About Me
The Teacher - The Musician - The Equipment - Publications - Reviews
2013 World Suzuki Convention
I teach private lessons for viola or violin, Suzuki & CAD group classes, and Suzuki Early Childhood Education (music & movement classes).
I teach private lessons in Monrovia and online. I'm a faculty member of the Pasadena Suzuki Music Program, and I'm on the board of the irvine-based Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California. I also sometimes volunteer as a Sunday School Teacher or as part of the Music Worship Team at my church, Bethany of Sierra Madre.
Past teaching work includes teaching string and handbell classes at St. Margaret's Episcopal School, 3rd grade Suzuki violin classes at Willard Elementary School (Pasadena), teaching Suzuki and musicianship classes at various local music stores & community music schools, directing & coaching at various summer music programs, and work at several elementary schools in the Savanna School District coaching beginning string classes.
Recently I've become interested in giving students opportunities to create & improvise from the very beginning of their music education, and have begun using Alice Kanack's Creative Ability Development (CAD) Method alongside the Suzuki Method with all of my students. I've also really enjoyed the opportunity to teach Suzuki Early Childhood (baby & toddler) music classes!
I've taken CAD teacher training courses with Alice Kanack, and have completed extensive studies in how to teach Suzuki Method violin, viola, and Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes. My Suzuki teacher trainers include Sharon & Dorothy Jones, Danette Schuh, Julia Hardie, Kerstin Wartberg, William Preucil Sr., Rick Mooney, Susan Kempter, Christie Felsing, Laurie Scott, Ronda Cole, Elizabeth Stuen-Walker, Edward Kreitman, Ed Sprunger, and Lorraine Fink. (See my SAA profile page for my registered Suzuki training).
I love learning new teaching ideas and have studied other string teaching methods with Elise Winters (Kaleidoscopes for Violin); Melissa Tong, Pam Wiley & Mark O'Connor (The Mark O'Connor Violin Method); and have studied various string teaching techniques in short seminars under Charles Krigbaum, Barbara Barber, Mimi Zweig, John Kendall, and William Fitzpatrick.
In addition to pursuing professional development under other teacher all over the world, I've helped facilitate several local teacher training workshops, bringing master teachers to those who can't travel. These include Alice Kanack teaching her Creative Ability Development method, Kerstin Wartberg covering her "Step by Step" series as a supplement to the core Suzuki Method materials, and Barbara Barber teaching from her "Fingerboard Geography" books, all in the Southern California area.
Although I occasionally perform, my first love is teaching - so I'm always pursuing further education. My interest in learning to teach people to play music from the start without tension, pain or injury has led me to be influenced by BodyMapping ideas and by the Alexander Technique, especially Alexander teacher Robyn Avalon's "Living in a Body" courses, as well as by violin teacher trainer Susan Kempter (author of "Teaching the Violin with the Body in Mind"), violinist William Fitzpatrick's "In Search Of" seminar and book, and clinician and violist Karen Tuttle & her students at the Tuttle "Coordination Workshop". Other notable influences include the research & stories from Violinist in Balance, cellist Janet Horvath's book "Playing (Less) Hurt", and Malva Freymuth's article "Give Your Students Security and Comfort" (American Suzuki Journal Vol. 30 No. 4, Aug. 2002).
I co-authored the article "Got Group? Small and Mixed-Group Class Ideas" (American Suzuki Journal Vol. 43, #2), and also volunteer as a moderator on the internet discussion forums of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
She is a member of: CPAF (Christian Performing Artist's Fellowship) SAA (Suzuki Association of the Americas) SMAC-LA (Suzuki Music Association of California, Los Angeles Branch) KUSC (our local "classical music" public radio station) AVS (American Viola Society)
I teach private lessons in Monrovia and online. I'm a faculty member of the Pasadena Suzuki Music Program, and I'm on the board of the irvine-based Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California. I also sometimes volunteer as a Sunday School Teacher or as part of the Music Worship Team at my church, Bethany of Sierra Madre.
Past teaching work includes teaching string and handbell classes at St. Margaret's Episcopal School, 3rd grade Suzuki violin classes at Willard Elementary School (Pasadena), teaching Suzuki and musicianship classes at various local music stores & community music schools, directing & coaching at various summer music programs, and work at several elementary schools in the Savanna School District coaching beginning string classes.
Recently I've become interested in giving students opportunities to create & improvise from the very beginning of their music education, and have begun using Alice Kanack's Creative Ability Development (CAD) Method alongside the Suzuki Method with all of my students. I've also really enjoyed the opportunity to teach Suzuki Early Childhood (baby & toddler) music classes!
I've taken CAD teacher training courses with Alice Kanack, and have completed extensive studies in how to teach Suzuki Method violin, viola, and Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes. My Suzuki teacher trainers include Sharon & Dorothy Jones, Danette Schuh, Julia Hardie, Kerstin Wartberg, William Preucil Sr., Rick Mooney, Susan Kempter, Christie Felsing, Laurie Scott, Ronda Cole, Elizabeth Stuen-Walker, Edward Kreitman, Ed Sprunger, and Lorraine Fink. (See my SAA profile page for my registered Suzuki training).
I love learning new teaching ideas and have studied other string teaching methods with Elise Winters (Kaleidoscopes for Violin); Melissa Tong, Pam Wiley & Mark O'Connor (The Mark O'Connor Violin Method); and have studied various string teaching techniques in short seminars under Charles Krigbaum, Barbara Barber, Mimi Zweig, John Kendall, and William Fitzpatrick.
In addition to pursuing professional development under other teacher all over the world, I've helped facilitate several local teacher training workshops, bringing master teachers to those who can't travel. These include Alice Kanack teaching her Creative Ability Development method, Kerstin Wartberg covering her "Step by Step" series as a supplement to the core Suzuki Method materials, and Barbara Barber teaching from her "Fingerboard Geography" books, all in the Southern California area.
Although I occasionally perform, my first love is teaching - so I'm always pursuing further education. My interest in learning to teach people to play music from the start without tension, pain or injury has led me to be influenced by BodyMapping ideas and by the Alexander Technique, especially Alexander teacher Robyn Avalon's "Living in a Body" courses, as well as by violin teacher trainer Susan Kempter (author of "Teaching the Violin with the Body in Mind"), violinist William Fitzpatrick's "In Search Of" seminar and book, and clinician and violist Karen Tuttle & her students at the Tuttle "Coordination Workshop". Other notable influences include the research & stories from Violinist in Balance, cellist Janet Horvath's book "Playing (Less) Hurt", and Malva Freymuth's article "Give Your Students Security and Comfort" (American Suzuki Journal Vol. 30 No. 4, Aug. 2002).
I co-authored the article "Got Group? Small and Mixed-Group Class Ideas" (American Suzuki Journal Vol. 43, #2), and also volunteer as a moderator on the internet discussion forums of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
She is a member of: CPAF (Christian Performing Artist's Fellowship) SAA (Suzuki Association of the Americas) SMAC-LA (Suzuki Music Association of California, Los Angeles Branch) KUSC (our local "classical music" public radio station) AVS (American Viola Society)
