Violin Lessons in the Twin Cities (Near St. Paul, MN) for Kids & Adults

As a parent, the search for a mentor for our child’s violin lessons ended with Marnie Thies. For the past 13 years, our son has been doing lessons with her. Her dedication is commendable and if you’re seeking a teacher who is not only skilled but also passionate, patient, and committed to the success of her students, look no further than Marnie Thies. She is the BEST.

Marnie is very dedicated to her students! Our son progressed quickly under her guidance and went on to play at a very high level.

Marnie has been teaching both our children violin for past 3 years and it has been an amazing journey. After their first violin teacher moved to another state both the kids struggled with motivation but since starting their lessons with Marnie they have connected back to violin. Marnie encouraged them to participate in violin events. They have excelled at both Federation performances and have been part of GTCYS as well for past 3 years moving through various levels. We have also noticed that kids now take their own initiative in practicing as well and that is 'a big deal'. Our son has already moved in school to the Chamber orchestra and he is just going to 9th Grade. We look forward to the continued progress of both of our kids musical journeys and this would not be possible but for patient and persistent teaching and guidance from Marnie.

Started violin lessons a year ago and Marnie has been great. She’s a great help with my tone and technique, and I think I sound pretty good.

Started violin lessons a year ago and Marnie has been great. She's a great help with my tone and technique, and I think I sound pretty good.

I didn’t realize how well this would work for us. We are working on violin fundamentals successfully with Marnie on Skype and making a lot of important progress – would absolutely recommend her!

This is a long overdue review as I can’t say enough on how lucky we are to have Marnie as my son’s violin teacher since he started to play violin seriously! Marnie’s violin lesson is such an enjoyable, educational and rewarding experience to my young boy - he not only learns to play violin well but also learns to be a humble, caring, open-minded, responsible and hardworking people just like Marnie! Can’t wait to see her more during the in-person lesson after the pandemic is over 😃

I am an adult beginner taking lessons from Marnie Thies. She has been very patient with me. Marnie listens attentively to my playing and has creative suggestions for how I can improve. I like that she encourages me to share a video of my playing between lessons and makes the time to give me helpful feedback. When she noticed I was feeling frustrated, she reached out immediately. She always has a positive attitude and shares her love of the violin each week.

Marnie is not only a gifted teacher and patient person, she enables instrument accessibility to her students. She is truly an incredible human.

Marnie has been teaching both our children violin for past 3 years and it has been an amazing journey. After their first violin teacher moved to another state both the kids struggled with motivation but since starting their lessons with Marnie they have connected back to violin. Marnie encouraged them to participate in violin events. They have excelled at both Federation performances and have been part of GTCYS as well for past 3 years moving through various levels. We have also noticed that kids now take their own initiative in practicing as well and that is ‘a big deal’. Our son has already moved in school to the Chamber orchestra and he is just going to 9th Grade. We look forward to the continued progress of both of our kids musical journeys and this would not be possible but for patient and persistent teaching and guidance from Marnie.

Marnie is not only a gifted teacher and patient person, she enables instrument accessibility to her students. She is truly an incredible human.

Marnie is a very thoughtful teacher who puts a lot of thought into how she presents the material. She is supportive and driven to help her students. Her lessons are engaging, useful, and she is very patient. The amount of information that I never knew from other classes, I found out through Marnie Thies!

When my 17 year old son asked to take violin lessons I was nervous about finding a teacher. My son is autistic and interacts with people in his own strong willed way. Luckily we found Marnie on our first try. She is patient and flexible, willing to accommodate my son’s highly variable social reserves, adjusts the songs to fit his musical tastes, and lets him be himself and learn at how own pace without imposing rigid expectations that I’ve always associated with the Suzuki method. In fact, in the process of supporting my son’s practice I discovered that I also enjoy violin, so we started sharing lessons and Marnie has been fantastic about that as well. He’s 18 now and wants to keep going, which underscores how comfortable he feels working with Marnie. Our experience has been excellent.

I didn’t realize how well this would work for us. We are working on violin fundamentals successfully with Marnie on Skype and making a lot of important progress - would absolutely recommend her!

