Student Case Studies

Rich Amoroso is one of the best teachers I ever had. I will never forget the lesson in which he urged me to change my bow direction with the same attention to detail that a seasoned driver uses to shift through the gears of a manual transmission while negotiating a sports car through winding, mountain roads.

He is an exemplary musician who is equally gifted as a teacher. He is meticulous, discerning, creative, and has a wonderful sense of humor. I loved our lessons. He played a crucial part in making me the musician & teacher I am today.”

Matt Brown is a musician, teacher, and producer based in Denver, Colorado. He has released four albums of old-time music on which he plays fiddle, banjo, and guitar. His most recent recording is a genre spanning musical love letter to Chicago entitled On Big Shoulders. The album features twelve Chicago musicians playing ten songs linked to the city. In addition to conceiving of and acting as executive producer for the album, Matt played fiddle on one of its country tracks. He created the album while living and teaching in The Windy City.

On Big Shoulders can be found here:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2QdDbYu
Apple Music: https://apple.co/2CYo0Po
Amazon Music: http://a.co/d/6ExWSLb
Tidal: http://bit.ly/2JzJBie
YouTube: http://bit.ly/2qpVkae
CD & vinyl: http://www.allographrecords.com

Matt’s website: http://www.brownsdream.us

I can honestly say that studying violin with Rich changed my life. Music had always been a love of mine from an early age, but there was a shift when I began to take lessons from Rich. Not only did my musicianship develop significantly, but my passion and dedication grew deeper. Rich’s own extremely high level of performance and disciplined practice filters effortlessly into his instruction. It is perfectly complemented by a supportive and encouraging approach to teaching, as well as his down-to-earth and gracious manner.

I was fortunate to receive a music scholarship which allowed me to attend the University of Richmond for my college education. This was a perfect fit for me as I was able to continue to have my violin be a primary focus, while also exploring other areas of study. Rich understood the value in that balance, and helped me navigate the process of auditioning for scholarships at schools where I would have both options available to me. My degrees in music and business led me to work for The Philadelphia Orchestra after graduating, and subsequently Virginia Tech’s new Center for the Arts. I now work for a software company in California and teach yoga on the side where I play violin in my classes and collaborate with other yogi musicians. There is no question that music has had a profound impact on my life in all realms – from the professional to the spiritual – and I am incredibly grateful for the foundation that was laid for this during my many years as a student of Richard Amoroso.

My daughter, Maria Kowalski, took weekly private lessons with Richard from the summer following 6th grade through high school graduation. During that time, she participated in yearly merit scholarship auditions through the Reading Musical Foundation and had four auditions with Berklee College of Music. She placed every year in RMF’s merit scholarship competition and her senior year she won the 4-year college scholarship which was chosen from across all instrumentalists and vocalists. The Berklee auditions provided her with full tuition scholarships to two years of Berklee 5 Week summer camp and full tuition to Berklee College of Music for four years of undergraduate study.

The reason I detail her scholarships is because they are due in a very large part to Richards’s instruction, expertise, attention to detail, and unwillingness to accept anything less than her absolute best. He was insistent on tone. He taught her to craft pieces so that they were not only polished but artistic. Every note was important and not one of them snuck by him if it were not exactly what he was looking for.

I highly recommend Richard Amoroso to any serious violin student who is preparing for music school. He was a stickler, I imagine he still is. (Option* Richard is unrelenting and unapologetic in his quest for perfection). It is his unwavering demand for craftsmanship that will allow you to win auditions.

Richard Amoroso was my teacher for 5 years, from the 8th grade until I graduated high school. When I began studying with Rich, I had not had formal lessons for several years. There were many technical gaps in my training that needed to be filled, and Rich was the perfect teacher to help me. As an extremely accomplished player who took an unusual path to a successful career in music, Rich has given a lot of thought to the practice process, discipline, and attention to detail. He stresses efficiency and economy of motion, encouraging his students to evaluate themselves not only on the success of a performance, but how hard they worked to achieve the result. So many young musicians injure themselves from improper technique and overplaying, so the importance of an understanding of efficient practice and technique cannot be overstated. I feel that I have saved myself from injury and from many wasted hours in the practice room because of Rich’s teaching.

Although Rich is committed to technique and efficiency, he is anything but robotic. Rich is an incredibly passionate musician who has a deep love for the work that he does. He has taught me to look for joy and pleasure in every piece that I play and has always encouraged me to dream big. His love of the violin translates to his teaching, because he wants every student to have the opportunity to make music a meaningful part of their life.

Rich was especially helpful to me when I was applying to college, and I owe my success to him. He helped me to choose where to apply, make a plan for my auditions, select repertoire, and prepare to the best of my ability. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without a mentor like him helping me every step of the way. Thanks to Rich and the improvements he made to my playing over the years, I was admitted with scholarship to Eastman School of Music, University of Michigan, Boston University, Bard College and Conservatory, and Oberlin College and Conservatory. I chose Oberlin and was awarded The John F. Oberlin scholarship and the Conservatory Dean’s scholarship.

I would highly recommend Richard Amoroso to any student looking to improve their technical skill and grow as a musician.

My son has improved significantly after starting to study with Mr. Amoroso just a little over a year ago. I don’t know much about music, but I can tell the sound my son plays out now is so much better than in the past. I usually sit in the lessons and I see that when Mr. Amoroso is teaching, he is very thorough and detail-driven. He once mentioned that he loved the power of the ocean and this might be why he is so energetic and passionate when he is teaching. My son just made into Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, which he had dreamed about. This is an accomplishment he has made after studying with Mr. Amoroso.

My daughter, Jamie, began taking lessons with Mr. Amoroso six years ago, when she was ten years old. She quickly progressed as she was shown proper technique and was inspired by his playing during her lessons and his performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra. After playing a few years, Jamie auditioned for an education program that eventually led her to be able to participate in and play with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. Mr. Amoroso challenges my daughter to “practice smart” and is always inspiring and encouraging her. Mr. Amoroso has prepared Jamie for several PMEA festivals, recitals and auditions. What I like most about Mr. Amoroso is that he cares not only about my daughter’s violin technique and musical knowledge, but uses violin to teach her about determination, perseverance and love of music.