Mathew Jackson Linaman

I’ve been taking lessons with Matthew for a few months, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m an adult student with a completely different day job and tumultuous schedule. Matthew has been accommodating and understanding while still finding ways to encourage and develop my skills. I am sure he’s also great with kids through music professionals, but can share from experience that he’s an excellent cello teacher for novice adults.

After six months of cello lessons with Matthew, my playing has improved tremendously. Matthew’s contagious and reliable enthusiasm encourages me not only to get the most out of every lesson but to practice effectively and often in between. I wholeheartedly recommend Matthew to anyone looking to learn the cello or to improve their playing.

When my little sister announced that she was having her wedding on the beach in Tulum, Mexico, I told her that for her wedding gift I’d learn how to play the cello and perform my favorite piece, Bach’s Suite No 1 in G, at her wedding… that was coming up in 6 months… even though I’ve never picked up a cello in my life.
As luck would have it, I met Matt that same week during once of his performances.
After being amazed by how beautifully he played the cello, I quickly approached him after the show, told him about my audacious goal, how worried I was about letting my sister down and how there was probably no way that I could be performance ready in such a short amount of time. Matt was kind enough to listen to me as I ranted at a mile a minute before putting my mind at ease by assuring me that anyone can learn the cello.
We began lessons immediately and I remember how patient Matt was with me even though I kept holding holding the bow like a chicken drumstick. But a couple of months later, I was learning about shifting finger positions, producing quality sound from the strings and maintaining rhythm & tempo. While Matt was great at teaching me technical skills with the cello, he also got me to dig a bit deep and taught me how to express my emotions through this instrument so that the audience can feel the music instead of just hearing the notes. This helped me to let go of thinking of the piece as a combination of quarter notes and eight notes but as a story that I wanted to tell to the audience.
On the day of my sister’s wedding… well…how can I say this. I totally nailed it! Sure, some parts were still a little bit sticky (I’m sure it didn’t help that I was crazy nervous) but I vividly remember during the standing ovation that I felt so happy for my sister and so proud of myself for actually pulling this off. And of course, I couldn’t have down it without my cello teach Matt.
Thank you again Matt!!!