Violin, Viola Teacher Susie Mészáros

FAQ

Reviews

• 

  Olga A

  My 8 year old son has started with Susie when he was 7, about 8 months ago in Autumn 2022. He played piano already but wanted to add a string instrument and he chose Viola. However, I struggled to find a viola teacher in South London. He was very keen to play Viola and started to look for YouTube tutorials, where he found one of Susie’s videos among many others. I think he was taken by her approach to explain the techniques, how to hold the bow, instrument etc . He said “I want her to be my teacher, can you email her.” I googled her name and contact details and luckily found her email. I didn’t expect she would even answer as he was a total string beginner. Surprisingly, she answered straight away (totally different to other teachers I tried to contact before) . She explained that she is a professor at RCM and teaches online grown up students, not total beginners. She kindly agreed to try with him. We do 1 hour online lesson once a week. And the progress he made in last 8 month is tremendous. He is now playing ABRSM grade 4 pieces and will sit Grade 4 exam soon. She has incredible patience with him, amazing ability to explain viola techniques despite being online and holding the attention of a 8 year old boy. She carefully chooses music which he likes and encourages the best way to practice. She always gives feedback and a summary at the end of the lesson. We are very happy that we found such an incredible, talented and very high level teacher. Being a pupil of Yehudi Menuhin, Susie carries on his values and traditions in music teaching.

  18-06-2023
• 

  Madeleine Reeves

  I have been lucky to experience both private lessons with Susie and string quartet coaching. What can I say? Susie is just the most inspiring, engaging, thoughtful and creative teacher and mentor one could ask for. I love her musicianship, her invitation to think about the story of the music, and the ways to translate that into technique. I appreciate her warmth and deep interest in the person beyond the student and the music beyond the notes. Susie always seems to have the perfect metaphor or image to hand to describe a tricky corner, or the feel of a piece of music, or why one might try one bowing over another. I come away from her coaching sessions inspired, motivated to practice, and with a sense of how to work on things. I just wish that I had come across her lessons earlier in my life, when I had more time to devote to practice!

  18-05-2023
• 

  Mark Pemberton

  Having played violin at school, I started playing again at the age of 40, joined a quartet and met Susie on a quartet course Susie was running with the Chilingirian String Quartet. Amazingly, considering how out depth I was, she took me on as a pupil afterwards. My lessons with her were incredibly helpful. She is absolutely lovely and a lot of fun, patient and gentle with this pupil who reverted to a childhood version, invariably arriving for lessons feeling ill prepared anxious and inept (in grown up life I am a fearless surgeon), but however badly I played she appeared not to notice and took absolutely no offence. I found her advice on technique really helpful, her instruction always clear, opened minded but drawing on a life of string playing and continually insightful.

  18-06-2022
• 

  Bev Ross

  I’m an amateur viola player in my early 60s. I was looking for a local teacher who could help me improve my general technique. A fellow musician recommended Susie I have been taking lessons for just over a year and she has transformed the way I play. She has a wonderful “no frills” way of communicating and every lesson is a pleasure Susie is very intuitive - she recognised immediately the root causes of my technical problems. She showed me simple steps to improve my sound, my phrasing, my bow hold, my timing and my general musical awareness She is a very experienced and versatile string player with natural musicality. She is also a brilliant communicator who draws upon her vast experience to illustrate different ways to approach a musical challenge I cannot recommend Susie highly enough as a teacher

  18-06-2022
• 

  Liisa Välja

  I studied with Susie from 2017 to 2020 in RNCM, Manchester. From the first lesson when we met, I felt connected and inspired. Susie is an excellent teacher with lots and lots of experience and she is also a very warm and kind person. Her jokes and sense of humour made the lessons fun and I always left with a good and inspired feeling. As a chamber music coach, she had very relevant and helpful comments about every player and about the piece overall. As being a member of many chamber music ensembles, her experiences seemed endless in that field. I would recommend studying with Susie to everyone if it's a professional-to-be or just playing for their own fun, she's such a nice and inspiring person to be around! Even if it's just to chat. From my time in RNCM, I miss my weekly lessons with Susie the most. A truly excellent teacher.

  18-06-2022
• 

  Vicky Jolliffe

  I was extremely fortunate to receive violin tuition from Susie and in fact use one of her many tips- landing on high top notes with confidence-every day in my playing! She has the great - and rare- skill of being able to communicate her own excellence via teaching. My bow speed and vibrato benefitted hugely from her expertise. As a chamber musician I have been very fortunate to work alongside Susie and her tips to me in my role as a viola player- sound quality, timbre and when to 'emerge' from the quartet texture and when to be more blended- have been invaluable. Even though I am not a professional player ( I am a doctor who is a keen amateur) she takes my playing seriously and I cannot recommend her more highly as a teacher and coach.

  18-06-2022
• 

  Viola Turtle

  I studied with Susie for 4 years during my undergraduate in Royal Northern College of Music, which was one of the best decisions of my life. She helped me develop so much as a violist, a musician, and a person. She’s a wonderful chamber musician, Solist and teacher. She’s professional, caring, honest and kind. I now study at the royal academy of music with full scholarship. And this wouldn’t happen if I studied with anyone else. I still think about her wisdom in music and life from time to time, her words and kindness will keep influencing me for the rest of my life. Would 200% recommend!

  18-06-2022
• 

  Lucy Biddle

  Think I can honestly say Susie was my favourite teacher. In terms of musical insight and teaching technique, she's fantastic and probably one of the best teachers I've had, and as a teacher, she really understands how to get students motivated and enjoying music-making. After a series of teachers who were either wrapped up in their own personal problems or whom I just didn't get along with, I was seriously considering quitting when I started with her, but a few years later I was leading the viola section of the Oxford University Orchestra and now I'm doing the same in the Southampton University Symphony Orchestra - where it's becoming a running joke that I get way too excited and passionate about the music! (which is nonsense, there's no such thing) Seriously though, I genuinely enjoyed being taught by Susie and would definitely recommend, especially for violists and if you want to improve your chamber music!

  18-06-2022
• 

  Chloe Kraemer

  Susie gave me violin lessons for about ten years until I left London around 2015. I was around 12 when we started having lessons. She is the most inspiring teacher I've ever had, not just musically! She always found interesting ways to explain technical and musical aspects of playing. I remember I even started making a booklet of the metaphors she would come up with! Before I started learning with Susie I wasn't so aware of the importance of the technical side of things but she encouraged me to practise challenging technical exercises which developed my playing hugely. She also taught me a huge amount about phrasing and musical character. Her teaching is full of infectious enthusiasm and a brilliant balance of serious and fun. Even as a teenager I would feel motivated to practise throughout the week in order to progress and improve my playing. That was thanks to Susie's amazing ability to mould her teaching to the individual. We had great chats at either end of lessons too. I could not recommend Susie highly enough.

  18-06-2022
• 

  Dan Shilladay

  I studied with Susie at the Royal College of Music in London from 2005-6. What I shall always remember – and continue to try and emulate in my own teaching and ensemble coaching – is her generous and encouraging way with pupils. Her use of metaphor was so rich and enlightening (and, most importantly, couched in the everyday) that the most ineffable of musical ideas were always conveyed with wit, warmth and concision. One-to-one lessons and ensemble coaching alike, I always felt that I was in the company of an extremely profound yet human, relatable musician.

  18-06-2022