"Dr. Sophie Webber is not only an exceptional cellist, but a professional, highly experienced, and patient educator.
Dr. Webber always puts students first and really devotes herself to cultivate the most significant potential of a student with the most effective and cordial way possible. Along with the wonderful journey of taking lessons with her as well as many opportunities of attending studio recitals and participating in given challenges, Dr. Webber always offers the most helpful feedback that guides the student to achieve her of his goals.
Since I was a kid, I've worked with four piano teachers and one violin teacher. I continued studying music in college and have worked with multiple teachers/professors at the university. Most of them were great teachers, but my absolute honest opinion is that Dr. Webber is by far the most brilliant and amiable educator of music I've ever encountered. I couldn't recommend Dr. Webber more to any student who holds the aspiration of becoming an outstanding and well-rounded cellist/musician. No matter if you've just picked up the cello, or you've already at an intermediate to advanced level and seeking to bring your craft to the next level, Dr. Webber is the one can and will deliver your goal."
-Aaron Wu, San Diego, CA
​
"I have been a student of Dr. Sophie Webber's for approximately year. I am an adult and have been playing the cello for several years. I have taken lessons from other cello teachers, whom which I have no complaints. But ever since I started with Dr. Webber, I feel my playing has improved so much.
Immediately, she corrected several things that I had been doing for years that no one else had mentioned. She is also patient, encouraging and very knowledgeable . I have had so many comments and compliments on how my playing has improved since taking her lessons. I highly recommend her!"
-Ines Mondragon, San Diego, CA
"When my daughter first started lessons with Dr. Sophie, she had been playing for two years in her school orchestra without any private lessons. She came home one day from a school orchestra clinic and raved about Dr. Sophie who was the clinic instructor. We scheduled a one on one to see if we were a good fit for her studio and we have been there ever since. That was a little over a year ago and since then, my daughter, now 15, has blossomed. Dr. Sophie's recitals are building her confidence and teaching her to play through pieces. Her practice challenges have taught her what consistent practice can achieve. When the MTAC test came around, she worked so hard with my daughter to help her understand music theory (something she hadn't learned in school). She works off of the strengths of the students and encourages them when she sees them struggle. Through Dr. Sophie's patience, persistence and so much kindness, she has not only helped improve my daughter's cello playing, she has also helped improve her self esteem.
Dr. Sophie is a wonderful teacher who goes above and beyond for her students and she is also an amazing cellist."
-Cecilia Kelleher, San Diego, CA
"Excellent teacher. Dr. Webber is professional, knowledgeable, talented and kind. She is a high quality teacher that can help a student truly blossom and continue to move to higher levels. Highly recommended."
-Sophie Haimsohn, San Diego, CA
"Dr Sophie Webber has been teaching my son (12) for close to two years. She has a great rapport with students of all ages, and uses a mix of Suzuki materials and methods with other repertoire, scale studies, and theory. My son says he likes studying with her “because she makes me want to be a better student, and gives me lots of feedback on how to improve.” I like that she presents practice challenges and organizes high-level recitals to give the students opportunities to perform to audiences regularly.
My son’s improvement in technique, musicality, and sight-reading has been staggering in the relatively short time he’s been part of her studio. I can’t recommend Dr Sophie enough for cellists who truly desire to be excellent musicians."
​
-Andy McRory, San Diego, CA
​
“Sophie is very professional and definitely worth the rate. She took the time to thoroughly assess whether this would be a good match and that's important to me. Can't wait to see where she takes me with the cello!”
-LaToya Zavala, San Diego, CA
​
“Sophie taught Suzuki group lessons for my 11 year old son for the past year. The group was made up of three children playing primarily in Suzuki book 7. Sophie turned the weekly hour into a unique time for the kids to explore elements of music theory, improvisation, and chamber music. The lessons were creative, fun, and time very well spent.
Both of my sons (the younger one in Suzuki book 2) were lucky enough to take lessons from Sophie over the past summer. She gave clear instructions for work at home, and helped each boy, on his own level, to focus on cello technique, musicality, and home practice approaches.
For four days over the summer, Sophie taught my older son and another student in an intensive four hour daily course, during which they each prepared a piece for performance. My son was also excited to share a 5 layer recording of himself playing a familiar pop tune, with harmony, bass line, and percussion -the culmination of lessons in improvising harmonies and playing as part of a group.
We (my sons and I) cannot recommend Sophie highly enough. We will miss her in Chicago!”
-Dr. Stacy Raviv, Chicago, IL
​
“Dr. Webber provided cello instruction for my young daughter for 2 years. She was incredible. She had the kindness and patience to work with a 5-7 year old, but also the demand for excellence that propelled my daughter into a successful young cellist. Under Dr. Webber’s guidance, my daughter progressed through the Suzuki books, learned shifting positions, scales, and important technique, while also having fun playing the blues and other styles. My daughter always left her lessons with a smile on her face and a desire to keep working hard. Dr. Webber created achievable, manageable goals and offered praise when deserved. She cared deeply about my child’s success and happiness. We could not have asked for a better cello teacher.”
-Priya Valenti, Chicago, IL
“For the past 2 years, Sophie has been an amazing teacher for my 7 year old daughter. Finding a super teacher was not easy for me, as I am also a professional cellist and teacher, so my standards are quite high! Since I didn’t want to teach my own child, I needed to find the BEST. Sophie can teach any age brilliantly as I have seen from observing her studio. A great teacher has more than patience and knowledge of different sorts of training (Suzuki method vs traditional). It’s the ability to combine them all, make it fun, and have the technique to be able to make sure students learn it the right way the first time that is priceless. She is also an incredible performer!”
