Tara Elizabeth Linhardt
About
[4.95 rating over 39 reviews from another lesson platform]
I am an award-winning multi-instrumentalist who has had a passion for teaching music for years. I teach Mandolin, Guitar, and Ukulele and theory lessons. I have won many awards for my skills as an instrumentalist and some for songwriting. I began with classical and folk guitar playing as a kid, and then also fell in love with the mandolin as a young adult. I have taken first place in instrumental contests such as at The Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention, the Maury River Fiddler's Convention, Watermelon Park Festival, and The Deer Creek Fiddler's Convention just to name a few. I also have been nominated in multiple years for Washington DC bluegrass instrumentalist of the year. I have performed in Bluegrass, Swing Jazz, Irish, folk, blues, and Himalayan-Appalachian bands, as well as some others. I have not only been working professionally as a performance, recording, and teaching musician over many years, but also am sometimes hired to give talks and presentations on traditional Appalachian music, Himalayan musics, the history of mandolins, etc. I made a documenatry film along with some colleagues on the history and culture of Appalachian and Himalayan musics called The Mountain Music Project as well. I have performed, done screenings, and given lectures and presentations as such places as at National Geographic, The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, The Rubin Museum, Vassar College, and a number of Universities, Arts Organizations, etc. That being said, I am happy to just cut to the chase and help my students learn to just play some tunes, improvise on, and soup-up some songs, or also to incorporate music theory and music history into a lesson if questions arise.
Reviews from Another Lesson Platform
Great initial lesson. Thank
Tara was very nice and the lesson was very clear and good
Tara is awesome!! Knowledgeable and super accessible teaching style and a real depth and breadth of knowledge.
What an awesome lesson!! Really friendly, explained things clearly to me with analogies i actually understood! I wanted to branch out and try a completely different type of music that was out of my comfort zone. She made me feel very comfortable and welcomed. Can't wait for my next lesson.
My journey with Tara as my mandolin teacher has been nothing short of exceptional. Her approach to teaching bluegrass and folk fundamentals is organic and inspiring. Right from the first lesson, I felt her contagious passion for music, igniting a passion for the mandolin. Tara's unique teaching style allowed me to embrace the instrument naturally, encouraging creativity and a profound connection with the music I played. With her guidance, I found myself exploring melodies with a sense of freedom that I wasn't able to approach other instruments with. Throughout our lessons, Tara's communication skills shone brightly. She effortlessly conveyed complex musical concepts in a clear and understandable way. From intricate techniques to the intricacies of bluegrass and folk theory, she patiently guided me through each step, ensuring I truly understood and mastered them. Her ability to adapt the lessons to my learning style made the experience even more rewarding, as I could tackle challenges at my own pace and with her unwavering support. Tara's nurturing and positive teaching environment made all the difference in my progress as a mandolin player. Her genuine care for my growth as a musician made me feel comfortable exploring new territories and making mistakes without fear. Instead of feeling discouraged, I saw each mistake as an opportunity to learn and improve. Tara's encouragement and belief in my abilities pushed me beyond my limits, and I am grateful for the confidence she instilled in me. Through Tara's expert guidance, my passion for bluegrass and folk music has deepened, and I am truly grateful for the invaluable experience she has given me on my mandolin journey.
I just started taking lessons with Tara and it’s been great so far. I did have some guitar knowledge coming in and she had me hit the ground running. I seriously feel like I’ve improved so much with just these few lessons. She provided some scales to work on along with some fun songs to help actually make sense of those scales. And possibly most important, she’s a lot of fun to work with and incredibly knowledgeable in bluegrass music and it’s rich history. If you want to learn flat picking and bluegrass guitar, book with her right now!
I have only had a few lessons with Tara but I really enjoy her method of teaching. She listens to what I would like to accomplish and the kind of music I would like to play and she has already started me on my way of being able to play along with others in a group and concert setting. She also explains music in a way that is very easy to understand.
I highly recommend Tara. She is a wonderful teacher, has printable lessons with each lesson for practice, and teaches at your pace.
I learned more in an hour than I have from a year of online YouTube tutorials. Great lesson and teacher! Highly recommend.
She is great
Worth it!
Great lessons - terrific mix of theory and songs to help improve playing with other.
I have been loving my lessons with Tara! I take mandolin lessons online once a week right after work and they are always such a great way to decompress after the day. Tara's got a great sense of humor and makes our lessons fun while also weaving in music theory fundamentals with tab learning. As a result, I'm having a great time picking and strumming away as I slowly absorb foundational knowledge. It's a great way to start the journey and I'm really happy to have found her!
Purposeful, enthusiastic, knowledgable
Great instructor!
Tara was energetic, friendly, and easy to learn from.
Tara is a wonderful, enthusiastic, and knowledgable teacher! As someone new to mandolin, she quickly broke down the basics and was able to provide me with the foundations of playing bluegrass, blues, jazz, and more on the mandolin. I feel much more confident with my playing because of her and plan to continue coming back to learn more in the future! You'll also be guaranteed to laugh from her jokes, which lightens the struggle of learning an instrument : )
In just 2 of 5 lessons, I am already better. Tara has helped me build some basic chord theory and knowledge that I never understood as a G, C, D guitarist. I have not taken lessons since I was 10 and took piano - at 48, lessons are not so intimidating. Looking forward to learning more!
