Terry Durbin, Violin
Dr. Timothy (Terry) Durbin’s unique brand of teaching excellence makes him one of the most sought-after clinicians/conductors throughout the world. With infectious enthusiasm and inspired musicianship, he brings smiles and laughter to students throughout the United States and around the world. His dynamic teaching career includes over 1000 workshops and institutes! His performance and teaching career stretches across the United States and Canada into Bermuda, Germany, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia,Thailand and Singapore, and he has recorded two CDs, including the complete chamber music of Marcel Dupre for the Naxos label. He has been appointed principal conductor of the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra beginning with the 2016 season. He has directed the South Dakota and Montana All State Orchestras. He is the holder of the American Suzuki Institute Suzuki Chair Award for 2013. Terry Durbin is also an accomplished composer and notable arranger.
Dr. Durbin holds a DMA in orchestral conducting from Claremont Graduate University in Los Angeles, California, a Masters in violin performance from the University of Illinois, and an undergraduate degree in violin performance from the University of Alabama. He has held university positions at Transylvania University, Morehead State University, Azusa Pacific University and the University of Louisville. He is a registered teacher trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Terry lives with his wife, Sandy, on 140 acres north of Lexington, Kentucky. They have three children, two grandchildren and one great granddaughter. He believes in the magic of music’s power to enrich our lives.
Dr. Durbin holds a DMA in orchestral conducting from Claremont Graduate University in Los Angeles, California, a Masters in violin performance from the University of Illinois, and an undergraduate degree in violin performance from the University of Alabama. He has held university positions at Transylvania University, Morehead State University, Azusa Pacific University and the University of Louisville. He is a registered teacher trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Terry lives with his wife, Sandy, on 140 acres north of Lexington, Kentucky. They have three children, two grandchildren and one great granddaughter. He believes in the magic of music’s power to enrich our lives.
Carol Ourada, cello
Carol's studio primarily consists of cello students of all levels, with some violin and viola students. Her students have performed in master classes at music conferences, soloed with youth orchestras, placed in music competitions, and have been section principals at school and other youth orchestras. Carol teaches string groups, reading classes, Creative Ability Development improvisation, and coordinates the cello workshop. In addition, she coordinates and teaches violin in CSA's CODA outreach program.In 2007, she was awarded the ASTA Outstanding Studio Teacher of Illinois. She has served on the Suzuki Association of the Americas Board of Directors and was the coordinator for the 12th Biennial SAA Conference. She has presented at numerous national and regional conferences including SAA, ISMTA, and Musikgarten. Carol is a frequent clinician at workshops and Suzuki institutes around the country.
Carol enjoys teaching students of all ages. As a Suzuki parent of two children who are now adults, she treasures the many ways the Suzuki journey builds character and relationships within the family and extends the gift of music to the community.
Carol enjoys teaching students of all ages. As a Suzuki parent of two children who are now adults, she treasures the many ways the Suzuki journey builds character and relationships within the family and extends the gift of music to the community.
YUMY Lee Kim, piano
At the age of 16, Dr. Kim was accepted at the prestigious preparatory division of the University of Music in Luebeck, where she continued her musical studies. After receiving diplomas in Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy and a post-graduate performance certificate in Germany, she finished her studies at Northwestern University with a DMA Degree in Piano Performance as a scholarship recipient of the Dorothy L. Pound Award.
Dr. Kim studied piano under the tutelage of Sylvia Wang, Konstanze Eickhorst and James Tocco. Additionally, she has participated in master classes with Karl-Heinz Kaemmerling, Pavel Gililov, Andrei Jaszinski, Younghi Moon and Lambert Orkis. Dr. Kim made her debut with the Hamburger Sinfonietta at the age of 15 at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg. After winning competitions, such as Steinway & Sons, German Teachers Association and Jugend Musiziert, she also appeared on various German TV and radio stations (Radio Hamburg, NDR 3). Dr.. Kim has also performed as a soloist with the Hamburger Sinfonietta, Hildesheim Philharmonie and Ahrensburg Youth Orchestra and performed in Germany, Spain, Hungary, Swiss, Denmark, South Korea and the U.S. Being a devoted educator as well, she currently serves as faculty member at DePaul University (CMD), the Music Institute of Chicago, and adjudicates at local piano competitions.
Her goal is to develop in students an intuitive as well as analytical understanding for music that enables them to play the piano with joy. Based on Suzuki's philosophy she partners with parents to establish a nurturing environment which is key to develop talent. She believes that becoming an independent and self-motivated learner will help students to succeed not only in music but in any other area in their lives.
Dr. Kim studied piano under the tutelage of Sylvia Wang, Konstanze Eickhorst and James Tocco. Additionally, she has participated in master classes with Karl-Heinz Kaemmerling, Pavel Gililov, Andrei Jaszinski, Younghi Moon and Lambert Orkis. Dr. Kim made her debut with the Hamburger Sinfonietta at the age of 15 at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg. After winning competitions, such as Steinway & Sons, German Teachers Association and Jugend Musiziert, she also appeared on various German TV and radio stations (Radio Hamburg, NDR 3). Dr.. Kim has also performed as a soloist with the Hamburger Sinfonietta, Hildesheim Philharmonie and Ahrensburg Youth Orchestra and performed in Germany, Spain, Hungary, Swiss, Denmark, South Korea and the U.S. Being a devoted educator as well, she currently serves as faculty member at DePaul University (CMD), the Music Institute of Chicago, and adjudicates at local piano competitions.
Her goal is to develop in students an intuitive as well as analytical understanding for music that enables them to play the piano with joy. Based on Suzuki's philosophy she partners with parents to establish a nurturing environment which is key to develop talent. She believes that becoming an independent and self-motivated learner will help students to succeed not only in music but in any other area in their lives.
SAMANTHA CRUZ, MUSICAL ADVENTURES
SAM CRUZ has had the great fortune of teaching students of the school district of Whitefish Bay about music since 2003. She teaches general music to grades K4-5th. Holding a B.F.A. in Music Education from UW-Milwaukee, and an M.A. in Education from Mount Mary College, Sam also has worked as an adjunct music professor and college liaison officer for Mount Mary College. She holds Levels III Orff-Schulwerk and was fortunate to study with Jos Wuytack through Boston University.
