1^st lesson free

Narain

Rate $96
Response 1h
Students
Number of students Narain has taught since their arrival at Superprof
2
Number of students Narain has taught since their arrival at Superprof

$96/h

1^st lesson free

Violin
Viola

Accomplished violinist, music educator, and Assistant Youth Orchestra Conductor offering violin lessons to students of all ages and abilities

Violin
Viola

Lesson location

- At Narain's house: Providence

About Narain

Narain Darakananda is an accomplished violinist with a multifaceted career in performance, music education, and arts equity. Audiences have described his performances as “exceptionally moving” and “stunning.” He serves as String Faculty, Chamber Music Coach, and the Assistant Youth Orchestra Conductor at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School. Concurrently, he is the general music and string teacher at Meeting Street. Narain’s concert career has included orchestral performances with Vallejo Symphony and Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, and solo appearances with the Bard College Community Orchestra and Candlelight Concert’s Vivaldi Four Seasons series in Providence and Newport. He can be found performing at venues such as Bishop McVinney Auditorium, Central Congregational Church, the Carter Center for Music Education and Performance, and Belcourt of Newport.

A dedicated teacher, Narain draws extensively from his background as a performer, psychologist, and pedagogue. His students have won positions at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Rhode Island Solo and Ensemble’s Honors Recital, Villa Sinfonia Foundation, CODA All-State Orchestras, Massachusetts Central District Orchestra, MICCA Gold Medal Showcase, Golden Gate Philharmonic, San Francisco All-City Middle School Youth Orchestra, Carnegie Mellon All University Orchestra, and Ottawa Youth Symphony, and have played in masterclasses with notable violinists such as Yevgeny Kutik, Peter Jarvis, and Kay Stern. Previous string faculty positions have included the Amabile School of Music, Music City Academy, Exploring Music SF, Northern California Music and Arts Cultural Center, and Zephyr Point Chamber Music Camp. Narain has also previously served as a String Teaching Artist for the Victoria’s Dream Project and the Interim Chamber Music Coordinator at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School. Highlighting his extensive work in educational equity and community engagement, Narain and one of his students were the subject of the Papitto Opportunity Connection’s feature on the Victoria’s Dream Project.

Narain began his violin studies with Lynn Oakley at the Villa Sinfonia Foundation. He made his public debut at age 14 as a winner of the San Francisco Junior Bach Competition and his solo debut at age 17 performing with the Villa Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra. He earned his B.A. in music and psychology from Bard College, studying violin with Erica Kiesewetter and serving as her teaching assistant. As a student, he was a winner of the Bard College Community Orchestra Concerto Competitio. During this time, he was also fortunate to receive mentorship from notable musicians such as Marka Gustavsson, James Bagwell, Kyle Gann, and Luis García-Renart. Narain would go on to earn his M.M. in violin performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying violin with Kay Stern and chamber music with Joseph Maile and Jeremiah Shaw. Awards include the Margaret and John Bard Scholars Prize in the Division of Arts (2021), the Margaret Creal Shafer Prizes in Composition and Performance (2021), and the Dr. Richard M. Siegel '43 Memorial Prize in Music (2020). He is also an alum of the Teaching Artist’s Training Institute 24’, Emerald Coast Chamber Music Festival 20', DeLay Starling Violin Symposium 19’, and Round Top Music Festival 18’. Narain has the privilege of performing on a 1721 Antonio Zanotti violin.

About the lesson

My ultimate goal is for my students to develop self-efficacy, which is the belief that through their own effort and hard work, they can achieve their goals. By cultivating this belief, I hope that my students will feel empowered to dream big and work hard. In my studio, I focus on developing three main qualities:

1. Self-Belief: I teach students to believe in themselves by demonstrating my own belief in them unconditionally. I will always encourage my students and hold them to high standards, even when they begin to doubt themselves. I will work with students to develop high levels of technique, musicianship, and expression. In turn, students will be expected to come to each lesson prepared with scales, etudes, and repertoire. By expecting excellence from all my students, I hope that they learn to expect excellence from themselves.

2. Strategic Learning: I believe in teaching students how to learn, rather than just how to follow directions. Inspired by the research of Molly Gebrian, our lessons focus on developing practice habits and strategies that have been scientifically shown to support learning in any subject. Specifically, my students will learn how to set goals, develop practice strategies, and think critically about their learning.

3. Grit: Based the research of Carol Dweck, I believe that perhaps the biggest predictor of student success lies in their ability to recover from setbacks. I teach resilience by being there for my students when they fail and guiding them when they get back up. To me, failure is a crucial part of the learning process that needs to be addressed head-on rather than treated as a sensitive subject. By teaching students to be honest and constructive with failure, they can learn to reframe failure as a learning opportunity rather than any sort of personal deficit. Students will be expected to perform at recitals, exams, and auditions throughout the year. Through all of those experiences, I will always be there to celebrate their successes and coach them through their setbacks

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

5h: $480
10h: $960

free lessons

This first lesson offered with Narain will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.

Accomplished violinist, music educator, and Assistant Youth Orchestra Conductor offering violin lessons to students of all ages and abilities

Lesson location

About Narain

About the lesson

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

free lessons

Other tutors in Violin

Ha-eun

Helen

Catherine

Gregory

John

Nicholas

Patricia

Sandra

Emily

Tamer

Lily

Katharina

Lorena

Shiyoung

Yuliia

Inesa

Leonor

VICTOR

Victor

Anna

Accomplished violinist, music educator, and Assistant Youth Orchestra Conductor offering violin lessons to students of all ages and abilities

Lesson location

About Narain

About the lesson

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

free lessons

Other tutors in Violin

Ha-eun

Helen

Catherine

Gregory

John

Nicholas

Patricia

Sandra

Emily

Tamer

Lily

Katharina

Lorena

Shiyoung

Yuliia

Inesa

Leonor

VICTOR

Victor

Anna

Share

Verified teacher profile

levels

All languages in which the lesson is available

Review

Évaluations

Recommendations

free lessons

Report this posting