I have taken lessons with Erik for almost five months and cannot say enough good things about my experience. He is a kind and patient teacher who is somehow able to pinpoint exactly what I need to work on each week in a way that is encouraging, appropriately challenging, but not overwhelming. He provides direct, honest feedback and I know a "good job" from him really means something. In addition to being a gifted teacher, he is a stunning musician (check out his YouTube!) and a funny, smart, engaging human. The 30 minutes I spend at his studio each week is honestly the highlight of my week...highly highly recommend! read more

Honestly the best violin teacher I could possibly imagine. Patient, experienced, an amazing player with top notch understanding of the instrument and relevant music theory. Makes it super easy to understand/learn, very well priced for what he's worth, and a pleasure to talk to. I wish every teacher I'd ever had was this good, and I'm loathe to give up the spot but I'll be moving out of state. I'd send anybody I know here to learn string instruments. You won't regret it even if you're on his wait list for 6 months. read more

Erik is the Michael Jordan of Violin Instruction, wait does that even make sense? I guess he would be the Phil Jackson of the scenario. Regardless of your previous interaction with the violin, Erik has the knowledge and experience to be the perfect guide. The lesson is filled to the brim with too notch information, in digestible chunks, to then take home and process. Lessons are punctual to get both in and out. The studio is gorgeous. Tuition competitive and what else can I say? We couldn't feel more fortunate and grateful to be under his wing. read more

As a former professional musician/performance major I am in a unique position to review Erik. The short: Erik is fun, funny, efficient, knowledgeable, has a beard and long hair. You will progress as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort but he will teach you something nearly all of my teachers/professors/instructors have failed to do: how to practice. The long: I dropped out of college my senior year as a viola performance major in 1999. I haven't touched my viola since then, and have recently been looking for instructors in my area. Nearly everyone I contacted downright turned me down due to my unique situation, but Erik was willing to meet with me to see if we would be a good fit. He offers a free first lesson so that worked out nicely. He was able to quickly and accurately diagnose some of my problems and by the end of the first lesson I was already sounding much better than when I first got there. He seems to have a natural ability to give me as much feedback as I can handle at once. For example, if my bow was too slow, didn't have enough pressure, using the wrong part of the bow, not enough hair, out of tune, and not using vibrato he would only tell me what I could handle instead of everything all at once and once I fixed the problems he addressed, the rest of the other problems were either fixed by me or addressed by him as appropriate. He has a positive personality and a great sense of humor. His practice studio/room/area is warm and inviting. He loves Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major by Mozart so you know he has great taste in music. He has long hair so you know he's serious as a musician. He has a beard so you know he's not a woman. read more

Both my daughter (age 8) and myself study violin with Erik and have had excellent results. APPROACH TO TEACHING Erik's teaching style is very attentive and engaged. Not once has Erik let the outside world intrude on our lessons. Never has a phone or computer interrupted us. Never has Erik been distracted from helping us improve our musical skills. I mention this because being focused on the customer in front of you is an area to which I'm rather sensitive. Eric's attentiveness is excellent. Eric provides explanations to students and then directs the student to perform an activity that incorporates the skills or concepts just described. Each activity is "bite-sized" so that the student can focus on the the new technique or measure and so Erik can then offer observations and suggestions. Erik tends to work with a student (at least for my daughter and myself) to perfect a single piece of music before moving on. This is different from other instructors that I've worked with that chose to blast through five or six pieces without really focusing on the details of each piece. Both approaches have merit, but I strongly prefer Erik's approach (5-stars). DISPOSITION Erik is a marvelous blend of 100% engaged yet simultaneously laid-back. By this I mean Erik if focused like a laser on his student. His sessions are distraction free. But Erik is NOT a high-stress or tightly-wrapped guy. Erik is understanding of his students challenges and difficulties. He is never ruffled or stressed. When a student has difficulty, Erik has multiple ways of explaining or demonstrating techniques. Erik is an unflappable gentleman and is pleasure to work with. His calm demeanor and professional conduct rate 5-stars. FACILITIES Our lessons are with Erik at a couple of different locations. He 2818 Tourmaline Way Studio is our preferred environment. It is a private residence but is spacious, open, clean, non-smoking and welcoming. There are pets, but the area is immaculate and not once have my allergies even tickled. The Tourmaline studio is a great environment for music lessons. The area is an open two story space with nice acoustics. The hardwood floors are beautiful and dust free. The studio has the requisite artistic display of instruments as well as the obviously well used drum kit, midi synth, Rode boom mic, digital recording gear and a proper upright stringed piano. Having a good setting for music lessons is perhaps less important than having a great instructor, but I like to think of the studio environment sets the mood. Just being in the environment helps us focus on the task at hand. It helps us "get our heads into the music." The Tourmaline Way environment is an inspirational icing on an already 5-star cake. RATES and FLEXIBILITY Erik's rates are affordable. He has been willing to accommodate our schedule shifts within reason and given a couple of weeks of notice. I have found Erik to be more than fair. SUMMARY If you are looking for a first class violin instructor I recommend Erik Williams to you. read more

Erik has been instructing my granddaughter for over a year. She is a very headstrong girl of 10 and Erik knows how to instruct her in a way that she enjoys learning. He explains the mechanics of the instrument as well as the song. When she hits a challenge, he can use several methods to get her centered again; especially when he plays along. In addition, I like the flexibility that Erik offers since life is busy for parents and grandparents. We don't do it often but most places don't allow changes in the schedule at all. read more

Still taking lessons, slowly making progress. Erik has a lot of patience with me, a necessary tool of the trade.