Sam is an active member of the Greater Milwaukee Orff Dimensions, and held multiple positions on the board throughout the years. Currently, Sam is on the board of the Whitefish Bay Education Foundation.
Sam has presented at local Orff and Suzuki workshops in the Southeastern Wisconsin area, and at the WMEA State Convention in Madison.
In May 2012, Sam was awarded the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee's "General Music Teacher of the Year" award. In March 2016, she was awarded the Kohl Education Fellowship. And holds National Board certification in Early Childhood/Middle Childhood Vocal Music (NBCT EC/MC Vocal Music).
Sam is an active member of the Greater Milwaukee Orff Dimensions, and held multiple positions on the board throughout the years. Currently, Sam is on the board of the Whitefish Bay Education Foundation.
Sam has presented at local Orff and Suzuki workshops in the Southeastern Wisconsin area, and at the WMEA State Convention in Madison.
In May 2012, Sam was awarded the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee's "General Music Teacher of the Year" award. In March 2016, she was awarded the Kohl Education Fellowship. And holds National Board certification in Early Childhood/Middle Childhood Vocal Music (NBCT EC/MC Vocal Music).
Wisconsin teachers
A HUGE THANK YOU to all the teachers from throughout Wisconsin and Illinois who have joined the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin and the Winter Retreat. These teachers volunteered many hours to make this Winter Retreat possible.
Charlene Adzima
Charlene Adzima specializes in Irish fiddle and other styles outside of the Classical idiom. She maintains a full studio in the Madison area and has successfully applied Suzuki pedagogy to the teaching of authentic traditional folk styles. Charlene is also an award-winning Irish fiddler who performs regularly and is in demand as a musician for Irish step dance competitions. She lives in Stoughton, WI, with her husband, 2 small children, and a cockatiel named Stumpy.
Amanda Berthon
Amanda Berthon teaches Suzuki violin, fiddle, and Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) from her private studio in Montello, WI. Amanda received her training from the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, WI. She is a member of the Ripon College/Community Orchestra, a freelance singer and fiddler, member of the Berthon Family Musicians, and has played for numerous weddings and special events. She continues to host community concerts at the Historic Vaughn Hall in Montello, WI, and has appeared multiple times as a guest performer with Maggie Mae and the Heartland Country Band, including performances at the Crystal Grand Music Theatre in the Wisconsin Dells, the Independence Opera House, and the Schauer Arts Center in Hartford, WI.
Naomi Berthon
Naomi Berthon, age 16, is a Suzuki violin student and Suzuki Early Childhood Education assistant teacher. She co-teaches this class with her sister, Amanda Berthon, in Montello, WI. Naomi enjoys playing the violin and piano, and is beginning her first semester with the Ripon College & Community Orchestra this January.
Pat D'Ercole
Patricia D’Ercole is the former Director of the Aber Suzuki Center at the UW-Stevens Point where she taught violin to children and Suzuki pedagogy courses. She completed a master’s degree with an emphasis in Suzuki with Margery Aber and, in 1988, studied in Japan with Dr. Suzuki. She has been a clinician in 22 states in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Finland, Estonia, Peru, Chile and Taiwan. Pat has written numerous articles for the American Suzuki Journal, was chair of the Suzuki Association (SAA) Board of Directors and served as a member of the SAA committees to develop the Every Child Can! course and the Suzuki Principles in Action course. She was the founder and first president of the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin and has been on the planning committee for the International Research Symposium on Talent Education since its inception in 1991 and has served as its coordinator since 1995. Through her leadership, “The American Suzuki Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point: The Suzuki Method in Action,” a collection of videos which chronicles the two weeks of Dr. Suzuki’s teaching at the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point in 1976, is now preserved and posted on the web for free viewing by all. In 2002, she was the recipient of the American Suzuki Institute’s Suzuki Chair Award and in 2008 became a Distinguished Instructional Specialist at UWSP. In September, 2010, Pat began the UWSP Suzuki Strings Mentoring Program, an online long-term practicum to assist and support Suzuki string teachers in their quest to become a better teacher within the environment of their usual employment. Pat currently has a private studio where she teaches students and teachers.
Sue Ellen Dubbert
Sue Ellen has been teaching Suzuki piano to students of all ages in Madison for the past ten years. I addition to private lessons, Sue Ellen teaches group classes with the Music Mind Games curriculum, accompanies string students, formerly taught Music Together (a parent-child music class for ages 0-5), and studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics with Dr. Jeremy Dittus. These days she remains active with the Madison Area Piano Teachers Association and sings all the time with her three year old son.
Colleen Fitzgerald
Ms. Colleen Fitzgerald, executive director of the Barcel Suzuki String Academy located in Milwaukee, WI, currently teaches private and group violin lessons and Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes at BSSA. Ms. Fitzgerald earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance with Suzuki Pedagogy Emphasis under mentor, Professor Carol Dallinger at the University of Evansville and a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from Cardinal Stritch University. She has also received supplemental Suzuki teacher training with Kay Collier-McLaughlin, Ed Kreitman, Tom Wermuth, and Alice Joy Lewis and acquired her Early Childhood Education training under Suzuki ECE founders, Dorothy & Sharon Jones. Ms. Fitzgerald started Suzuki violin lessons at age 6 and two years later began studies with Suzuki teacher trainer, Joan Rooney.
Colleen earned the Certificate of Achievement from the Suzuki Association of the Americas and was awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Studio Teaching from the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee. She is a clinician at Suzuki weekend workshops in the Midwest as well as summer Suzuki institutes throughout the United States. Students of Ms. Fitzgerald’s have won numerous competitions and many college scholarships. Besides teaching, Ms. Fitzgerald frequently performs as a violin soloist, a member of the Kettle Moraine Symphony and is a member of her church’s handbell choir.
