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Bachelor Degree: University of Minnesota
I am a violinist based in Minneapolis, and have studied under Fargo Moorhead Symphony's Joan Covington, as well as Minnesota Orchestra's Roger Frisch. I served as concertmaster to the Central Lakes Symphony Orchestra in the Alexandria Lakes area, MN for two years, and served as concertmaster in the University of Minnesota Campus Orchestra. I perform as a violinist in pitt ensembles throughout the Twin Cities, and greater Minnesota region. I also attended Suzuki institute for 10 years as a student and observed teaching classes during my last two years there during the first few years of teaching at my studio.
My teaching experience started in 2010 at my own studio in Alexandria, MN. Since moving to the Minneapolis area, I have regrown my studio in this region.
I work with students to achieve their goals which can be anywhere from advanced student goals, beginner students learning for fun, and adult students learning a music instrument as a hobby. My emphasis is on creating a fun, safe environment where I can help students identify methods of practice that will help them succeed long-term in their home practice.
For beginners, particularly children, I use the Suzuki method due to the emphasis on learning the instrument before learning how to read notes. I do this in part because, regardless of method, listening to experts play pieces that you are working on is a big part of string playing, and the Suzuki method has become standardized enough that the beginner and intermediate pieces have readily available recordings. Once a baseline of the instrument is established, I add outside repertoire and workbooks.
My first priority is creating a safe and fun environment where students can ask questions, and set goals that are realistic to their needs. We work together to find imagery and methods of practice that work for each individual student, and make weekly notes in a "lesson plan" notebook. By helping students identify and set their own goals and helping them identify their own understanding of the practice methods, I am encouraging critical thinking and practice discipline, which I find more efficient long-term than enforcing my own home-practice techniques and goals.