Mr. Erik is absolutely a blessing to my son! He is knowledgeable, patient, detailed, encouraging. My son is 10yrs old. He has started violin lesson with Mr. Erik since November 2017, we have been inspiring by him every week. Mr. Erik observes and learns about my son's character after a couple of lessons. He teaches according to my son's learning pace. He realizes and gives advises to help my son improves his posture, fingering, intonation, practice pattern and attitude. If you are serious about learning violin, Mr. Erik will definitely guide you to make breakthroughs and accept new challenges in your learning journey step by step. read more

Erik is very knowledgeable and tailors each lesson to individual student needs. The lessons were worth both my time and my money. The violin is the most challenging instrument that I have ever learned, but Erik made me feel as though I could overcome the challenge with time and effort. Although I am no longer a student after a year of lessons, I am still hoping to pick up the instrument again and progress further. read more

My daughter initially wanted viola lessons just over the summer to keep her skills in check while school was out and to fix any bad habits that she may have developed as a beginner in elementary school orchestra. She enjoyed working with Erik so much that when school began, she did not want to stop. Eight months later, she is still going strong and her playing has improved greatly. Erik is very patient, his instruction is clear, and he has creative ways of describing how to achieve certain techniques. I highly recommend Sacramento Strings. It is worth the weekly 30 minute drive it takes us to get to his home studio in historic Roseville. read more

Erik is a great teacher. I only started playing viola a few months ago and with an unpredictable work schedule, I was happy to find someone who was available on Sunday. Erik has an easygoing and encouraging approach to teaching. He focuses on both technical skills and musicality, even at the beginner level, and can explain difficult concepts in a clear way. I leave each lesson feeling both challenged and motivated, with a good idea of what to work on for the week. It has been a pleasure working with Erik and I highly recommend him as a teacher. read more

Erik is a great instructor! He teaches his student in whatever way they learn best. He believes that his students can make progress and get better, even when they feel stuck, and he encourages them frequently. I took violin lessons with him for about six months and had to stop since life just got in the way. We worked through Suzuki books 2 and 3. He helped me get the right chin rest, bow and shoulder rests as part of the reason I played so infrequently was that it was uncomfortable. He helped me work on my vibrato from a completely different perspective than previous teachers. I would highly recommend him to anyone, brand new or with years of experience. I played the violin steadily for seven years and came to Erik after not playing for six years. I have had many "professional" private instructors, some in a University setting, who are no match for Erik. read more

I began taking violin lessons with Erik in December 2016 after about 15 year hiatus of actively playing. I started when I was younger but never had the privilege of having a private instructor back then. If I could've, I would've wished it was him! He is amazingly talented, knowledgeable, professional, attentive and intuitive as well. I make the same mistakes repeatedly but he has yet to run out of patience with me. He definitely tailors his lessons to the needs and abilities of the student and doesn't put more on them than they can handle. He is a great teacher that loves what he does and that goes out of his way for his students. I don't believe I could've found a better teacher! read more

Erik is a thoughtful, talented, focused instructor with expertise in violin and viola. As a child I played viola and recently started playing again (25 years later). In my first lesson and over the next few months (and lots of practice) his guidance has been invaluable. He provides realistic advice and direction and is a model teacher with an embedded knack for connecting with the student and his/her specific challenges/needs. I have experience with 5 other instructors in my years of playing, and I can't imagine where I would be today had I met Erik sooner. read more

Erik is an excellent instructor.As an adult with very little prior experience I am glad to be learning with him. He is very good at tailoring lessons to meet a student's needs, and is constantly trying new techniques to improve various facets of violin. He has been very understanding of my busy school schedule and is consistently encouraging, even when I feel like hanging up the instrument. I would recommend Erik to anyone who is interested in learning violin or viola, whether they are brand new to the instrument or simply looking to improve. read more

READ THIS . I am an older beginner with zero im talking zero musical background and i happened to just stumble onto Erik's website back in May. It was THE BEST accident i ever made because i cannot praise his musical abilities enough. He is not only an amazing violinist but he is the best teacher, which is important to say because there is a difference. His methods are easy to understand and he is excellent on pointing out technical errors. Unfortunately i was only able to stay with him for 4 months due to me moving to a different location, but after only 4 months and finding a new local teacher in my new location, not only was my new teacher extremely impressed, but he was bragging about how great of a teacher i previously had , as my form was perfect and precise. He even said my previous teacher (Erik Williams) is probably better than he was which made me die a little inside since i had to leave him and find a new teacher. Anyway not to get you bored , if you want a succesful violinist, go to Erik. Best decision you will ever make. Oh also, he rents violins for pennies extra a month so you can start RIGHT AWAY if you want to. read more

This place is great. I was initially nervous about being an adult with no music experience, but Erik was very welcoming and made me feel comfortable. I've been going for about a month now and have already learned multiple songs and have been learning how to read music. Learning how to play violin has been a great experience for me. I would recommend coming here for lessons to anyone. read more

My son Erik took violin lessons (Book 1 Suzuki) with Erik for about 5 months. We live in Fair Oaks but felt it was well worth the drive to Antelope to have such a motivating and engaging teacher. Erik Williams broke the lessons down into easy to learn sections with many tips and suggestions on how to improve my son's sound and style of playing. Erik is a talented musician and a very personable teacher. read more

The depth of Eric's teachings is not something to overlook. He understands every single problem a student has and has the perfect answer to develope their problem, into a strength. I took lessons for a year before I moved away to college, and the knowledge I gained from Eric is undescribable. I have the strongest foundation, and I can leave with the ability to improve on my own without the full assistance of a teacher, only added guidance once in awhile. I can walk away with an ear for the intonation of the notes, an unalterable base for vibrato, and the ability to read music; it's an astronomical jump for my first year of playing. If you fully utilize the tools he provide for success, it is an unbiased remark to state that one will have an advantage to learn the violin (or viola) from Eric. read more