Kari Gunderson
Kari Gunderson has a Bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and her Doctor of Musical Arts from Indiana University. She has taught performance and string teacher training at Florida State University, Ohio State University, and Ohio Wesleyan. She's performed in Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Opera Columbus, Ballet Met, and for such popular stars as Michael Jackson and Natalie Cole.
A co-founder of the Suzuki Association of Ohio, she's taught at the Columbus Suzuki regional institute and served as newsletter editor for the state organization. Twice she served as string chair for the Ohio Music Teachers Association.Some of her students have gone on to the Cleveland Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Yale University, Northwestern University, Indiana University, and Oberlin Conservatory of Music and successful musical careers.
In 2010 she moved to northeast Milwaukee, where she teaches Suzuki classes and lessons. She does occasional work for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, Latino Arts Strings program, and Whitefish Bay Schools.
She has found wonderful colleagues in the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin, which she gratefully served as immediate past president. In addition to traditional Suzuki lessons and classes, she enjoys teaching folk fiddling, improvising, and muscle care. She also hikes, learns to speak laughable Spanish, and tries to help bend the arc toward justice for people less lucky than she has been.
Pam Hughes
Pam Hughes maintains a private Suzuki Violin Studio in Viroqua and La Crosse, Wisconsin. In the Summer months, her students love to fiddle! Pam began Suzuki piano lessons at age 5 and Suzuki violin lessons at age 8. As a child, she studied the violin for 10 years with Linda Fiore in Pennsylvania and received violin teacher training from Linda in Books 1 & 2.
In her adult years, Pam has completed teacher training with Pat D’Ercole through the long-term Suzuki training program at the University of Wisconsin’s Aber Suzuki Center. She has also completed Suzuki Book and Technique training with Linda Fiore, Teri Einfeld, Ed Kreitman, Ann Montzka Smelser, James Hutchins, and Mark Mutter; Group Class training with Alice Joy Lewis and Carey Beth-Hockett; and an Improvisation Class with Randal Harrison. Additionally, Pam has learned from many other seasoned teachers through her attendance at numerous Suzuki workshops, institutes and conferences over the years
Pam’s undergraduate degree is in Experiential Education. Prior to becoming a Suzuki violin teacher 10 years ago, she worked with children in a variety of capacities, including her professional work as a mediator. As a child, Pam had the privilege of performing and having group violin lessons in her home with Dr. Suzuki. Now as an adult, she has the privilege of being a Suzuki parent of a young violinist.
Eric Miller
Eric Miller, educator and performer, performs as a viola da gambist, cellist, chamber musician, and session cellist around the Midwest. A specialist in repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries, Eric is an active viola da gamba soloist and member of the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble. He also performs on cello frequently with Indie Folk artist Katie Burns with whom he has recorded four albums. Beginning in 2017, with a loan of instruments from the Viola da Gamba Society of America, Eric is directing a new chamber ensemble for high school students, the Madison Youth Viol Consort, which focuses on polyphonic music written for viols during the renaissance. In 2018, Eric will be releasing his first recording of unaccompanied music for the viola da gamba. Largely and proudly self-taught on the viol, Eric has recently participated in Josh Lee's Free Viola da Gamba Residency and has received great wisdom and encouragement in short bursts during sessions with many of the nation's finest players over the years. As a classically trained cellist, Eric holds degrees from Northern Illinois University and UW-Madison where he trained with two consummate chamber musicians, Marc Johnson and Parry Karp, respectively. A dedicated educator trained in the Suzuki approach, Eric teaches a large cello studio in Madison and has also served hundreds of students as orchestra teacher for the Madison Metropolitan School District since 2009. www.millerstrings.com
Laura Mintz
Laura Mintz maintains a private teaching studio for violin and viola students of all ages and levels. She also teaches instrumental and general music in private and public schools in the greater Milwaukee area, and is a string faculty member of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
Ms. Mintz grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. As a young musician, she was a long time member of Mimi Zweig's renowned String Academy at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and later attended the North Carolina School of the Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, both in violin performance, and has participated in teacher training and continuing education with leading Suzuki educators over the years. She has also served as an adjudicator at various state Solo and Ensemble festivals.
Mary Moran
Mary Moran teaches viola at the Aber Suzuki Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Mary has been teaching privately for twenty years, and participated in long-term Suzuki training with Pat D'Ercole, and additional teacher training with Nancy Lokken. She has also worked as a sectional and chamber music coach with the Central Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra and El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestra programs.
Mary is principal viola of the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. As the CWSO's Education and Community Engagement Coordinator, she performs in area schools as part of the Meet the Music program introducing elementary-age students to orchestral instruments. Previously, she was a member of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, and Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra in addition to other ensembles in Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. She has also performed with the National Repertory Orchestra, and at the Aspen Music Festival, the Round Top Festival Institute, and the Castleton Festival in Virginia. She enjoys an active career as a chamber musician and freelance violist in the Central Wisconsin region.
Mary earned a Master of Music degree in Viola Performance from Southern Methodist University, where she studied with Ellen Rose. She also completed a Master of Music degree in Music History and Literature from SMU. Prior to that, Mary earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from the University of Oklahoma, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. While at Oklahoma, she studied with Wayne Crouse, Matthew Dane, and Ellen Rose.
Ann Marie Novak
Ann Marie was the founding Director of the Northampton Community Music Center (MA). She also was the Department Chair for the Suzuki Department in the Community Music School of Springfield. She left those positions to enjoy the winter wonderland of Wisconsin and to accept the mantle of leadership as first the Vice-President and then the President of the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin (SAW). She has taught piano and served as collaborative pianist for over 25 years at the Aber Suzuki Center, where she maintains a studio of approximately 35 students. She is a regular clinician at the SAW Retreat and the American Suzuki Institute and has taught masterclasses and workshops in the Midwest (Omaha, Minneapolis, Aspen) and on the East Coast (Hartt, Northampton, Springfield). She has performed as a soloist and as a chamber musician, and she presents lectures at both the American Suzuki Institute and SAA Conferences. One such lecture was filmed, produced and marketed by the SAA for parents everywhere.
