Testimonials from current students
Karen has been teaching my three children (Maddie 15, Caitie 12 and, Mickey 7) in viola, cello and violin. They always look forward to both going to their lessons and coming home to practice what she has taught them. She has truly helped them to grow as young musicians and has been instrumental in helping them develop a love for music. Not only is Karen a remarkable teacher but she is also an amazing mentor to my children. We feel very blessed to have a teacher like her.
-Jane (Maddie, Catie and Mickey's mom)
My son, Andrew was 7.5 year old when he started learning how to play the violin with Karen. We can neither force 7.5 year old boy to do something nor expect him to do something all by himself. In this regard, we were very much impressed by Karen’s “encouragement-based” teaching style as well as her patience! Karen is definitely not an easy-going instructor at all – She always sets the learning goals far beyond what Andrew can easily achieve. However, Karen keeps pulling him from the front, pushing him from the back, and sometimes walking with Andrew side-by-side. Thanks to her restless efforts, Andrew was able to join Concert Strings in Front Range Youth Symphony Orchestra after one-year of lessons, and then became the concertmaster of his orchestra in the following year. Karen is not teaching Andrew how to simply convert the written music notes to the violin sounds. She is rather helping Andrew generate the “music” out of the black dots and sticks drawn on white papers! Andrew has a dream (with the violin) that is to become the fastest violin player of “Flight of The Bumblebee”. Andrew and Karen are working together every week to make Andrew’s dream come true someday!
-Andrew's Mom
"Karen has been teaching my daughter Kaelyn, 9 yrs old, how to play the violin for almost 2 years now. I am amazed at how quickly Kaelyn has learned from Karen! Karen advances Kaelyn to the next step at a pace that is appropriate for Kaelyn's age and her level of playing. She is very patient and has great methods for teaching kids how to learn rhythm and notes. When Kaelyn becomes frustrated, Karen is compassionate and very encouraging. I can't imagine having a better instructor for violin than Karen!"
-Ken, father of Kaelyn who is a Suzuki student
"Karen, my music teacher, is THE BEST music teacher I have ever had! She is excellent at playing the violin. Also, she has a great personality and is fun to be around. She is very good at giving you feedback and giving me help with my music."
-Erin, age 13
"It is often said that the foundation of teaching is the art of building human relationships. Karen's ability to build a relationship with my daughter has driven her to grow exponentially, she has a renewed love of the violin. With Karen's help Erin has begun exploring new techniques and expanded her music choices. She is always anxious for lessons to start and begs me to be early every week. Her enthusiasm to please Karen have increased her desire to practice hours a day."
-Erin's Mom
"Karen Lauffer was one of the best private teachers I had. She cares about all of her students and wishes for them all to succeed. She encourages them to try challenging pieces of music to increase their skill level. When I had lessons, we would work on a piece and then all of her students would participate in a recital, showing off our hard work. If I had not taken lessons with her, I'd have no idea where I would be in my musical career and what my skill level would be. If it weren't for Karen, I wouldn't have considered in pursuing music as a career. I thank her for all the help she has given me."
-Katelyn, violin performance major at Sunderman Conservatory
"Working with Karen has been one of the most positive and inspirational experiences I've had as a long-time student of music. She actively engages with your performance interests to create a highly individual approach to technique training and expressive playing that every violinist could benefit from. Highly recommended indeed!"
- Jess, music composition major at University of Colorado, Boulder
"Karen Lauffer took me on as a student when I was 16, a very beginner. In the 2 years I took lessons from her, I was inspired to truly appreciate classical music, and she opened my eyes up to how rewarding and gratifying learning an instrument can be. The performance opportunities she gave me at her studio recitals was very valuable; I got experience playing in front of a group of people as well as a great boost of confidence and focus. Karen inspired me to pursue a career in music just like her, and now as a public school and private lesson teacher in music, I can't thank her enough!"
-Stacey, graduated from I.U.P. with a degree in music education. Currently teaching orchestra in a public school.
I am so pleased that I found Karen to instruct my 11 yr old daughter, Emma, on the violin/fiddle. When deciding on Karen, my ultimate decision came down to the connection she was able to make with my daughter in just a 30 minute trial lesson. My daughter came out of the lesson beaming and said, “she’s the one – I think we should have my lessons with her!”
Karen has reassured my daughter through difficult musical times and has encouraged her to aim high– Karen prepared Emma for her Front Range Youth Symphony audition over several months. Emma was pleased when she was awarded a spot in the first section of this youth symphony program – while I feel my daughter has some natural talent, I doubt she would have been awarded first section without Karen’s guidance, instruction, and encouragement.
