My name is Erica Garcia and I have been playing cello for over five years. When I was three years old, I started taking piano lessons at a Suzuki school. I loved playing piano and continued with several teachers and advanced rapidly. In 2012, I was a winner at Concert Festival and performed a Bach minuet on an old Steinway concert grand at a recital in New York City. I was very excited and very nervous. In third grade, my parents discussed playing an instrument in school and I chose cello. In February of my third grade year, my dad came home with a cello and my parents showed me how to hold it and how to play a scale. After a week, I figured out how to play the Star Spangled Banner from watching the Olympics. By the next year, I started to perform piano and cello with my piano teacher accompanyng me at recitals. Shortly after, I stopped taking piano to pursue cello more seriously.
As I continued to work at cello and
continued to advance through
middle school. At this time, I have received a NYSSMA score of
100 on both my level 5 and level 6 solos and play cello in an orchestra
for young musicians outside of school. Additionally, I have won
two concerto competitions and have soloed twice with an
orchestra. All this before entering high school! Over the past
few years, I have listened to younger students work on their NYSSMA
solos and I believe they would benefit if they had a chance to hear an
advanced student play them. Some students work on their NYSSMA solos
without the help of a private music teacher and some students need a
little help between lesson I created this website for aspiring
young musicians and their parents who would like some assistance when
preparing their NYSSMA solos. I hope you find my website
helpful and informative as you
continue your own journey through music.
Good luck to you!
~Erica Garcia
Erica is a cello student of George Dewar, past teachers include
Brittney Dagro and Carole Purdy, she has been selected to play in
All-County and Long Island String Festivals. She also has
been a member of The Gemini Youth Orchestra, where she has performed
with the String, Philharmonia and Youth Symphony. She has won the
Gemini Youth Orchestra's concerto competition for the String and the
Philharmonia orchestras where she was featured as a soloist two years
running. Erica has also participated in the USDAN summer shool of
the arts for three years where she received additional instruction with
Susan Lehr, and performed under the direction of Susan Witmar, Adam
Glaser, Vincent Liondi and Kageki Nagao. She has served as
section leader in her elementary and middle school orchestras where she
has consistnatly hold the position of section leader of the various
orchestras in the school.