Tara is a very knowledgeable and easy-going instructor. Her ability to teach theory in bite-sized chunks while keeping the lesson light and fun is extremely commendable. No grad-school music theory textbooks here, just color-coded fun. Her mnemonic devices are also hilarious. 6/5 stars
Great!
The way Tara presents traditional tunes is straightforward and easy to digest, while staying as true to the tune as possible. Super friendly, and really easy to work with.
Pure Awesomeness! Thank you Ms. Tara. Respect.
A gifted teacher and a lovely person. I couldn't ask for more.
Great experience. Got songs and chords, but also technique and cultural info around the various styles.
I’ve only had two lessons so far, but Tara is personable, knowledgeable, and keeps things light and entertaining while still getting the lessons taught.
Great teacher! Precise, patient, playful, inspiring and talented!
My first lesson was great! I am a brand new player and Tara made it very easy to understand. I am very excited to learn more.
Great start. Tara was patient and easy going. I look forward to continuing to work with her in the future.
So much fun. Tara has an infectious attitude for teaching! You can tell she loves it.
Tara is very knowledgeable and really connects well with her students.
Tara is a wonderful teacher. She made me feel comfortable about my short fingers even before we met for my first guitar lesson. She said she was sure she'd get me playing and we'd have some fun, and she was right! She's patient and respectful for where I'm at musically and short fingers and all, I'm finally, after a couple failed attempts at teaching myself, making music with this guitar!
Tara is very warm and patient. My 7-years old daughter (and I) really enjoyed her introduction lessons to Ukulele.
Tara's very knowledgeable about the mandolin and thorough in her teaching. She's also patient and keeps the session light and fun. Looking forward to learning more with her.
Lucky for me that TARA moved to NY when i decided to Take Acoustic Guitar Lessons.She is very Patient & Knowledgeable with Different Music Styles.I have been taking lessons for about a year with good results. Great Teacher & Excellent Musician with Mandolin or Guitar Highly Recommend .
I took mandolin lessons from Tara for about a year and a half, and I can't say enough good things about her. I was a complete beginner when I started with her, and now I feel prepared and comfortable when I play at jams. Tara taught me a wide repertoire of tunes. She taught me ways to play different chords, how to move chords, how different players may use different chords in different styles, how to read guitar chords, how to adapt when guitars use capos, and how to simplify or add chords. She has really good insight on how to start improvising and taking breaks. I think she adapts her teaching to use the technique that will help make the concept make sense to you. She is a lot of fun to learn from, and it is super inspiring to watch her play. Tara is an awesome teacher, and I highly recommend her!
Tara has been teaching our 8 year old Evan Bluegrass guitar for a little over two years. He looked forward to his weekly opportunity to learn and play with Ms. Tara. To watch her interact - educate - and entertain Evan - was just a joy. We are sorry she has left Virginia - impossible to replace - if you get the chance - take it! She is an amazing teacher and a great friend of our Son.
I've been taking lessons from Tara now for the better part of 4 years. She is talented, professional, engaging, knowledgeable, and most importantly, patient. She taught this old dog a lot of new tricks on the Mandolin. I still have a long way to go, but if you are looking for a Mando teacher, this lady is tops in my book. Sorry she left VA, but NY got themselves one good musician and teacher.
Rated this class 5 stars.
Rated this class 5 stars.
Teaching Style
I love teaching music and helping folks get into the fun of playing song and tunes, jamming, improvising, songwriting, doing standards, etc as soon as possible. I like my students to have fun with their lessons as well as learning a lot. I do have a Masters in Education and also have learned a lot of my music in jam session in various types of jams and stage situations over the years in bluegrass, old-time, gypsy jazz, folk, blues, and world music contexts. I have found it best to find and teach the fun in music and after that is established the music theory and repertoire of tunes just follows and is incorporated easily in over time. I have studied different styles of music and I think that has helped my over all playing abilities in all of the genres. I can teach many aspects of music theory of a variety of styles of music but I do not require all my students to have to learn to read music if they do not want to. Some people can do great approaching music from different angles. For some of my teaching I am happy to use tablature, sheet music reading, adding audio recordings, showing folks fingering patterns on the fretboard, and/or whatever will work best in my opinion for a given student given their level, background, and learning style.
Curriculum
I teach each student based on their level and interests and what I think will be the most effective tunes, techniques, and strategies so I do not wed myself to a particular book or text. I do have some resources I can share, or make, or use depending on what we are working on so the students can have something written as well as audio play along recordings that I can custom make for students as we go along. I am happy to help my students reach their musical goals as fast and as fun as possible!
Credentials & Affiliations
Masters Degree in Education from Shenandoah University
Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisonsin, Madison
Member of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)
Member of the DC Bluegrass Association
Member of the Hudson Valley Bluegrass Music Association