In searching for instructors, I wanted an instructor who could also encourage Emma’s interest in fiddle. However, I didn’t want two separate teachers and thus two separate lessons. We lucked out with Karen as she is an accomplished fiddler and has really been stoking my daughter’s interest in bluegrass,traditional folk, and celtic music.
I can’t say enough kind words about Karen and her ability to connect with kids and help kids connect with their music. My daughter has said several times, “I want to stick with Karen as my violin teacher all the way through middle school, high school, and college!” Karen has been a great role model and instructor for my daughter.
- Emma's (12 years old) mom
We are very fortunate to have Karen teach our 9 year old son how to play the Violin. He started when he was 7 and has progressed immensely. Our friends, family and we are amazed at how well Ryan is playing in such a short time. Karen finds ways to correct issues in a way that Ryan understands and according to his capability. Ryan enjoys going to class and practicing at home because of her enthusiasm and good demeanor. She is a five out of five stars instructor in our opinion and would encourage anyone that is seeking a Violin or music instructor in general to look no further.
- Ryan's mom
I started seeing Karen in August of 2012. As an adult, full time Employee, Mother, Wife, and a Student in College- I wasn't sure how well my cello adventure was going to go. I had always wanted to play, but had never had the appropriate resources aka an instructor- until Karen. Karen has been amazing. She is patient, caring and overly understanding of the craziness which is my world. My lessons have changed pace, depending on how my life is going and she easily accommodates. She is able to flawlessly adapt her training technique from elementary to an adult curriculum- at the pace that I personally need. Believe me, there are some days when I need a gold star, and she knows it! I'm feeling more and more confident with each passing month. For anyone considering, the wait-list for Karen is worth the wait!
-Ann
Ms. Lauffer is an excellent teacher. While her forte is violin, she has improved my cello technique, quality and interpretation through skillful observation, suggestion and demonstration. I have had two other cello instructors, both life-long professional cellists; however, Ms. Lauffer significantly improved my performance, pointing out details and helpful fundamentals not covered by previous instructors.
Ms. Lauffer tailors her approach to students as individuals and in groups. I am 72 years old and an intermediate level cellist. My granddaughter is ten and now a super motivated beginning violinist. We have both grown in our love of music and our instruments under Ms. Lauffer's tutelage. Her energetic enthusiasm for music and her students are contagious, keeping us interested and progressing.
-James
-Jane (Maddie, Catie and Mickey's mom)
My son, Andrew was 7.5 year old when he started learning how to play the violin with Karen. We can neither force 7.5 year old boy to do something nor expect him to do something all by himself. In this regard, we were very much impressed by Karen’s “encouragement-based” teaching style as well as her patience! Karen is definitely not an easy-going instructor at all – She always sets the learning goals far beyond what Andrew can easily achieve. However, Karen keeps pulling him from the front, pushing him from the back, and sometimes walking with Andrew side-by-side. Thanks to her restless efforts, Andrew was able to join Concert Strings in Front Range Youth Symphony Orchestra after one-year of lessons, and then became the concertmaster of his orchestra in the following year. Karen is not teaching Andrew how to simply convert the written music notes to the violin sounds. She is rather helping Andrew generate the “music” out of the black dots and sticks drawn on white papers! Andrew has a dream (with the violin) that is to become the fastest violin player of “Flight of The Bumblebee”. Andrew and Karen are working together every week to make Andrew’s dream come true someday!
-Andrew's Mom
"Karen has been teaching my daughter Kaelyn, 9 yrs old, how to play the violin for almost 2 years now. I am amazed at how quickly Kaelyn has learned from Karen! Karen advances Kaelyn to the next step at a pace that is appropriate for Kaelyn's age and her level of playing. She is very patient and has great methods for teaching kids how to learn rhythm and notes. When Kaelyn becomes frustrated, Karen is compassionate and very encouraging. I can't imagine having a better instructor for violin than Karen!"
-Ken, father of Kaelyn who is a Suzuki student
"Karen, my music teacher, is THE BEST music teacher I have ever had! She is excellent at playing the violin. Also, she has a great personality and is fun to be around. She is very good at giving you feedback and giving me help with my music."
-Erin, age 13
"It is often said that the foundation of teaching is the art of building human relationships. Karen's ability to build a relationship with my daughter has driven her to grow exponentially, she has a renewed love of the violin. With Karen's help Erin has begun exploring new techniques and expanded her music choices. She is always anxious for lessons to start and begs me to be early every week. Her enthusiasm to please Karen have increased her desire to practice hours a day."
