Russell Wulfenstein
About
I’m a multi-instrumentalist, teacher, performer, producer and recording artist with a love for folk styles including bluegrass, celtic, country and even Norwegian hardingfele music.
I teach violin/fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, ukulele and piano with a focus on helping students get real results quickly—whether that’s playing your first song, improving skill, or building confidence as a musician. For experienced players, we can additionally focus on improvisation and recording.
Alongside teaching, I work professionally in music and show production, and I bring that real-world perspective into lessons. My goal is simple: make learning music feel approachable, engaging, and immediately rewarding.
I work with both kids and adults, and I enjoy helping complete beginners take their first steps without feeling overwhelmed. I am thrilled to help more experienced players take their next steps and achieve their next goals whether in performing, jamming, improvising, songwriting or recording.
Teaching Style
My teaching style is practical, encouraging, and tailored to each student.
I don’t believe in rigid, one-size-fits-all lessons. Instead, I meet you where you are and adjust based on your goals—whether that’s:
- building strong fundamentals
- preparing for performance
- recording your music
- learning to improvise
- or just exploring music for fun
Lessons are structured but relaxed. We focus on steady progress without losing the enjoyment that makes music worth learning in the first place.
I also emphasize small wins early on, so you leave each lesson feeling like you’ve actually accomplished something.
Curriculum
My approach blends traditional fundamentals with modern, practical learning.
We’ll typically work on:
- Technique (posture, tone, control)
- Ear training and musical intuition
- Repertoire (songs/tunes suited to your level)
- Rhythm and timing
- Optional theory (as needed—not overwhelming)
For beginners, I often supplement with:
- Simple starter songs
- Custom exercises
- Play-along tracks
For fiddle/folk students:
- Traditional tunes
- Bowing patterns
- Style and feel (not just notes)
- Improvisation
For folk music students, I primarily teach from Mark Geslison's 50 Tunes books for fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo and supplement with my own arrangements. For classical violin, I use Suzuki books as the foundation. For piano, I use the Piano Pronto and Alfred series for beginners and esplore other options for more advanced players based on their musical interests.
That said, I may recommend materials as needed, depending on your goals and level.
Credentials & Affiliations
- Associate’s Degree in Music from Utah Valley University
- Minor in Music from Brigham Young University
- Instructor with the Wulfenstein School (private teaching studio)
- Creator of FeisBox, a music practice app used by dancers and musicians
- Performer with Lyndsey and the Wulf, Brushfire, Julussa and others
- Stage production
I bring both artistic and technical experience into my teaching, giving students a well-rounded and modern approach to learning music.