Miss Novak manages and writes extensively for the ASC parent education blog, develops other parent education materials, and has been published in the SAA Journal. She serves as WMTA District Chair and was honored as the 2015 Stevens Point Area Music Teachers' Association Member of the Year. Her students have been featured in Master Classes both locally and Nationally, and they regularly receive honors at WMTA District and State Auditions.
Lyda Osinga
Lyda Partee Osinga is one of the oldest Suzuki students in America since she started the violin in 1964 at the age of 4. In 1988, she had the amazing privilege to spend two months in Japan studying with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, who had her playing La Folia from book 6 every day. She has been a Suzuki teacher for 4 decades with great mentors like William Starr, John Kendall, Doris Preucil, Alice Joy Lewis, Kay Collier-Slone, Margery Aber, and Pat D’Ercole.
Lyda learned a lot as a Suzuki parent for 3 boys. And she knows she was a blessed child when Dr. Suzuki kissed her forehead at a concert in New York City instead of signing an autograph – she hasn’t washed it since!
Abigail Peterson
Abigail Peterson teaches Suzuki violin in West Milwaukee, WI. Abigail started playing the violin as a "Suzuki kid" at 4 years old and somewhere along the way decided she was going to be a Suzuki teacher, too. She loves teaching students of all ages and spends a lot of time learning and growing to become a better teacher. When she's not teaching, she's playing with her young sons, Otto and Theo, or spending time with her husband, Kyle. Her favorite things to do with her "free-time" are going to concerts, reading, or watching a good movie or tv show.
Anna Rasmussen
Anna Rasmussen received her Master’s in Violin Performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Baylor University. Her violin teachers include Fabian Lopez, Eka Gogichashvili, and Julia Hardie. She has done Suzuki Teacher Training with Doris Preucil, Julia Hardie, Joanne Melvin, Sarah Bylander Montzka, Thomas Wermuth, Ann Montzka-Smelser, Kathleen Spring, Nancy Jackson, Mark Mutter, and long-term training with Allen Lieb at the School for Strings in New York City. She has been a member of the Suzuki faculty at the Wisconsin Conservatory of music since 2016, and also teaches in her home studio in the Bay View area. She was elected as Secretary of the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin in 2017. She has taught at Suzuki, traditional, and El Sistema-inspired schools in Wisconsin, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Texas.
Charlie Rasmussen
Charlie Rasmussen enjoys an active career as both a modern and Baroque cellist and as a teacher at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Mr. Rasmussen was previously on faculty at the Talent Education Suzuki School in Norwalk, CT where he taught private and group cello lessons, musicianship classes, and coached chamber ensembles. Mr. Rasmussen strives to help his students develop a lifelong passion for music and cello playing.
Mr. Rasmussen holds a Masters of Music in Cello Performance from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG), where he was a graduate assistant and studied with Dr. Alexander Ezerman. He also received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Theory from UNCG. Before his studies at UNCG, Mr. Rasmussen graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in music from Luther College where he studied with Dr. Eric Kutz. Mr. Rasmussen studied the Suzuki Method with Carol Tarr at the University of Denver, and he is trained to teach Books 1-10 through the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Mr. Rasmussen performed as cellist in the Spiritoso Quartet from 2015-2016 and the Immer String Quartet while he was a student at UNCG. As an orchestral musician, Mr. Rasmussen has served as a principal cellist of the Danville Symphony Orchestra (VA), University of North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, and the Luther College Philharmonia. He has also performed with the Fayetteville and Norwalk Symphonies. An advocate of new music, Mr. Rasmussen performed in the premiere of Alejandro Rutty’s Cantabile Hop at the 2012 North Carolina Music Teacher’s Association in Chapel Hill and premiered a string quartet by Elise Grant in 2015. He has recorded for Grammy Award-winning Broadway and film composer Paul Bogaev.
As a Baroque cellist, Mr. Rasmussen has appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Series with the New York Continuo Collective. He has performed on multiple early music recitals at the Yale University Institute of Sacred Music including a collaboration with professor James Taylor. Mr. Rasmussen soloed with Greensboro Early Music and presented solo recitals through the Seabury Academy of the Arts in Norwalk, CT. He previously performed in the Vitali Ensemble with Baroque guitarist Meredith Connie and presented concerts across New England. An active educator, Mr. Rasmussen has presented lecture recitals about historical performance practice at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, for the Colorado Symphony Study Group in Denver, and at locations around Milwaukee. He has presented early music masterclasses and workshops at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and for Fairfield County (CT) CelloFest.
Stacy Fehr Regehr
Stacy Fehr Regehr is a native of Emporia, Kansas. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Emporia State University, followed by a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Kansas State University. Stacy has taught piano and flute for over 20 years, including an adjunct teaching position at Kansas State in 2005. Since moving to Madison in 2006, she has served as a staff accompanist with the School of Madison Ballet. Stacy is a founding member and the pianist of Arbor Ensemble, a chamber group devoted to promoting music by women composers. Her freelance career includes performing with Fresco Opera Theatre, the LunArt Festival, and accompanying private studios and high schools in the area.
Ken Stancer
Ken Stancer attended and graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater in 1986 with a degree in K-12 Music Education. He holds a Master of Music Education degree from UW Madison.
He teaches K-5 elementary music in the Madison Metropolitan Schools (Lindbergh Elementary). In addition he teaches Suzuki Piano at the Monroe Street Arts Center and is Organist and Music Director at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, both in Madison. He has one organ student and one recorder student.
In addition to keyboard and recorder, Ken also plays the celtic harp. Outside of music, Ken enjoys bicycling, gardening, and spending time in nature.
Kathy Taylor
Kathryn Taylor has a Bachelors degree in violin performance from the University of Wyoming and did graduate work at Michigan State University. She received her Suzuki pedagogy training from Margery Aber, Craig Timmerman, Ed Kreitman, Geri Arnold, and Kyoko Fuller, at Michigan State University, Blue Lake Suzuki Camp and the Chicago Suzuki Institute. She has attended numerous Suzuki workshops, institutes, and conferences throughout the years. She currently performs in the Madison Symphony Orchestra and with the con vivo! …music with life chamber music ensemble. Her goal as a violin teacher is to help students develop self confidence and a life-long love of classical music.
