Testimonials

Miss Julia is an absolutely outstanding cello teacher! As an experienced Suzuki parent, I commend Miss Julia for her wise use of lesson time, her creative and thorough teaching methods, and her conscientious interactions with students. My highly-sensitive daughter thrives under her mentorship and I've seen Miss Julia succeed with many students who have a variety of personalities and who progress at varying paces from beginner through advanced. Miss Julia is highly mindful of individual abilities and sets high expectations that inspire progress and a love of cello playing. She's the type of teacher students (and parents!) cherish forever.
​ - Amy S. (parent)

Julia is an outstanding teacher. She understands and adapts to the individual needs of her students. She has a great ability to meet her students where they are and build lessons accordingly. She has a wonderful demeanor, she's both professional and gracious. Her studio is an absolute gem.
 - Paul M. (parent)

Julia Wen is a phenomenal cello teacher! She taught my daughter for 5 years. During that time my daughter earned first stand at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp top Symphony Orchestra; first chair at ILMEA District 7 All-State Orchestra; and was a featured soloist with her school orchestra. Julia has the unique gift to teach her students to master technique and at the same time stretch themselves musically. She set her expectations very, very high and at the same time taught her students how to achieve those goals one step at a time. She prepared all of her students extremely well for auditions and recitals. Working with Julia has been a pure joy - we could not have asked for a better teacher!
 - Christine C. (parent)

Miss Julia has been an inspiration for my daughter. Not only does she teach cello, but she teaches you to play the cello with love. She’s disciplined, professional, kind, and caring. She is the best! 
​- Rocio D. (parent)

Julia Wen is an excellent teacher in the best sense of the word. She is very rigorous in teaching the fundamentals of the cello and creating a strong foundation for her student’s progression. She also knows how to inspire her students to just play for the love of playing. Very highly recommended.
​- The Lee Family

Ms. Wen has taught cello lessons to both of our children for many years. She has always used high professional standards and helped guide their musicianship with a variety of materials and at a great pace. We would recommend Julia Wen for anyone looking for cello lessons for their children or themselves. 
​- Julie and Chad (parents)

Julia introduced our 5 year old daughter to the cello and immediately put her at ease. She was calm, patient, and knowledgeable, and our daughter loved her immediately. Julia's creative explanations and exercises gave our daughter the confidence and motivation to keep playing. As a parent with zero musical background, I also appreciated that Julia made sure that I had all of the information and support that I needed to lead effective practices at home. Learning a new instrument is hard, but Julia made it fun and approachable for our whole family. We are so grateful for the solid foundation Julia gave our daughter, who now loves her cello as a friend and regularly begs to practice "just a few more songs."
 - Lauren C. (parent)

We had the great pleasure of working with Ms. Wen for 5 years.  She is a creative and passionate teacher who constantly thinks out of the box in order to move her students along. Working with her proved that she is not only proficient in Cello Suzuki and Music Theory, but also creates a strong rapport with students. Her sweet demeanor and sense of humor allow her to connect with the youngest students and create relationships to help them thrive in the later more difficult material. I found her to be a responsive and well-spoken teacher that listens to parents and teams with them to implement plans that help students succeed on their Suzuki journey.  I highly recommend her!  
 - Sarah W. (parent)

Julia used techniques tailored to me to improve all aspects of my cello performance. She always was enthusiastic and had a smile on her face. During my lessons, she utilized every minute and did everything with a purpose. Through my time with her, my love for playing the cello continued to grow, and Julia was always there to motivate me. My favorite aspect of her teaching is how she made stories out of the music to help me to understand the unique voice of each musical phrase. She simplified the most stereotypically challenging part of cello playing: Scales. Using a mathematically rooted fingering, she made learning 3-octave scales so much easier to understand. She always played along with me, which developed my ear for the goal sound of each piece and helped me to learn them quickly.  My fondest memory with her was when we played the Vivaldi Cello Duet, seamlessly flowing through the music, constantly complementing each other, it felt as if we were on a grand stage. Julia also provided performance opportunities throughout the years, giving me something to work towards. During the pandemic, she even took it upon herself to set up multiple “front lawn” performances for my peers and I to perform in. As a cello teacher, she is phenomenal, and as a mentor, she is surely someone I look up to and I am honored to be her student.
​ - Spencer S. (student)

Miss Julia truly has a gift for teaching.  She uses engaging and creative methods that have grown my daughter's love for music. 
​- Emmy B. (parent)

