Tokyo Kunito Int’l String School | Violin Lesson!
School Detail Info!
Kunito Int’l String School (KISS)
Faculty: Kunito Nishitani (Bio/Profile)
Seibu-Ikebukuro line. 5min. from Shakujikoen station
Kunito Int’l Violin & Viola School Specialties
1. Flexible lesson schedule
2. Preparation for auditions, competitions, and examinations for music schools
3. Both English and Japanese lessons are available
4. Student Recitals are available once or twice a year
*The Viola lesson system is used by American Suzuki System. In Japan, unfortunately, we do not have a good Viola education system because we normally start taking lessons from the violin. However, Kunito Viola School imports American Suzuki Viola education system from the U.S, so you can take wonderful viola lessons as if you take the viola lessons in the U.S!
Voices of students / parents
☆“My family lived in Tokyo, Japan, from 2013-2020. During that time, our teenaged son（A）
OPEN☆“My family lived in Tokyo, Japan, from 2013-2020. During that time, our teenaged son, Christian, was taught by Kuni.
Kuni had a wonderful way of connecting with Christian and suggesting just the right pieces for him to learn. He really understands the heart of his students and has a caring and winsome way of reaching, stretching and encouraging them. He adapts his teaching style to the personality and needs of each student. And, always with a smile and lots of genuine laughter. He was not only Christian’s violin instructor, he also became his mentor and friend.
Kuni founded and conducts an orchestra in which both Christian, and our daughter, Victoria, a cellist, participated. It was comprised of international members and being part of that orchestra family was a real joy and delight.
Kuni is a dynamic, creative, kind, caring and generous-hearted violin instructor and musician. I thank God for the wonderful blessing that he was to our family!”
Warm regards to you and your family, dear Kuni.(A)
☆I started playing the violin as an adult about two years ago. When I moved to Tokyo from America,,, (K)
OPEN☆I started playing the violin as an adult about two years ago. When I moved to Tokyo from America, I was looking for a violin teacher to continue my lessons with, but I was nervous about meeting a new teacher. That’s why I feel incredibly lucky to have found Kuni. From our very first lesson together, I felt that I had found a teacher I could trust and respect. He is always very positive and encouraging, but also very professional and thorough in his teaching method. I look forward to my lesson every week, and I know I have improved a lot in these past months thanks to his teaching and encouragement. Playing the violin is so much more enjoyable with a great teacher, and I just wish I had met Kuni sooner!(K)
☆When we moved to Tokyo from Australia I was looking for a fluent english speaker to teach Viola /Violin to my children and,,(M)
OPEN☆When we moved to Tokyo from Australia I was looking for a fluent english speaker to teach Viola /Violin to my children and I have been so lucky to find Kuni!
Kuni teaches Violin to my daughter age 6 and Viola to my son aged 9.
I can highly recommend him . He is a talented musician as well as a brilliant and motivational teacher. He has encouraged and inspired both my children in their music and they have already learnt a huge amount from their lessons with him.
Kuni makes the lessons full of fun and energy and my children always look forward to them. Above all , he exhibits a passion and enthusiasm for music that is transmitted to his pupils and all those around him.
☆As far as I know, Prof. Nishitani is the BEST educator of the violin and the viola in Japan. He is very positive and,, (I)
OPEN☆As far as I know, Prof. Nishitani is the BEST educator of the violin and the viola in Japan. He is very positive and commends everything his students have worked on during the lessons. At the same time he teaches his students seriously and positively for all improvements that need to be made. He is not a “second grade businesslike violin teacher”. Mr. Nishitani is a serious EDUCATOR of the violin/viola pedagogy. I strongly recommend anyone who wants to study the violin or viola seriously to take lessons from him. (I)
☆I was very pleased with the lessons from Kuni. He is very artist and expressive and,,（L）
OPEN☆I was very pleased with the lessons from Kuni. He is very artist and expressive and challenged me to translate my musical abilities into playing even the most simple tunes with that same technical ability. His teaching methods are very versatile. He was able to adapt to my needs and my goals and always encouraged me to put in effort when I was practicing at home. Overall, I believe that anyone regardless of age or experience level will find Kuni to be a very talented, competent teacher.（L）
☆As a child I played the violin for a number of years,(M）
OPEN☆As a child I played the violin for a number of years, but I slowly lost interest and stopped playing during my 20s. During my early 30s I moved to Tokyo and I decided that I needed a hobby to keep myself busy, so I decided to pick up the violin again. I soon realised that I needed a teacher to help me with my technique and that is when I found Kunito sensei. I hadn’t played in front of anyone for a long time so I was very nervous when I first met him. It can be difficult to learn again as an adult, but, fortunately for me, I had found a teacher who was very patient and kind. He also has a great sense of humour and we always enjoy many laughs throughout our lessons. Of course, I have learnt many things from him, too. Kunito has a great depth of knowledge and is very effective at communicating different approaches to violin technique. My time studying with Kunito has opened up many different opportunities that I would not have experienced otherwise. Thanks to his encouragement, I even joined Shakujii International Orchestra. I am very happy to have found such a great teacher. （M）
☆I joined Nishitani Sensei’s violin lessons about 2 years ago.（T）
OPEN☆I joined Nishitani Sensei’s violin lessons about 2 years ago. At first, I was nervous about Japanese as well as the lesson it self. But he is very nice and tries to teach many different ways when I don’t understand. He is also able to teach in English which is a great help.
So it turned out to be a really good decision to learn from him!（T）
My teaching philosophy
The most important part of my teaching philosophy is that I believe in being positive and enthusiastic.
I look for student improvement first, and not their mistakes. I also believe in working with the “whole” student―which includes more than just their musical skills.
I try to listen and understand where students are coming from, and I offer advice to them if needed.
I care about the school, personal, social, and family parts of their lives, in addition to their musical or educational life. To assess where to start with students, I ask them first to play what they can, whether it is a simple scale, a piece, or a concerto.
I diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of the students’ playing skills and musical understandings, and follow this by discussing goals with the student―What does the student wish to learn and accomplish? How dedicated will the student be in practicing? Is the student aiming for a professional career in music or only for personal enjoyment? Then the student and I work out a mutual plan to help the student advance in his or her goals, and together we work on this plan carefully and positively.
This philosophy works well with my students and results in long-lasting musical collaborations and friendships!