Janse Vincent
Janse H. Vincent is a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra viola sections. She also teaches violin and viola with Suzuki Strings of Madison and is violist with the Con Vivo chamber ensemble. Before moving to Madison in 2000, she taught at the Cincinnati String Academy and served as coordinator of their Suzuki String program. From 1992 to 1997, Janse taught at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, Iowa where she completed long-term Suzuki teacher training with Doris Preucil. Other Suzuki training includes courses with Ronda Cole, Kimberly Meier-Sims, William Preucil Sr., Elizabeth Stuen-Walker, Sonja Zeithammel and Kay Collier-(Slone) McLaughlin. She has been on the faculties of the University of Memphis Suzuki Institute, Capitol University Suzuki Institute and American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, WI. Weekend Suzuki workshops include Sioux City, Milwaukee, Madison and the Cleveland Institute of Music. After completing undergraduate studies at Furman University, she earned a master’s degree in viola performance from Northwestern University and a D.M.A. in viola performance and pedagogy from The University of Iowa. Her association with the Suzuki method began early with violin lessons at the age of five in Gainesville, Florida.
Carol Waldvogel
Carol Waldvogel is the director/founder of North Shore Suzuki Strings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She holds a MME with an emphasis on the Suzuki method, from the University of Colorado and a BME from Illinois State University. Carol was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin and is a former member of the board of directors of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Ms. Waldvogel had the opportunity to study with Dr. Suzuki in Matsumoto, Japan in 1983. Her Master’s degree work was with William Starr, a renowned Suzuki pedagogue, whom was instrumental in introducing the Suzuki method in the United States. He is the author of many books, including The Suzuki Violinist and To Learn With Love. Other Suzuki training includes courses with Marge Aber, Gilda Barston, Tonya Carey, Rhonda Cole, Teri Einfeldt, John Kendal, Kay Collier-(Sloane) McLaughlin and William and Doris Preucil, and Almita Vamos.
Carol received the Byron Hester Outstanding Faculty Award in 2004 in Colorado and was the recipient of the Suzuki Chair award in 2009 in Wisconsin. In 2016, the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin honored Carol with the Sensei Award for “Leadership and Caring.” Carol has been a guest clinician at many Suzuki workshops and Suzuki summer institutes throughout the United States and Mexico.
Michelle Zelinski
Michelle studied Suzuki violin with Celestine Fitzgerald of the Barcel Suzuki String Academy in Wauwatosa, WI for 14 years. She was a frequent attendee of the American Suzuki Institute (ASI) in Steven's Point WI, where her Master Teachers included Terry Durbin, Carol Dallinger, Mark Bjork and Steve Bjella. Michelle's college studies were completed with Jody Gatwood and Emil Chudnovsky at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music in Washington D. C. Her college Symphony Orchestra performances under conductor David Searle included Don Juan (Strauss), Symphony No. 4 (Brahms) and Petrushka (Stravinsky). The orchestra also participated in both an opera and a musical performance each year. Michelle graduated Magna Cum Laude with a violin performance degree in May, 2014.
Michelle completed Suzuki Teacher Training for books 1-5 with Mark Mutter, Nancy Lokken and Beth Titterington during her summers at ASI. She recently received Long Term Suzuki Teacher Training from Pat D'Ercole, completing her Masters’ Degree in Music Education with a Suzuki Emphasis from UWSP. While at UWSP, where she now teaches a full Suzuki Violin studio, Michelle also continued private lessons with Steve Bjella. She is in her third year performing with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. Teaching has brought Michelle both her biggest challenges and her greatest rewards, and she looks forward to seeing her students each week.
Charlene Adzima
Charlene Adzima specializes in Irish fiddle and other styles outside of the Classical idiom. She maintains a full studio in the Madison area and has successfully applied Suzuki pedagogy to the teaching of authentic traditional folk styles. Charlene is also an award-winning Irish fiddler who performs regularly and is in demand as a musician for Irish step dance competitions. She lives in Stoughton, WI, with her husband, 2 small children, and a cockatiel named Stumpy.
Amanda Berthon
Amanda Berthon teaches Suzuki violin, fiddle, and Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) from her private studio in Montello, WI. Amanda received her training from the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, WI. She is a member of the Ripon College/Community Orchestra, a freelance singer and fiddler, member of the Berthon Family Musicians, and has played for numerous weddings and special events. She continues to host community concerts at the Historic Vaughn Hall in Montello, WI, and has appeared multiple times as a guest performer with Maggie Mae and the Heartland Country Band, including performances at the Crystal Grand Music Theatre in the Wisconsin Dells, the Independence Opera House, and the Schauer Arts Center in Hartford, WI.
Naomi Berthon
Naomi Berthon, age 16, is a Suzuki violin student and Suzuki Early Childhood Education assistant teacher. She co-teaches this class with her sister, Amanda Berthon, in Montello, WI. Naomi enjoys playing the violin and piano, and is beginning her first semester with the Ripon College & Community Orchestra this January.
Pat D'Ercole
Patricia D’Ercole is the former Director of the Aber Suzuki Center at the UW-Stevens Point where she taught violin to children and Suzuki pedagogy courses. She completed a master’s degree with an emphasis in Suzuki with Margery Aber and, in 1988, studied in Japan with Dr. Suzuki. She has been a clinician in 22 states in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Finland, Estonia, Peru, Chile and Taiwan. Pat has written numerous articles for the American Suzuki Journal, was chair of the Suzuki Association (SAA) Board of Directors and served as a member of the SAA committees to develop the Every Child Can! course and the Suzuki Principles in Action course. She was the founder and first president of the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin and has been on the planning committee for the International Research Symposium on Talent Education since its inception in 1991 and has served as its coordinator since 1995. Through her leadership, “The American Suzuki Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point: The Suzuki Method in Action,” a collection of videos which chronicles the two weeks of Dr. Suzuki’s teaching at the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point in 1976, is now preserved and posted on the web for free viewing by all. In 2002, she was the recipient of the American Suzuki Institute’s Suzuki Chair Award and in 2008 became a Distinguished Instructional Specialist at UWSP. In September, 2010, Pat began the UWSP Suzuki Strings Mentoring Program, an online long-term practicum to assist and support Suzuki string teachers in their quest to become a better teacher within the environment of their usual employment. Pat currently has a private studio where she teaches students and teachers.
