Students' Voices:

Tanja Schaible, mother of student Nina Schaible:

Ms. Valentina Gajić-Tirmenstein has been my daughter Nina’s violin teacher since September 2017.
Before working with Ms. Gajić-Tirmenstein, my daughter had already had nine years of violin lessons with another teacher.
Over the past 2 ½ years, Nina has made great progress, thanks to the successful collaboration and strong support from Ms. Gajić-Tirmenstein.
After only a short period of working together (from October 2017 to early January 2018), Nina was able to successfully audition for the "Young Chamber Orchestra Stuttgart" and has since been a regular ensemble member of the Stuttgart City Youth Orchestra.
During the first nine years of violin lessons, Nina never participated in the "Jugend musiziert" competition.
It was only after intensive work with Ms. Gajić-Tirmenstein that she took part in the competition for the first time in 2019 and was awarded a 3rd federal prize.
Ms. Gajić-Tirmenstein has extensive experience working with talented young people. She works very focused and intensively with the student on developing the required pieces of music, while never neglecting technical exercises.
She places great value on a musical and expressive interpretation of the pieces and considers it important that the student also develops their own style.
Ms. Gajić-Tirmenstein brings great commitment and passion to her work. With her many years of experience as a violin teacher and as a soloist, she supports her students in achieving their goals by encouraging concentrated and focused work.
The violin lessons are an intensive and inspiring experience — for both student and teacher.
We are very glad that we saw Ms. Gajić-Tirmenstein’s newspaper advertisement in September 2017 and that she agreed to take Nina on as a student.
Nina is aiming to study violin at a conservatory, and we are confident that with the energetic support of Ms. Gajić-Tirmenstein, she will pass the entrance exams.

Mercedes Senderowicz, violin student:

Valentina is not only a great educator, but above all an outstanding musician.
As a professor of violin, she of course possesses a solid foundation in both practice and theory. But what still surprises me after all these years of taking lessons with her is her enormous repertoire. No matter which piece you work on with her, she knows it inside and out. She not only understands all the technical and musical challenges, but always has a solution for them.
As an adult student, it was important for me to find a teacher who works with me on equal footing – and that’s exactly what I found in Valentina. She helped me rediscover my love for the instrument, takes me seriously, and is genuinely interested in my learning progress.
I started with weak technique and bad habits from my previous violin experience and was incredibly frustrated. With a lot of patience, she helped reorient me, and my progress has been enormous. However, this doesn’t come without a significant amount of self-initiative. Valentina expects regular practice and serious work on one’s own skills.
Anyone who is eager to learn and willing to commit to learning this beautiful instrument is in the right hands with Valentina. She works seriously and diligently for the success of her students without ever forgetting the joy, lightness, and passion for music – and you can feel that in every single lesson.