-Ellen Frolichstein, Chicago, IL
​
“I studied cello with Dr. Webber for a total of 6.5 years, spanning from my undergraduate degree through the first year of my graduate studies. Over the time we worked together, she taught me not just how to play the cello with proper technique and tone, but showed me how to appreciate the inner beauty of music and truly explore what I enjoy about music and how it affects my life. From the youngest beginner to the graduate level professional, Dr. Webber’s comprehensive understanding of music and warm, cheerful demeanor makes her the perfect choice for anyone seeking to improve his or her cello playing or overall musicianship. In her you will find a great teacher, excellent mentor, and even better friend.”
-Nathan Rhodes, Chicago, IL
​
“Sophie is an excellent musician and teacher. She is patient with students, both adult (myself included) and children. Sophie gives clear and concise instructions/examples on how to improve your playing and make one as “comfortable” as possible with the instrument. Her guidance and help is invaluable.”
-Marlene Hersh, Chicago, IL
“I had Sophie Webber as my cello teacher for two years, and I’d say that she has done an outstanding job teaching. If you’re looking for a teacher that can teach you a lot of new things, then I’d suggest her.”
-Seorin Park, Chicago, IL
​
“Dr. Webber is a fantastic teacher. Not only is she an extremely talented cellist, she is also passionate about music. Regardless of a student’s skill level, I would highly recommend her to anyone who is interested in taking private lessons. I have played for nearly 20 years and have had many teachers; I can truly say that Dr. Webber is most exceptional.”
-Colin Schorcsh, Lake Forest, IL
“I had a wonderful experience working with Dr. Webber! She was incredibly helpful as an instructor and was able to help me progress as a cellist, and a musician.”
-Danny Lopez, Lake Forest, IL
“Our son was a beginning cello student with Sophie Webber. Due to a relocation she could no longer be our son’s teacher. She is a great teacher who we cannot recommend highly enough. Her lessons are focused on developing excellence, but relaxed enough for children to have fun. She makes the effort to figure out what the child’s goals are vis a vis the cello, and then she builds upon that. She is also a very accomplished cellist herself and our family was very fortunate to see her in concert. This personal connection with a professional musician helped broaden our son’s perspective about what it means to study the cello.”
-Lauren Johnson, Chicago, IL
“My 12 year old daughter was principal cellist in a Chicago youth orchestra and studied with Dr. Webber for only a few months. They bonded instantly! Dr. Webber is an excellent teacher and I highly recommend her. We are sad to see her go.”
-Janie Song, Chicago, IL
“I met Sophie almost two years ago when my family arrived in Chicago and I was looking for a Suzuki cello teacher for my daughter, Eloise. As well as being a violin Suzuki teacher (and former colleague of Sophie at the Music Institute of Chicago), I am a mother of 3 girls who all play instruments. My family and I moved from France to Chicago two years ago to gain a new and foreign experience. I was particularly interested in observing how the Suzuki music method is taught in the US. Teaching and pedagogy have always been passions of mine.
On first meeting Sophie, Eloise didn’t really understand and speak English. To move for a new teacher wasn’t simple for Eloise and she had very much loved her previous teacher in France. In spite of these difficulties, Sophie immediately knew how to teach Eloise and how to smooth the transition between Eloise’s previous teacher’s style and her own teaching (and change of language!).
Before coming to Sophie, Eloise, who is now 11 years old, loved playing cello but she wasn’t really excited about technique and posture. Step by step, Sophie has shown Eloise why all these technical things are really important and how it’s improving her sound and playing. In addition increasing Eloise’s understanding of the importance of technique, Sophie always suggested new challenges, such as competitions or concerts or chamber music, and Eloise was thus always motivated. During the last year, Eloise has completed two full books with Sophie (and is now working on Suzuki Book 8). Under Sophie’s guidance, she was also recently accepted into the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Eloise also participated in a little cello ensemble with Sophie; a Suzuki group lesson of sorts, but only for three cellists. Sophie had a lot of ideas on how to make this lesson very interesting and fun (improvisation, chamber music, piano accompaniment, 12 bar blues, harmonic analysis…)
Sophie’s love for teaching and playing cello is contagious, and I have no doubt that any new student will love working with her. Eloise and I wish her the very best in all her future endeavors.”
-Marie Rossot, Chicago, IL
“Sophie was a phenomenal teacher at Lake Forest College. Although I was only her student for 2 years, she pushed me to develop techniques and flourish as a musician. She helped me prepare a recital to show off these new skills and become a performer, rather than just a musician. Overall, Sophie is a wonderful teacher who will show her students the potential they never knew they were able to achieve.”
-Lily Veldran, Lake Forest, IL
“We started working with Sophie a year ago after my son had been playing cello through the school for the two previous years. My son continued both with the school Suzuki program, and supplemented his learning with private lessons from Sophie. In a few short months of working with Sophie my son went from playing notes to playing music. She did a phenomenal job helping him understand how to create wonderful tone with his cello, and how to truly feel the music he was playing. We are very sad Sophie has left the Chicago area as our son wanted to drop his school-based program and continue only with her. Thanks Sophie for helping our child take his cello playing to a whole new level!”
-Teresa Claybrook, Chicago, IL