Sue Ellen Dubbert
Sue Ellen has been teaching Suzuki piano to students of all ages in Madison for the past ten years. I addition to private lessons, Sue Ellen teaches group classes with the Music Mind Games curriculum, accompanies string students, formerly taught Music Together (a parent-child music class for ages 0-5), and studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics with Dr. Jeremy Dittus. These days she remains active with the Madison Area Piano Teachers Association and sings all the time with her three year old son.
Colleen Fitzgerald
Ms. Colleen Fitzgerald, executive director of the Barcel Suzuki String Academy located in Milwaukee, WI, currently teaches private and group violin lessons and Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes at BSSA. Ms. Fitzgerald earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance with Suzuki Pedagogy Emphasis under mentor, Professor Carol Dallinger at the University of Evansville and a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from Cardinal Stritch University. She has also received supplemental Suzuki teacher training with Kay Collier-McLaughlin, Ed Kreitman, Tom Wermuth, and Alice Joy Lewis and acquired her Early Childhood Education training under Suzuki ECE founders, Dorothy & Sharon Jones. Ms. Fitzgerald started Suzuki violin lessons at age 6 and two years later began studies with Suzuki teacher trainer, Joan Rooney.
Colleen earned the Certificate of Achievement from the Suzuki Association of the Americas and was awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Studio Teaching from the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee. She is a clinician at Suzuki weekend workshops in the Midwest as well as summer Suzuki institutes throughout the United States. Students of Ms. Fitzgerald’s have won numerous competitions and many college scholarships. Besides teaching, Ms. Fitzgerald frequently performs as a violin soloist, a member of the Kettle Moraine Symphony and is a member of her church’s handbell choir.
Kari Gunderson
Kari Gunderson has a Bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and her Doctor of Musical Arts from Indiana University. She has taught performance and string teacher training at Florida State University, Ohio State University, and Ohio Wesleyan. She's performed in Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Opera Columbus, Ballet Met, and for such popular stars as Michael Jackson and Natalie Cole.
A co-founder of the Suzuki Association of Ohio, she's taught at the Columbus Suzuki regional institute and served as newsletter editor for the state organization. Twice she served as string chair for the Ohio Music Teachers Association.Some of her students have gone on to the Cleveland Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Yale University, Northwestern University, Indiana University, and Oberlin Conservatory of Music and successful musical careers.
In 2010 she moved to northeast Milwaukee, where she teaches Suzuki classes and lessons. She does occasional work for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, Latino Arts Strings program, and Whitefish Bay Schools.
She has found wonderful colleagues in the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin, which she gratefully served as immediate past president. In addition to traditional Suzuki lessons and classes, she enjoys teaching folk fiddling, improvising, and muscle care. She also hikes, learns to speak laughable Spanish, and tries to help bend the arc toward justice for people less lucky than she has been.
Pam Hughes
Pam Hughes maintains a private Suzuki Violin Studio in Viroqua and La Crosse, Wisconsin. In the Summer months, her students love to fiddle! Pam began Suzuki piano lessons at age 5 and Suzuki violin lessons at age 8. As a child, she studied the violin for 10 years with Linda Fiore in Pennsylvania and received violin teacher training from Linda in Books 1 & 2.
In her adult years, Pam has completed teacher training with Pat D’Ercole through the long-term Suzuki training program at the University of Wisconsin’s Aber Suzuki Center. She has also completed Suzuki Book and Technique training with Linda Fiore, Teri Einfeld, Ed Kreitman, Ann Montzka Smelser, James Hutchins, and Mark Mutter; Group Class training with Alice Joy Lewis and Carey Beth-Hockett; and an Improvisation Class with Randal Harrison. Additionally, Pam has learned from many other seasoned teachers through her attendance at numerous Suzuki workshops, institutes and conferences over the years
Pam’s undergraduate degree is in Experiential Education. Prior to becoming a Suzuki violin teacher 10 years ago, she worked with children in a variety of capacities, including her professional work as a mediator. As a child, Pam had the privilege of performing and having group violin lessons in her home with Dr. Suzuki. Now as an adult, she has the privilege of being a Suzuki parent of a young violinist.
Eric Miller
Eric Miller, educator and performer, performs as a viola da gambist, cellist, chamber musician, and session cellist around the Midwest. A specialist in repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries, Eric is an active viola da gamba soloist and member of the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble. He also performs on cello frequently with Indie Folk artist Katie Burns with whom he has recorded four albums. Beginning in 2017, with a loan of instruments from the Viola da Gamba Society of America, Eric is directing a new chamber ensemble for high school students, the Madison Youth Viol Consort, which focuses on polyphonic music written for viols during the renaissance. In 2018, Eric will be releasing his first recording of unaccompanied music for the viola da gamba. Largely and proudly self-taught on the viol, Eric has recently participated in Josh Lee's Free Viola da Gamba Residency and has received great wisdom and encouragement in short bursts during sessions with many of the nation's finest players over the years. As a classically trained cellist, Eric holds degrees from Northern Illinois University and UW-Madison where he trained with two consummate chamber musicians, Marc Johnson and Parry Karp, respectively. A dedicated educator trained in the Suzuki approach, Eric teaches a large cello studio in Madison and has also served hundreds of students as orchestra teacher for the Madison Metropolitan School District since 2009. www.millerstrings.com
Laura Mintz
Laura Mintz maintains a private teaching studio for violin and viola students of all ages and levels. She also teaches instrumental and general music in private and public schools in the greater Milwaukee area, and is a string faculty member of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
Ms. Mintz grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. As a young musician, she was a long time member of Mimi Zweig's renowned String Academy at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and later attended the North Carolina School of the Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, both in violin performance, and has participated in teacher training and continuing education with leading Suzuki educators over the years. She has also served as an adjudicator at various state Solo and Ensemble festivals.
