bass students that he teaches in the Triangle Area and online. Through the years, his students have been accepted into the Triangle Youth Philharmonic Association, Duke University String School, North Carolina’s All-District and All-State ensembles, as well as National Youth Orchestra and National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Some of Leonid’s students have also gone on to be accepted into various collegiate music programs, including the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, DePaul University, Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, UNC-Greensboro and North Carolina State University among others.
Zachary Hobin – Raleigh, NC
www.raleighbasslessons.com
zachary.hobin@gmail.com
I have been teaching for over 10 years and specialize in beginning through high school level instruction. Currently, I am the double bass instructor at the Duke University String School, the best pre-college conservatory program in the Triangle area. I draw on the Vance method to develop young bassists into musicians who are comfortable playing the entire range of the bass. In my lessons, I cover the left-hand technique, the production of great tone, scales and arpeggios, performance and audition preparation, and of course musicality. I am also an active performer with groups such as the North Carolina Symphony, Charleston Symphony and Annapolis Chamber Music Festival. I hold a doctorate and master’s degree from Stony Brook University and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin Conservatory.
Pennsylvania
Brent Edmondson
Learn about Brent on his Contrabass Conversations interview
Marty Furan – Lahaska, PA
spiritwindmusicstudios@verizon.net
I specialize in teaching beginners on double bass, cello, and (gasp!) bass
guitar. The studio is located in Lahaska, PA – central Bucks County, and is
convenient to Hunterdon County, NJ as well. I teach almost all styles of music,
but stress the fundamentals of learning to read music, playing with good
technique, and having fun doing so.
Website: http://www.spiritwindmusicstudios.com
John Grillo -metro Philadelphia
John started playing Double Bass at the age of 11. He attended The Juilliard School during high school and was a scholarship student at Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana where he studied with Lawrence Hurst. After graduating from IU, he attended the Manhattan School of Music completing his Masters Degree with Timothy Cobb. Mr. Grillo performed at The Tanglewood Music Center from 1994 to 1996. Other festivals include the National Repertory Orchestra, Festival di Due Mondi in Italy, and Pacific Music Festival in Japan.
John was a member of the New World Symphony from 1999-2002. His other professional engagements include performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, Wheeling Symphony, Memphis Symphony, and the Sarasota Opera. John was a faculty member with The Pittsburgh Music Academy from 2002-2006. Future engagements include the Iris Orchestra, Philadelphia Virtuosi, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Princeton Festival, The Philly Pops, Opera New Jersey and the Princeton Symphony.
Heather Miller Lardin – metro Philadelphia
Heather is an enthusiastic performer, teacher, and scholar of the double bass, both on modern and period instruments. She holds a DMA in Performance Practice from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Music degree in Double Bass Performance from the Curtis Institute of Music. Heather’s recent engagements include Handel & Haydn Society, Tempesta di Mare, Brandywine Baroque, and the Philadelphia Bach Collegium. She was a member of the Virginia Symphony from 1996-2002.
Heather particularly enjoys teaching beginning and young bassists using the George Vance and Suzuki methods, with a focus on adapting healthy technique to each individual’s physical needs. She currently directs Temple University’s Early Music Ensemble. Heather is the editor of the early bass feature “Rumblings” in Bass World, the journal of the International Society of Bassists (ISB), and regularly appears in lectures and recitals at the ISB’s biannual conventions.
Paul DeNola – metro D.C.
I am a member of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. Previously
I was in the Oregon Symphony. I have a Masters from USC (CA) and a Bachelors
from IU. Teachers have included Bruce Bransby, David Moore, Nico Abondolo, and
Barry Lieberman.
I have been teaching privately for over 10 years now, and was also an assistant
instructor at USC, and on faculty at Linfield College in McMinnville, OR.
I teach out of my home in Alexandria, VA and have students from around the DC
Metro area.
France
Monika Kwiatkowska
Noisy-sur-Oise (Val-d’Oise department, Paris)
monikaalicja.kwiat@gmail.com
http://monikakwiatkowska.eu
“I am a classically trained double bassist. I studied Double Bass at the Academy of Music in Gda?sk (bachelor). In 2014 I moved to Sweden and until 2017 I studied Symphony Orchestra Performance and Interpretation for Orchestra Instruments at the Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. I am an experienced violin, cello, piano and double bass teacher (classical music). Introducing students into the world of music is fascinating in many ways. Music is a tool for self-expression. Besides, it allows us to discover and work on both talents and weaknesses which all of us have.”
best regards and thank you for your wok,
Monika Kwiatkowska
Double Bass, Teaching and More
Holland
John Goldsby
Conservatorium Maastricht
Italy
Vito Liuzzi
If you like a little country called Italy, I suggest you to come to a small
region which is called Puglia, in South Italy.
Behold, I teach in the Musical Institute “Giovanni Paisiello” in Taranto, in a
small and ancient monastery, almost to the sea. Http://www.paisiello.it This is the site of my school.
Get Listed in my Teacher Directory
Send me an email at doublebassblog@mac.com and let me know you’d like to be added! Include a little bit about yourself, the region in which you teach, and contact information.
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