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Dr. Janelle Ragno and Dr. Andrew Luchkow, Cello Instructors

Janelle Ragno, DMA

Andrew Luchkow, DMA

Cellists & Cello Instructors In Vancouver, BC

Our Story

Our Story

We are married cellists and private cello teachers in Vancouver, BC. We’ve lived here since 2008, having moved from Austin, TX where we met while studying cello performance and pedagogy in graduate school.

Dr. Janelle Ragno and Dr. Andrew Luchkow are cello teachers in Vancouver who offer cello lessons to students of all ages and abilities. 
Janelle Ragno, DMA

Janelle Ragno, DMA

Janelle Ragno started playing the cello entirely by accident at the age of ten in the public school system; she was put in the wrong class, discovered the cello, and then just kept playing it until someone handed her a doctorate in cello performance.

Andrew Luchkow, DMA

Andrew Luchkow, DMA

An experienced cellist of solo, chamber and orchestral music, Andrew Luchkow lives in Vancouver BC where he teaches private cello lessons, runs the orchestra program at St. Jude School, and performs in and around Metro Vancouver…

Lessons

Cello Lessons

• Centrally located in Vancouver

• For students ages 4 to adult

• For absolute beginners to budding professionals

Our Approach

We are both passionate about teaching/pedagogy and helping our students to develop comfortable and efficient cello technique that results in masterful cello playing. We’re also passionate about doing this within a joyful, respectful, and objective environment while acknowledging our students’ interests, motivations, and learning strengths/challenges.

We don’t share students, but we do bring them together for three recitals per year, and other occasional events. We help students prepare for auditions, festival competitions and RCM exams, and we also assist students in finding a musical community through local amateur/youth orchestras and chamber music groups. We also host occasional cello groups where we play multi-part music.

STUDENTS SAY

Students Say

“You did excellent work turning our daughter into a real musician. You let her emotion and musical playing shine through while steadily improving technique over the years. She’s very ready now to go on to the college level.” – Father of NP, 18

“I think Andrew really inspires me to work harder by teaching me new methods of playing and practicing music. What I like best about my cello lessons is that he lets me explore new music. I think it has had an effect on my playing ability because some part of me wants to sound that good.” – JJ, 10

Honours

Our students often participate in festivals, orchestras, chamber groups, competitions, and performance exams. Check out our Honours Page to read about some of their accomplishments.

FAQs

Is my child ready to start lessons? OR Is it too late for me (an adult beginner with no previous music experience)?

Some children can begin lessons on a string instrument as young as 3 years old! By the time they are about 6 years old, however, most children are ready to start playing a string instrument. The student should show interest in playing the cello, be able to sit still and focus on a teacher for a few minutes at a time, be able to take direction and have developed their fine motor skills (such as using a pencil or scissors). If you’re an adult who is just beginning to play an instrument then congratulations! It’s never too late to start. In fact, one of our favorite books is Never Too Late by John Holt, a man who began playing the cello at age forty. On a side note, his book How Children Learn is also a fantastic read and delves into the minds of young children as they naturally learn from the world around them.

Andrew Luchkow

604-376-6465

luchkow@gmail.com

Janelle Ragno

604-657-5456

janelle.ragno@gmail.com