-Erin's Mom
"Karen Lauffer was one of the best private teachers I had. She cares about all of her students and wishes for them all to succeed. She encourages them to try challenging pieces of music to increase their skill level. When I had lessons, we would work on a piece and then all of her students would participate in a recital, showing off our hard work. If I had not taken lessons with her, I'd have no idea where I would be in my musical career and what my skill level would be. If it weren't for Karen, I wouldn't have considered in pursuing music as a career. I thank her for all the help she has given me."
-Katelyn, violin performance major at Sunderman Conservatory
"Working with Karen has been one of the most positive and inspirational experiences I've had as a long-time student of music. She actively engages with your performance interests to create a highly individual approach to technique training and expressive playing that every violinist could benefit from. Highly recommended indeed!"
- Jess, music composition major at University of Colorado, Boulder
"Karen Lauffer took me on as a student when I was 16, a very beginner. In the 2 years I took lessons from her, I was inspired to truly appreciate classical music, and she opened my eyes up to how rewarding and gratifying learning an instrument can be. The performance opportunities she gave me at her studio recitals was very valuable; I got experience playing in front of a group of people as well as a great boost of confidence and focus. Karen inspired me to pursue a career in music just like her, and now as a public school and private lesson teacher in music, I can't thank her enough!"
-Stacey, graduated from I.U.P. with a degree in music education. Currently teaching orchestra in a public school.
I am so pleased that I found Karen to instruct my 11 yr old daughter, Emma, on the violin/fiddle. When deciding on Karen, my ultimate decision came down to the connection she was able to make with my daughter in just a 30 minute trial lesson. My daughter came out of the lesson beaming and said, “she’s the one – I think we should have my lessons with her!”
Karen has reassured my daughter through difficult musical times and has encouraged her to aim high– Karen prepared Emma for her Front Range Youth Symphony audition over several months. Emma was pleased when she was awarded a spot in the first section of this youth symphony program – while I feel my daughter has some natural talent, I doubt she would have been awarded first section without Karen’s guidance, instruction, and encouragement.
In searching for instructors, I wanted an instructor who could also encourage Emma’s interest in fiddle. However, I didn’t want two separate teachers and thus two separate lessons. We lucked out with Karen as she is an accomplished fiddler and has really been stoking my daughter’s interest in bluegrass,traditional folk, and celtic music.
I can’t say enough kind words about Karen and her ability to connect with kids and help kids connect with their music. My daughter has said several times, “I want to stick with Karen as my violin teacher all the way through middle school, high school, and college!” Karen has been a great role model and instructor for my daughter.
- Emma's (12 years old) mom
We are very fortunate to have Karen teach our 9 year old son how to play the Violin. He started when he was 7 and has progressed immensely. Our friends, family and we are amazed at how well Ryan is playing in such a short time. Karen finds ways to correct issues in a way that Ryan understands and according to his capability. Ryan enjoys going to class and practicing at home because of her enthusiasm and good demeanor. She is a five out of five stars instructor in our opinion and would encourage anyone that is seeking a Violin or music instructor in general to look no further.
- Ryan's mom
I started seeing Karen in August of 2012. As an adult, full time Employee, Mother, Wife, and a Student in College- I wasn't sure how well my cello adventure was going to go. I had always wanted to play, but had never had the appropriate resources aka an instructor- until Karen. Karen has been amazing. She is patient, caring and overly understanding of the craziness which is my world. My lessons have changed pace, depending on how my life is going and she easily accommodates. She is able to flawlessly adapt her training technique from elementary to an adult curriculum- at the pace that I personally need. Believe me, there are some days when I need a gold star, and she knows it! I'm feeling more and more confident with each passing month. For anyone considering, the wait-list for Karen is worth the wait!
-Ann
Ms. Lauffer is an excellent teacher. While her forte is violin, she has improved my cello technique, quality and interpretation through skillful observation, suggestion and demonstration. I have had two other cello instructors, both life-long professional cellists; however, Ms. Lauffer significantly improved my performance, pointing out details and helpful fundamentals not covered by previous instructors.
Ms. Lauffer tailors her approach to students as individuals and in groups. I am 72 years old and an intermediate level cellist. My granddaughter is ten and now a super motivated beginning violinist. We have both grown in our love of music and our instruments under Ms. Lauffer's tutelage. Her energetic enthusiasm for music and her students are contagious, keeping us interested and progressing.
-James
