Calin Andrei

Teaching experience
Calin Andrei has been teaching since his late teens, initially working with younger students of his father (who is a violin teacher at a specialist music school in Romania).  During his studies at Bucharest National Music University, he taught two very committed primary school age pupils (the children of the Korean ambassador, to whom he was recommended as a teacher) and an adult beginner.
 In London he has undertaken private teaching for the last 3 years.  His students have ranged from an eight year old with little playing experience to an exceptionally advanced student in the first years of secondary school and a 17 year old student working towards conservatoire auditions for whom he acts as teaching assistant to Mr Remus Azoitei, who is a member of the string department at the Royal Academy of Music. 
Calin has studied piano, and can accompany students up to advanced level.  His early training put a lot of emphasis on theory and aural, which he has found some students can see as daunting or boring:  he enjoys helping students find new skill and confidence in these areas, and link these with their playing.
 
Teaching Approach
His musical training has given him exposure to both East and West European approaches to teaching technique and musicianship and when teaching he tries to blend the best of these approaches, adapted to the needs of the student. The Romanian approach to the development of violin technique is based on the Russian school and is very structured.  It also requires, and assumes, a huge level of commitment from both student and teacher. He tries to blend the strengths of this approach in terms of giving a nice sound and strong technique with a focus on musicality and enjoyment for each individual pupil (appropriately geared to their standard of playing and musical interest) which he has learnt through his studies and teaching experience in London.  
Calin Andrei's approach to teaching is closely related to the student: his/her age, level of playing, understanding of music and personality. He assesses all these as quickly as he can and then apply the best approach he can to achieve fastest progress for that individual student whether (s)he is playing for fun or working towards conservatoire entrance.
The range of students he has taught has helped him think about different approaches to resolving technical issues (and,  in particular the best way of helping a new student in dealing with a number of technical problems which may have built up over time without holding the student back or being discouraging), how to blend repertoire and pure technical work, and has also given him experience of choosing repertoire which will allow the pupil to develop his/her musical interests and therefore helps motivate good practice habits. He tries to make things fun, while immediately establishing a friendly and effective teacher-student connection that leads to achieving progress each lesson.
Calin has developed a good knowledge of the ABRSM grade system and see it as a useful tool in helping students progress and derive encouragement from milestones successfully passed, although it remains important not to lose focus on wider repertoire and technique development outside the grade syllabus.
Calin Andrei has the LRSM teaching qualification from the Royal College of Music in London.
 
 

Calin is a Romanian violinist, born in 1988. He started learning the violin at the local school in Barlad with his father when he was six. By the age of seven he already gave his first performance and was soon accepted to study in Bucharest. Soon after, at the age of 9 he won his first International Prize.He is a prize winner in every competition he took part in: The National Olympics, George Georgescu International Competition, Arts' Spring, to name just a few. When he was ten he joined the classes of renowned professors Beno Schwartzmann and Elena Parvu. In the same year, he was invited to give a live performance at the Romanian Cultural Radio within the Musicians of Today, Musicians of Tomorrow Radio Show.Calin has performed in his native country in major concert halls and abroad in the UK, France and Italy. He has had masterclasses and lessons with world renowned professors such as Itzhak Rashkovsky, Ani Snarch, Remus Azoitei, Natasha Lomeiko and Ladislau Csendes, the last one being his mentor for one year at the Bucharest University of Music. In 2008 he started his Bachelor of Music Programme at the Royal College of Music under the guidance of professor Jan Repko.A versatile chamber musician, Calin has played repertoire ranging from Bach to nowadays composers. He is now increasingly in high demand and is invited to join numerous groups. He has participated in chamber music festivals in Romania , France and UK such as Wigmore Hall/London International String Quartet Foundation, Young Virtuosi and ICon Arts. He has had masterclasses with internationally renowned quartets from USA , Ireland , Germany and Austria , such as Fine Arts, Con Tempo, Artis, Cherubini, Heine and Skampa.Calin has had leading positions in orchestras such as Orion Symphony, Canterbury Choral Society, Orpheus, to name just a few, with which he has performed at Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall and Canterbury Cathedral. Since 2012, he joined Oxford's professional orchestra 'Oxford Philomusica' with which he performs regularly, as well as the camerata 'Russian Virtuosi of Europe'.Alongside his developing career, Calin benefits from guidance of renowed violinist Yuri Zhislin.