Fort Collins Suzuki Violin
My Background
Hello! Thanks for stopping by. I would love to share my love of music and teaching expertise with you, and for you to join our studio family. Let me tell you a bit about myself and my studio.
I began my violin studies in a Suzuki program at the age of 7 in Boulder, Colorado. I earned my Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College, and Master of Music Education from Indiana University. My graduate degree consisted of extensive violin pedagogy training and practice through the IU String Academy. I also completed summer studies at the Ticino Music Festival in Lugano, Switzerland. Since starting my own Suzuki studio, I have continued to attend Suzuki Teacher Training courses around the country through the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and have currently completed ten different courses spanning the Suzuki Philosophy and Books 1-8.
My first professional performing position was as Principal Second Violin in Monterrey, Mexico's OSUANL symphony orchestra. I was then a first violin in the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Principal Second Violin of the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, and a member of the Sioux City Symphony String Quartet. I have also appeared as a soloist with the Aberdeen Symphony, and have made solo and chamber recordings for the Sioux City Symphony. Since moving back to Colorado, I have won positions in the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, and play regularly in other groups across the region.
My love of teaching began when, as a college student studying abroad, I initiated a violin program for children in an under-privileged rural area outside of Santiago, Chile. While living in Mexico, I taught violin at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León and privately. Due to this international experience, I enjoy teaching some of my current students in Spanish. While in South Dakota, I maintained a private studio of nearly 30 students from ages 3 through high school (and sometimes beyond!). I was also the Lead Violin Instructor with the Avera Family Wellness Program, which offered Early Childhood music classes and K-3 violin lessons to children in under-served schools. I moved to Fort Collins, CO in the summer of 2023, and have enjoyed starting a new community of Suzuki violin students and families!
I live with my amazing husband and elderly cat, and enjoy reading, cooking, getting outside, and traveling as much as possible.