Layla M. — Cello Teacher — Downtown Montreal, Montreal

Layla Morris grew up in Hinesburg, Vermont, where she began playing the cello at the age of three. She recently completed her BM in cello performance from Oberlin Conservatory as a student of Darrett Adkins. While at Oberlin, Layla also received minors in creative writing and baroque cello/viola da gamba as a student of Rebecca Landell. She is currently pursuing her masters degree in cello performance at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, under the tutelage of Brian Manker. Layla has participated in music festivals, received performance scholarships, and performed as a soloist with various organizations throughout Vermont and New England, including the New England Music Festival and the Vermont Philharmonic. During the summers, Layla has studied at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, Kinhaven Music School, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Chautauqua Institution, and NOI+F. Layla was selected to travel to Carnegie Hall with the Oberlin Orchestra in January 2023. She has served as principal cello of Oberlin Orchestra and the Oberlin Baroque Orchestra, and she has participated in Oberlin’s Advanced Quartet Seminar. In January 2024, Layla traveled to Uruguay as part of an Oberlin Winter Term project where she taught, performed, and collaborated with local musicians. When not playing cello or gamba, Layla enjoys skiing, biking, writing poetry, and choral singing.

I offer private lessons on cello, baroque cello, or viola da gamba. I am comfortable with beginner through intermediate/advanced students on all three instruments. My teaching philosophy is heavily based on the Suzuki method, but I believe that each student requires a unique and holistic approach. I integrate music theory and history concepts in my lessons in addition to cello technique and musicianship skills. While I consider the skill of playing a musical instrument and being familiar with different types of music to be highly valuable, I believe more importantly that skills developed in private music lessons can be applied with great success to all areas of life. Learning to be passionate, flexible, and self-motivated are just some of the benefits that learning an instrument can teach a person of any age. I believe in getting to know my students as whole people and coming to a mutual understanding about their specific goals for learning the instrument. Having fun, of course, is always my top priority!