Mary Moran
Mary Moran teaches viola at the Aber Suzuki Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Mary has been teaching privately for twenty years, and participated in long-term Suzuki training with Pat D'Ercole, and additional teacher training with Nancy Lokken. She has also worked as a sectional and chamber music coach with the Central Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra and El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestra programs.
Mary is principal viola of the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. As the CWSO's Education and Community Engagement Coordinator, she performs in area schools as part of the Meet the Music program introducing elementary-age students to orchestral instruments. Previously, she was a member of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, and Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra in addition to other ensembles in Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. She has also performed with the National Repertory Orchestra, and at the Aspen Music Festival, the Round Top Festival Institute, and the Castleton Festival in Virginia. She enjoys an active career as a chamber musician and freelance violist in the Central Wisconsin region.
Mary earned a Master of Music degree in Viola Performance from Southern Methodist University, where she studied with Ellen Rose. She also completed a Master of Music degree in Music History and Literature from SMU. Prior to that, Mary earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from the University of Oklahoma, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. While at Oklahoma, she studied with Wayne Crouse, Matthew Dane, and Ellen Rose.
Ann Marie Novak
Ann Marie was the founding Director of the Northampton Community Music Center (MA). She also was the Department Chair for the Suzuki Department in the Community Music School of Springfield. She left those positions to enjoy the winter wonderland of Wisconsin and to accept the mantle of leadership as first the Vice-President and then the President of the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin (SAW). She has taught piano and served as collaborative pianist for over 25 years at the Aber Suzuki Center, where she maintains a studio of approximately 35 students. She is a regular clinician at the SAW Retreat and the American Suzuki Institute and has taught masterclasses and workshops in the Midwest (Omaha, Minneapolis, Aspen) and on the East Coast (Hartt, Northampton, Springfield). She has performed as a soloist and as a chamber musician, and she presents lectures at both the American Suzuki Institute and SAA Conferences. One such lecture was filmed, produced and marketed by the SAA for parents everywhere.
Miss Novak manages and writes extensively for the ASC parent education blog, develops other parent education materials, and has been published in the SAA Journal. She serves as WMTA District Chair and was honored as the 2015 Stevens Point Area Music Teachers' Association Member of the Year. Her students have been featured in Master Classes both locally and Nationally, and they regularly receive honors at WMTA District and State Auditions.
Lyda Osinga
Lyda Partee Osinga is one of the oldest Suzuki students in America since she started the violin in 1964 at the age of 4. In 1988, she had the amazing privilege to spend two months in Japan studying with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, who had her playing La Folia from book 6 every day. She has been a Suzuki teacher for 4 decades with great mentors like William Starr, John Kendall, Doris Preucil, Alice Joy Lewis, Kay Collier-Slone, Margery Aber, and Pat D’Ercole.
Lyda learned a lot as a Suzuki parent for 3 boys. And she knows she was a blessed child when Dr. Suzuki kissed her forehead at a concert in New York City instead of signing an autograph – she hasn’t washed it since!
Abigail Peterson
Abigail Peterson teaches Suzuki violin in West Milwaukee, WI. Abigail started playing the violin as a "Suzuki kid" at 4 years old and somewhere along the way decided she was going to be a Suzuki teacher, too. She loves teaching students of all ages and spends a lot of time learning and growing to become a better teacher. When she's not teaching, she's playing with her young sons, Otto and Theo, or spending time with her husband, Kyle. Her favorite things to do with her "free-time" are going to concerts, reading, or watching a good movie or tv show.
Anna Rasmussen
Anna Rasmussen received her Master’s in Violin Performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Baylor University. Her violin teachers include Fabian Lopez, Eka Gogichashvili, and Julia Hardie. She has done Suzuki Teacher Training with Doris Preucil, Julia Hardie, Joanne Melvin, Sarah Bylander Montzka, Thomas Wermuth, Ann Montzka-Smelser, Kathleen Spring, Nancy Jackson, Mark Mutter, and long-term training with Allen Lieb at the School for Strings in New York City. She has been a member of the Suzuki faculty at the Wisconsin Conservatory of music since 2016, and also teaches in her home studio in the Bay View area. She was elected as Secretary of the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin in 2017. She has taught at Suzuki, traditional, and El Sistema-inspired schools in Wisconsin, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Texas.
Charlie Rasmussen
Charlie Rasmussen enjoys an active career as both a modern and Baroque cellist and as a teacher at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Mr. Rasmussen was previously on faculty at the Talent Education Suzuki School in Norwalk, CT where he taught private and group cello lessons, musicianship classes, and coached chamber ensembles. Mr. Rasmussen strives to help his students develop a lifelong passion for music and cello playing.
Mr. Rasmussen holds a Masters of Music in Cello Performance from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG), where he was a graduate assistant and studied with Dr. Alexander Ezerman. He also received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Theory from UNCG. Before his studies at UNCG, Mr. Rasmussen graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in music from Luther College where he studied with Dr. Eric Kutz. Mr. Rasmussen studied the Suzuki Method with Carol Tarr at the University of Denver, and he is trained to teach Books 1-10 through the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Mr. Rasmussen performed as cellist in the Spiritoso Quartet from 2015-2016 and the Immer String Quartet while he was a student at UNCG. As an orchestral musician, Mr. Rasmussen has served as a principal cellist of the Danville Symphony Orchestra (VA), University of North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, and the Luther College Philharmonia. He has also performed with the Fayetteville and Norwalk Symphonies. An advocate of new music, Mr. Rasmussen performed in the premiere of Alejandro Rutty’s Cantabile Hop at the 2012 North Carolina Music Teacher’s Association in Chapel Hill and premiered a string quartet by Elise Grant in 2015. He has recorded for Grammy Award-winning Broadway and film composer Paul Bogaev.