It has been two years since my last review (below the line), and I would love to share an update. My son has now taken online violin lessons with Marnie for 5+ years, and the experience has worked out very well. Marnie makes every effort to ensure that the video and audio quality are good before each class, and she continues to provide effective and engaging lessons.My son has learned a great deal from her over the years, and with her guidance, he was selected for the 2025–26 Minnesota All-State Orchestra. We are very grateful for Marnie’s dedication and for the important role she has played in his growth as a violinist.----------------------------------------This is a long overdue review as I can’t say enough on how lucky we are to have Marnie as my son’s violin teacher since he started to play violin seriously! Marnie’s violin lesson is such an enjoyable, educational and rewarding experience to my young boy - he not only learns to play violin well but also learns to be a humble, caring, open-minded, responsible and hardworking people just like Marnie! Can’t wait to see her more during the in-person lesson after the pandemic is over 😃

We chose Marnie because of her professional website and YouTube channel, which clearly demonstrate her comprehensive education (scale education in particular) and instructional goals. Based on her teaching and performance videos, she can seamlessly instruct everyone from absolute beginners to advanced players. This makes her an excellent option for long-term violin study.Marnie provides an individualized and effective instruction plan based on the proven Suzuki Method. As someone trained in etude-based pedagogy, I find her approach equally effective but highly time-efficient for beginners. She sets clear, early goals for joining local orchestras. She systematically introduces advanced left- and right-hand skills outside the standard Suzuki repertoire exactly when the student needs them. This detailed approach bridges the gap between regular lessons and orchestra auditions perfectly.Tracking progress is easy, and her studio is also a fantastic option for parents or grandparents interested in learning the violin themselves. She highly values and encourages family engagement in the learning process.I strongly recommend Marnie and am confident my child will continue to study with her.

Marnie has been an amazing teacher for the past 14 years! She is very patient and passionate about teaching and has helped me progress to high level youth orchestras and achieve my violin goals. She is driven to teach and is a reliable mentor that you can count on. 100% would recommend her!

“We are very fortunate to have Marnie as both our kids’ violin teacher! Our son started with Marnie when he was 5, almost seven years ago and always looks forward to his classes. Marnie researches a lot about multiple ways to deal with different kids. Also, she is very knowledgeable and patient. Would recommend Marnie for sure!!

I am an adult beginner taking lessons from Marnie Thies. She has been very patient with me. Marnie listens attentively to my playing and has creative suggestions for how I can improve. I like that she encourages me to share a video of my playing between lessons and makes the time to give me helpful feedback. When she noticed I was feeling frustrated, she reached out immediately. She always has a positive attitude and shares her love of the violin each week.

“This is a long overdue review as I can’t say enough on how lucky we are to have Marnie as my son’s violin teacher since he started to play violin seriously! Marnie’s violin lesson is such an enjoyable, educational and rewarding experience to my young boy – he not only learns to play violin well but also learns to be a humble, caring, open-minded, responsible and hardworking people just like Marnie! Can’t wait to see her more during the in-person lesson after the pandemic is over.

Marnie is very dedicated to her students! Our son progressed quickly under her guidance and went on to play at a very high level.

As a parent, the search for a mentor for our child's violin lessons ended with Marnie Thies. For the past 13 years, our son has been doing lessons with her. Her dedication is commendable and if you're seeking a teacher who is not only skilled but also passionate, patient, and committed to the success of her students, look no further than Marnie Thies. She is the BEST.

Marnie has been a wonderful teacher to my son since he was 5. Her approach really worked for him to like the instrument. I would recommend her to anyone passionate about music.

We can't recommend Marnie Theis highly enough. Over nearly four years, she's taught our children using the Suzuki method, but what sets her apart is how she makes it fun—she lets the kids pick their own pieces, from Scottish and Irish jigs, reels, and hornpipes to songs from their favorite Studio Ghibli films. That mix keeps them genuinely excited to practice. Under her guidance they've developed a lovely vibrato, worked through third position, and just earned seats in the GTCYS Philharmonia. Marnie is patient, encouraging, and clearly gifted at meeting each child where they are. If you're looking for a violin teacher who builds real skill while keeping the joy in music, she's the one.

Marnie is a very thoughtful teacher who puts a lot of thought into how she presents the material. She is supportive and driven to help her students. Her lessons are engaging, useful, and she is very patient. The amount of information that I never knew from other classes, I found out through Marnie Thies!

Marnie has been an amazing teacher for the past 14 years! She is very patient and passionate about teaching and has helped me progress to high level youth orchestras and achieve my violin goals. She is driven to teach and is a reliable mentor that you can count on. 100% would recommend her!