Teacher Profile: Michael Hart
About Michael Hart
Mike Hart is a classically trained cellist (since the age of 5) with over thirty years of private and public teaching experience. Mike has his public-school music teacher’s certification in the State of Texas as certified by the Texas State Board of Education and Texas Education Agency (TEA). He taught in the public school system in the State of Texas as a secondary music, orchestra teacher (grades 6-12) for seven years as well as taught several hundreds of students privately over the years in his own home studio. His students have consistently performed well in solo and ensemble contests as well as obtained consistent rankings in orchestra competitions. Mike enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with others so that his students develop a passion and love for music that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.
Mike is a graduate of Northern Arizona University where he played in the university orchestra as first chair cellist of the University Orchestra for three and a half years under full music scholarship, along with playing in the Flagstaff Symphony, and several collegiate ensembles. Previous to attending Northern Arizona University, Mike attended and graduated from the Idyllwild Arts Academy (ISOMATA) (https://idyllwildarts.org) as a cello performance major during the last two years of high school career, also under full music scholarship.
Prior to attending ISOMATA, Mike studied under Takayori "Taki" Atsumi during his formative cello years (junior high and early high school years) who was a major influence in forming his technique and style. Taki Atsumi also introduced him to both the Arizona Cello Society and the American Cello Council, both for which Taki Atsumi was a founding member. Taki Atsumi also allowed Mike to participate in the 1990 American Cello Congress (for which Taki hosted) and play in a cello master class with legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who was the key honorary guest.
After graduating Northern Arizona University, Mike performed as a cellist in dozens of orchestras and ensembles throughout the years as well as performed as a soloist for many different events. Some past groups and performances include the House of Blues, Bush Presidential Library, Phoenix Symphony, Waco Symphony, Redlands Symphony, Idyllwild String Quartet, College Station String Quartet, and various other sessions as a studio, solo and gig musician.
From a family perspective, Mike comes from a long line of musicians as his mother played cello (who was also an orchestra director and professional cellist / violinist) as well as his grandmother who was a cellist and teacher, and his grandfather who was both a band director and choir director in the public school system (and his main instruments were violin, viola and piano). As a trivial fact, his grandmother and grandfather both met at Interlochen summer music camp (https://www.interlochen.org) in the 1930s as high school sweethearts and got married soon thereafter. Beyond this, Mike also has three kids who all play instruments: a daughter on viola, a son on cello, and another daughter on piano. They each have played in several music groups in their schools as well as community groups including the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO) and the Cascade Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO).
In terms of private lessons, Mike teaches cello lessons (beginner through advanced) as well as lessons for other string instruments (violin, viola, bass) (beginner through intermediate) and piano lessons. Mike uses a mixture of classical training and performance techniques which provides a thorough knowledge of the instrument as well as provides experiential learning. Students are given instruction through note reading, music theory, and ear training. Students are also encouraged to perform at regular intervals in studio concerts and group performances. Whether you are a seasoned musician or beginner, students of all ages are welcome, with instruction tailored to the levels described above.