Sudbury String Studio
978.460.7778
[email protected]
Private music lessons in our home studio since 2012
Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass.
Chamber Music
Online Lessons available
Robb Aistrup (double bass and cello) and Nicki Payne (violin and viola) are passionate teachers and professional performers who each bring over 25 years of experience to every lesson.
We are proud and grateful to have become such a trusted source for families looking for quality string instruction in the greater Boston area since 2012.
Our primary focus as music teachers is to help students reach their goals, increase their joy of playing and listening to music, appreciate the value of sustained effort yielding positive results, and develop the skill of patient problem solving. We are proud that our students stay with us year after year, often until graduating from high school. We have a high rate of entry into local youth orchestras and districts. Some of our students have gone on to study music at the conservatory level and others have won competitions.
Students thrive musically when they have concrete goals. For this reason, we encourage students to take on challenges. This can range from practicing 100 days in a row to conquering every piece in Suzuki Book 1 to getting into Districts, to achieving a spot in a top youth orchestra.
Our commitment is to provide first rate, personalized instruction, in a positive, encouraging environment. Lessons are focused, goal-oriented, and productive, but fun and humor are always close at hand. We will help your child learn to play with the best technique, develop solid musical instincts and practice habits, and understand what a joy and privilege it is to play music. Along the way, our students learn to embrace discipline, focus, and an appreciation for hard work leading to desired quality results. These lessons translate to all areas of life and are invaluable.
Recitals and Performance Classes:
In addition to weekly private lessons, we hold one recital per year, as well as optional, less formal performance classes in which students get a chance to play a prepared solo piece with pianist in front of a small group of fellow students. Emphasis is always on positivity and support! These performance opportunities help immeasurably in the growth of each student's musicianship and skill level while reinforcing empathy, problem solving, and working with others.
Our next studio recitals will take place on Saturday, June 6, 2026 at Goodnow Library in the Community Room, at 2pm and 3:30pm. Feel free to come check out our awesome students play works including, Bach, Handel, Seitz, Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins and Paganini Caprice #24!
Chamber Music at Sudbury String Studio:
We offer coaching in chamber music and welcome students from outside our studio to participate in our program. In spring of 2025, we launched our first string quartet, which performed at Spencer Brook Strings in Maynard on June 2025 In 2026, we currently have two string quartets and a group of four violinists. We are excited to put together additional groups. If your child is interested in exploring the wonderful world of chamber music, we welcome you to reach out to us. Groups are formed based on level and age and can be comprised of students of ours as well as those who study privately elsewhere. If your child wishes to form a group with friends from outside the studio, that is not a problem.
Daily Practice:
Progress on a musical instrument depends heavily on daily individual preparation at home. Therefore parents are encouraged to remind their students to practice every day between lessons. For students of all ages, parents can play a major role in establishing a daily practice routine and we provide as much support as we can to help out. We welcome your questions about practicing and value your input regarding your child's learning style, which we recognize is as unique as their personality. We use practice journals to provide assignments and remind students what their focus should be from week to week. We focus a lot of time on developing solid practice techniques that help students solve musical and technical problems, leading to them playing with accuracy and a beautiful, rich sound.
Personal Note:
We not only each have over twenty-five years of experience with all ages and levels, with proven results; we also have been exactly where you are as parents of young musicians. We believe strongly that a complete education includes learning a musical instrument. Our triplet sons began playing the violin at age 5, and eventually switched to viola, cello, and double bass. They all are studying music currently. Two have just graduated (2026) from Boston University College of Fine Arts. The third is finishing his degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music.