With Miss Mo's guidance I developed the technical foundation to attend the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She inspired tenacity, persistence, commitment, and high standards, all of which I will use in whatever I choose to pursue in life. Miss Mo has played a huge role in my development and I will forever be grateful for her.
~Avery
Miss Mo has been more than a cello teacher in the last 5 years. She has been a mentor and an advocate: encouraging, teaching, inspiring, protecting and supporting our daughter to be both herself, and to strive for her best. She is the first teacher to have really taken such a sincere and rigorous interest in our child. As a parent of a young musician, I find Miss Mo to be very open and generous with her time to talk and strategize when questions or challenges arise. In short, we are very lucky to have found her.
~Carla
Miss Mo is an excellent music teacher, but even more, she is clearly committed to her students, and has nourished a strong passion for cello and for achieving excellence in our daughter.
~Aaron
My students who worked with Maureen Caisse were filled with an enthusiasm to reach for a high level of achievement on their instruments. A love for the cello and music set the tone for the collaborative, focused lessons. The skills that the students developed in just nine months is a testament to the love of practice that Maureen inspires in her students. Her guidance from rehearsals to the stage is masterful.
~Tim Allen,
Class teacher Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm
Mo's teaching is what my daughter looks forward to each week. Mo challenges her students to strive for excellence which requires hard work. Coupled with humor and connection along the way, the payoff is huge. For a child who yearns to dive deeply into music, I highly recommend Mo.
~Jennifer
Maureen Caisse is an excellent teacher. She is a highly skilled musician with an extensive knowledge of music theory who knows how to awaken and inspire a deep love of music in her students. My daughter initially approached her lessons timidly after having struggled previously in becoming engaged in her at-home practice with other teachers. Since beginning lessons with Maureen, I am amazed at the sense of dedication and commitment that she now shows in her relationship to practicing her cello.
~Molly
Miss Mo has inspired my love of cello and music. Her support and practice methods have helped me stay focused even when I feel like it's too hard to continue. Cello will always be a part of my life.
~CW, age 14
Our son has been guided and inspired by Miss Mo's very disciplined approach to teaching. Not only does she have the finest technical skills, she also understands the emotional components of being a musician. She draws the best out of each student. We have had beautiful music in our house for the past four years and know that music will be a lifelong gift to our son.
~ Patricia
On December 18, 2011, I walked into People's Music in Sebastopol to purchase a harmonica for my grandson's Christmas gift and walked out with a harmonica, a rented cello, and Maureen's phone number. I have always dreamed of playing the cello and decided that day at the age of 58 that it's never too late.
On January 6, 2012, I had my first lesson and six years later I'm still her student. I had taken piano lessons as a child for about a year and have sung in choirs most of my life, so I had the advantage of having some basic knowledge of music theory. The first few lessons included how to hold the cello, how to hold the bow (how to stop gripping it with all of my might!) how to tune, etc.... a lot of preparation involved in playing the cello. I was ecstatic the first time I was finally able to play a simple song. I think Maureen was just as pleased with my accomplishment as an adult student as she would have been had I been 7 years old.
Sometimes the frustration as an adult student is the fact that you know how the music should sound and Maureen is always there to remind me how far I've come and encourages me to keep practicing until I get the sound I'm looking for. Starting a musical instrument at this age has been quite the journey and continues to be an exciting challenge! Thank you Maureen....looking forward to many more years as your student.
~Debby
As an adult beginner, I was intimidated searching for a teacher because I have a very busy life and can be hard on myself for what I consider to be the slow speed of learning by my aging brain! Then I found Miss Mo's beginning cello for adults class! It was fabulous! I was with a bunch of adults trying to learn a new instrument together, and having fun doing it. Now I'm taking private lessons with Mo and loving them.
Mo has been a thoughtful and encouraging guide to me. I very much appreciate her patience, flexibility and sense of humor. My lessons are fun and inspiring. She challenges me to be better than I think I am and boosts my confidence when I need it. She has created a warm family of students who are always friendly and welcoming. Her love for playing the cello is contagious. I feel very fortunate to have found such an accomplished musician to teach me to play the cello. Thanks to Maureen Caisse, I am realizing a childhood dream!
~Carol Ellis