Studio History

Mrs. Pat’s Cello Studio (Studio History pdf) is a small, classical cello performing arts studio providing one-on-one, private instruction for student beginners, maintained by Patricia R. Bastis (see professional biography).  The mission of the studio is to help each student find and develop their “inner cellist”, while having a great time doing it!  Ergonomics, which make playing cello easier, are at the heart of Mrs. Pat’s studio instruction and are a key differentiator from many other cello teachers and music instruction studios.

Teaching and music are in Mrs. Pat’s blood: her mom was a singer and elementary school teacher and her two sisters played instruments and became teachers.  Mrs. Pat started her studio after retiring from her 19-year career as a cellist with the Honolulu Symphony.  During her symphony years, Mrs. Pat led a Symphony ensemble providing classical music outreach to the elementary schools on all Hawaiian Islands. Since then, Mrs. Pat has taught one-on-one, private lessons to approximately 200 students over 23 years of studio instruction.

Mrs. Pat is passionate about helping her students build a solid life foundation through the sometimes difficult, but ultimately rewarding, process of discovering their “inner cellist.”  Keeping her studio small allows Mrs. Pat to work with no more than one student per day, providing each student with the time they need during and after each scheduled lesson.  Starting their cello instruction with Mrs. Pat allows a student to avoid the physical and musical difficulties of teaching by a non-cellist (Mrs. Pat’s first teacher was a trombone player).  Mrs. Pat also brings the ergonomic learning passed to her by her university instructor, Janos Starker, one of the top 20 best cellists world-wide of all time.  Specifically, Mrs. Pat emphasizes the importance of balance and focus of motion while playing cello.

When her students are ready (usually years), and for those that are interested, Mrs. Pat “passes” the teacher baton to the “next level” instructor (assisting the parents and students with that choice).  The result of Mrs. Pat’s time-tested studio approach for student beginners is happy parents and students, some of whom are now pursuing careers such as professional cellist, cello teacher, criminologist, nurse, and engineer.  Read Mrs. Pat’s (Student Testimonials) and (Parent Testimonials).

Mrs. Pat is a member of the Music Teachers National Association, Clark County (Washington) chapter.