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About Megumi D.
Megumi Donworth an American living in the North Shields/Newcastle area and has been playing classical violin since the age of six. She is a graduate of Los Angeles High School for the Arts (LACHSA) where she served as associate concertmaster in the LACHSA Symphony Orchestra in her final year. As part of her education at LACHSA, Megumi also has a strong background in music theory and has experience in orchestration and musical transcription and arrangement. Megumi attained Certificate of Merit Level Advanced with Distinction since 2007. She has over ten years of experience performing in various settings including orchestral, chamber, and soloing as a freelance violinist in Los Angeles. She has played in a range of venues, including even Disney Concert Hall.
Megumi has seven years of teaching experience to students of all levels and ages (from ages 4 and up) and she looks forward to working with students to achieve their goal, whether it is to obtain an ABRSM or Trinity College qualification, prepare for a competition, or just to play for fun as a hobby. She is keen to involve the student in selecting repertoire because she believes that a student should be uniquely invested in their own practice and improvement. For example, if a student would like to learn the "Game of Thrones" theme to play at a LARP event on either the violin or the piano, Megumi is more than happy to help reach that goal.
For younger students (ages 4-8) Megumi enjoys incorporating games and storytelling during lessons to teach concepts such as notes and rhythm.
Aside from the performance aspect of violin, she values music theory, music appreciation, sightreading, and ear (aural) training. She considers all of these factors vital to the development of any musician. Most of all, Megumi wants to ensure that a student has an enjoyable experience learning the violin.
Lessons can take place either in her studio in North Shields (She is very close to both Tynemouth and North Shields metro stations), or depending on the student's circumstance, she is able to travel as far as Newcastle City Centre and Gateshead subject to a transportation fee (metro ticket). Lessons are also available online; however, students aged 4-8 must be supervised by an adult if opting for online lessons. She asks that all students come with their own violin and is happy to offer advice on either the purchase or rental of an instrument. Before first lessons, Megumi likes to get to know students or parents of students via a phone call to better understand their needs and goals in addition to private messages.
Megumi is also able to teach beginner to intermediate piano (up to Grade 4). She is familiar with classical and popular styles and worked for some time as a church accompanist in California. Additionally, she can teach improvisation on keyboard.
Megumi is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and is able to teach in Mandarin if desired.