Ms. Wen was my daughter’s first cello instructor, and she studied with her for four years. As an older beginner among several young children, my daughter felt a little unsure. Ms. Wen quickly made her feel at ease by interacting with her in an age-appropriate way. Through firm but encouraging instruction, creative techniques, and clear expectations, my daughter has grown confident in her playing and understanding of the cello. Ms. Wen has exposed her to a wide variety of cello music, not just classical pieces, and has developed her overall musicality. In our private lessons as well as group repertoire class, I can see the joy Ms. Wen has for the cello and how eager she is to share it with her students. Ms. Wen is a delightful instructor and a great mentor in my daughter’s life.
- Cassandra M. (parent)

We met Miss Julia through the Music for Youth program when my eldest was a 5 year old kindergartener. My daughter had the privilege of working with Miss Julia for the next 3 years. Julia not only connected instantly with my eldest as her student, but with all three of my younger children who were in tow during lessons and repertoire class regularly. Julia is an extremely attentive teacher. She is kind and soft spoken while encouraging the student to be their best at all times. Julia has a special talent for correcting mistakes and practicing drills in such a constructive manner that even a stubborn 6 year old wants to work hard to earn her teacher’s praise! Our entire family’s love of music grew while under Miss Julia’s instruction. We would recommend her and her teaching to cellists of all levels!
- Katy B. (parent)

Miss Wen is an outstanding teacher who cares about her students. She has much love for her cello, and is very talented as a person and teacher. Very inspiring and motivational!
 - Catherine H. (student)

Studying with Miss Wen is challenging, but she's very helpful because you learn important techniques. She's tough yet encouraging. She helped me become a strong cello player and fall in love with this instrument!
 - Corrina B. (student).

My daughter took cello lessons with Ms. Wen for six years. Ms. Wen is a caring and compassionate teacher who holds her students to high expectations. She provides her students with multiple performance opportunities throughout the year. She has the ability to grow with the student and keeps lessons at a high level and interesting. She has outstanding communication with parents, which is essential during the early years of learning. I highly recommend Ms. Wen for any student, young or old, as she is an inspirational teacher.
 - Kristin K. (parent)

The moment I heard a performance of Ms. Julia and her students on a cello tour, I could totally see how deep, realistic and emotional this instrument was, and how much teaching and learning must have gone into making a total stranger imbibe into this dense music! There was no second thought of cello being the best choice for my then 3rd grader daughter! And being Ms. Julia's student came with its own perks! Ms. Julia is a kind and compassionate teacher with exceptional expertise in playing. Her teaching is well organized and gives a strong base for a new learner, keeping them at ease and full of positivity. Ms. Julia has several techniques to make young children get involved into daily practice of playing the instrument. At the same time, she makes sure of the right posture, bow hold, finger positions right from the very beginning. I have also seen a stunning perfection in the older students, which can only come from years of fine tuning and a teacher's continuous observation and encouragement! Cello is an instrument not just for its deep poetic music, it's also a go-to tool for concentration, relaxation, content and pride. We are very happy to have started this journey with the sweetest teacher, Ms. Julia!
 - Anitha J. (parent)

Julia was my cello teacher from age 8 to 11. She was very patient with me and helped me advance through cello. When I had trouble expressing the mood and dynamics with one song, she used story-telling to help me understand it better.
 - Arthur R. (student)

Julia Wen is a fantastic teacher. As her former student, I learned many fundamental skills from the various exercises she taught me. Without these skills, I would not be able to play as well as I currently do. Julia really pushed me to do my best and helped me overcome many of the hardships I faced along the way. Without my experience of learning from Julia, I would definitely struggle a lot more as the pieces become more and more difficult. Thank you Julia for teaching me. I improved a lot thanks to you.
 - Selina Y. (student)

Our son started learning to play the cello with Ms. Julia Wen two years ago and he is thriving. It's amazing how far he has come from those first days using plastic straws and little yogurt containers to get the bow holding techniques correct. When I look back at the videos I recorded of the lessons with Ms. Julia teaching all those vital first steps, it just amazes me how far my son has come. Julia is calm and patient with the kids and at the same time has great ability to keep them focused and motivated progressing. Our son has really enjoyed his lessons with Julia. We highly recommend Julia for cello lessons!
 - Tiffany M. (parent)

Ms. Julia Wen is assiduous, practical, and an expert in engaging her students in lessons. She took me to a higher level in note reading, cello playing, and interpreting the music. In repertoire, I collaborated with other musicians and learned a lot from them too! Thank you, Ms. Wen!
- Nishchal A. (student)