As a Baroque cellist, Mr. Rasmussen has appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Series with the New York Continuo Collective. He has performed on multiple early music recitals at the Yale University Institute of Sacred Music including a collaboration with professor James Taylor. Mr. Rasmussen soloed with Greensboro Early Music and presented solo recitals through the Seabury Academy of the Arts in Norwalk, CT. He previously performed in the Vitali Ensemble with Baroque guitarist Meredith Connie and presented concerts across New England. An active educator, Mr. Rasmussen has presented lecture recitals about historical performance practice at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, for the Colorado Symphony Study Group in Denver, and at locations around Milwaukee. He has presented early music masterclasses and workshops at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and for Fairfield County (CT) CelloFest.
Stacy Fehr Regehr
Stacy Fehr Regehr is a native of Emporia, Kansas. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Emporia State University, followed by a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Kansas State University. Stacy has taught piano and flute for over 20 years, including an adjunct teaching position at Kansas State in 2005. Since moving to Madison in 2006, she has served as a staff accompanist with the School of Madison Ballet. Stacy is a founding member and the pianist of Arbor Ensemble, a chamber group devoted to promoting music by women composers. Her freelance career includes performing with Fresco Opera Theatre, the LunArt Festival, and accompanying private studios and high schools in the area.
Ken Stancer
Ken Stancer attended and graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater in 1986 with a degree in K-12 Music Education. He holds a Master of Music Education degree from UW Madison.
He teaches K-5 elementary music in the Madison Metropolitan Schools (Lindbergh Elementary). In addition he teaches Suzuki Piano at the Monroe Street Arts Center and is Organist and Music Director at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, both in Madison. He has one organ student and one recorder student.
In addition to keyboard and recorder, Ken also plays the celtic harp. Outside of music, Ken enjoys bicycling, gardening, and spending time in nature.
Kathy Taylor
Kathryn Taylor has a Bachelors degree in violin performance from the University of Wyoming and did graduate work at Michigan State University. She received her Suzuki pedagogy training from Margery Aber, Craig Timmerman, Ed Kreitman, Geri Arnold, and Kyoko Fuller, at Michigan State University, Blue Lake Suzuki Camp and the Chicago Suzuki Institute. She has attended numerous Suzuki workshops, institutes, and conferences throughout the years. She currently performs in the Madison Symphony Orchestra and with the con vivo! …music with life chamber music ensemble. Her goal as a violin teacher is to help students develop self confidence and a life-long love of classical music.
Janse Vincent
Janse H. Vincent is a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra viola sections. She also teaches violin and viola with Suzuki Strings of Madison and is violist with the Con Vivo chamber ensemble. Before moving to Madison in 2000, she taught at the Cincinnati String Academy and served as coordinator of their Suzuki String program. From 1992 to 1997, Janse taught at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, Iowa where she completed long-term Suzuki teacher training with Doris Preucil. Other Suzuki training includes courses with Ronda Cole, Kimberly Meier-Sims, William Preucil Sr., Elizabeth Stuen-Walker, Sonja Zeithammel and Kay Collier-(Slone) McLaughlin. She has been on the faculties of the University of Memphis Suzuki Institute, Capitol University Suzuki Institute and American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, WI. Weekend Suzuki workshops include Sioux City, Milwaukee, Madison and the Cleveland Institute of Music. After completing undergraduate studies at Furman University, she earned a master’s degree in viola performance from Northwestern University and a D.M.A. in viola performance and pedagogy from The University of Iowa. Her association with the Suzuki method began early with violin lessons at the age of five in Gainesville, Florida.
Carol Waldvogel
Carol Waldvogel is the director/founder of North Shore Suzuki Strings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She holds a MME with an emphasis on the Suzuki method, from the University of Colorado and a BME from Illinois State University. Carol was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin and is a former member of the board of directors of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Ms. Waldvogel had the opportunity to study with Dr. Suzuki in Matsumoto, Japan in 1983. Her Master’s degree work was with William Starr, a renowned Suzuki pedagogue, whom was instrumental in introducing the Suzuki method in the United States. He is the author of many books, including The Suzuki Violinist and To Learn With Love. Other Suzuki training includes courses with Marge Aber, Gilda Barston, Tonya Carey, Rhonda Cole, Teri Einfeldt, John Kendal, Kay Collier-(Sloane) McLaughlin and William and Doris Preucil, and Almita Vamos.
Carol received the Byron Hester Outstanding Faculty Award in 2004 in Colorado and was the recipient of the Suzuki Chair award in 2009 in Wisconsin. In 2016, the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin honored Carol with the Sensei Award for “Leadership and Caring.” Carol has been a guest clinician at many Suzuki workshops and Suzuki summer institutes throughout the United States and Mexico.
Michelle Zelinski
Michelle studied Suzuki violin with Celestine Fitzgerald of the Barcel Suzuki String Academy in Wauwatosa, WI for 14 years. She was a frequent attendee of the American Suzuki Institute (ASI) in Steven's Point WI, where her Master Teachers included Terry Durbin, Carol Dallinger, Mark Bjork and Steve Bjella. Michelle's college studies were completed with Jody Gatwood and Emil Chudnovsky at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music in Washington D. C. Her college Symphony Orchestra performances under conductor David Searle included Don Juan (Strauss), Symphony No. 4 (Brahms) and Petrushka (Stravinsky). The orchestra also participated in both an opera and a musical performance each year. Michelle graduated Magna Cum Laude with a violin performance degree in May, 2014.
Michelle completed Suzuki Teacher Training for books 1-5 with Mark Mutter, Nancy Lokken and Beth Titterington during her summers at ASI. She recently received Long Term Suzuki Teacher Training from Pat D'Ercole, completing her Masters’ Degree in Music Education with a Suzuki Emphasis from UWSP. While at UWSP, where she now teaches a full Suzuki Violin studio, Michelle also continued private lessons with Steve Bjella. She is in her third year performing with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. Teaching has brought Michelle both her biggest challenges and her greatest rewards, and she looks forward to seeing her students each week.
