
Ashley W.

Teaching Locations:

Benefits of being in my cello studio:
Flexible schedule: Unlike other cello teachers, I have a lot of availability throughout the day and week. As long as you reschedule within 24 hours, and I can guarantee you have a lesson during that week!
Access to resources for free: Students in my studio will receive special access to my cello studio google drive folder on my website. You will find helpful resources such as music, video tutorials, recordings, and so much more that are only available for students in my studio.
Anyone can learn: My studio is open to all ages and levels. I teach the person sitting in front of me, not the cello.
Nurturing the whole individual: Not every student will become a professional musician, however I want students to understand they have the potential to become one with dedication and the right mindset. All students will develop self-confidence, discipline, and a lifelong appreciation for music and the arts.
Personalized instruction: All of my lesson plans are tailored to the student I am teaching whether it is a specific technique, working towards a goal, or finding which method of learning is best for them.
Receive instant feedback: I believe giving feedback is one of the most powerful things a teacher does. Positive feedback is just as important as negative feedback, and my goal is to keep the feedback concise and meaningful to make it as clear as possible for the student to understand.
Achieve specific goals: Not only do I teach you music, but also how to be organized and create a plan to reach specific goals. Whether it is all region/state to UIL to college auditions, both short and long term goals are communicated, and I will work with my students to achieve those goals with a well thought out plan.
Effective practice: Are practicing by just playing the piece over and over again? That is not effective, meaningful practice, and I want students to understand they can use their time more wisely with “quality, not quantity” practice. My goal as an educator is to clearly communicate how students should practice at home during our private lessons.
Music Theory: All music instruction includes the introduction of music theory, which is a key component of the fundamentals of music. Learning about dynamics, tempo markings, musical form, etc. all contribute to a deeper understanding of music they are playing.
About Ashley W.
Ashley is a cellist and pianist who graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors of Music in Music Studies. She has studied the cello for 14+ years and the piano for 10+ years under the tutelage of Eleonora and Emmanuel Lopez, Professor Bion Tsang, Dr. Sarah Kemmerling, and more.
At the Butler School of Music at UT Austin, Ashley has performed with numerous ensembles such as Lab Orchestra, University Orchestra, and Symphony Orchestra. She founded the first freshmen-only piano trio and was heavily involved in chamber music at UT. She has played in masterclasses with Madeleine Kabat, assistant principal of Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Freudigman, principal cellist of the San Antonio Symphony, and Mark Kosower, principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra and received coachings from the Harrington and Miró String Quartet. In May 2016, she toured with the WTAMU Symphony Orchestra in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest as assistant principal cellist.
Ashley is a registered Suzuki cello teacher and a licensed Texas educator in Music EC-12. As a teacher in the UT String Project and student teacher at Round Rock ISD, she has gained many years of teaching experience with different playing levels and ages, ranging from 3 years old to 18+ years old. She strongly believes in encouraging her students to become the best they can be in a healthy and productive learning environment.
Reviews
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Ashley is a wonderful cellist and teacher. She is kind, patient and knows how to get great progress while always keeping it fun. She is passionate about each and every one of her students. I am grateful that she chose to first focus on the fundamentals for my son. She shows sincere interest in the student’s development. Her instructions are clear and concise. She constantly gives feedback to parents about the development/ progress of the student. I could not more highly recommend her!

Ashley is amazing. We could not have hoped for a better cello teacher for our five year old, Keira. Ashley has the patience of a saint. Kids love her. She's especially good at making cello lessons fun and engaging. In addition to being a phenomenally good cello player, Ashley is also one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. We could not recommend her more highly. Thank you, Ashley, for nurturing a love of the cello in our child.

Ashley is amazing! She works well with children with extra needs. She taught my son and my daughter to play the cello! She was patient, understanding and helped motivate them. She is consistent, dependable and is a great teacher! My children advanced and played beautifully in a matter of months with her! We have had 3 other instructors. Of them all, my kids thrived under Ashley's instruction. I highly recommend her!

Ashley was an excellent teacher for my son for two years when he was 7 and 8. She is very patient, gave clear notes on what he should work on and helped him to progress. As we made the transition to online lessons, she didn't skip a beat, and was wonderful at finding ways to still make lessons engaging and helpful for him.

Ashley taught my son cello for three years, taking him from the end of Suzuki Book 1 to the end of Suzuki Book 3. She is calm and enthusiastic with her students, and is wonderfully organized. She is very responsive with parents and always willing to go above and beyond the help her students.

We first met Ashley for in person lessons with the UT string project- as the pandemic hit we moved online. She was always engaging and did a great job teaching our daughter - who still misses her quite a bit.
Photos & Videos
5 Photos & VideosExperience
Cello Teacher
May 2015 - PresentPrivate Lesson Teacher
Student Teacher Intern
Jan 2020 - May 2020Round Rock ISD
Teacher
Sep 2018 - May 2020University of Texas at Austin String Project
Taught and co-taught 20 students ages 6-14 in group music classes using a modified Suzuki Method Managed a full weekly studio of 10 students from String Project, implementing technique games, singing, and reviewing pieces from group classes Prepared and presented engaging lessons for a group cello class of 6 four-year-old beginners Directed the Eclectic Styles Festival and brought appreciation to the Native American culture involving over 275 students
Cellist in the Pastel Piano Trio
Jan 2017 - Dec 2019The Butler School of Music
First and only freshmen chamber group to be granted special permission to join UT Butler School of Music’s chamber music program Received coachings and performed in masterclasses taught by prestigious faculty at Butler School of Music such as the Miro Quartet, Anton Nel, and Colette Valentine
Performer
Aug 2016 - Dec 2019The University of Texas Ensembles
Performed with Lab Orchestra, University Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra Served as Assistant Principal cellist in University Orchestra Received cello sectional coachings in Symphony Orchestra from well renowned cellists
Summer Intern
Jun 2019 - Aug 2019Austin Symphony Orchestra
Teacher
Jun 2019 - Jul 2019Songbird Rising Suzuki Camp
Chamber Coach
May 2018 - May 2019Austin Harmony Youth Chamber Orchestra (AHYCO)
Education
Bachelors of Music in Music Studies, Cello Emphasis
Aug 2016 - May 2020University of Texas at Austin
Languages
English
Fluent / Native Proficiency
Mandarin
Limited Proficiency
Certifications
Suzuki Teacher Registered in Cello Book 5
Dec 2020Suzuki Association of the Americas
Texas Educator Certificate: Music EC-12
Mar 2020Texas Education Agency
Suzuki Teacher Registered in Cello Book 2
Jul 2019Suzuki Association of the Americas
Suzuki Teacher Registered in Cello Book 3
Jul 2019Suzuki Association of the Americas
Suzuki Teacher Registered in Cello Book 1
Jul 2018Suzuki Association of the Americas
Awards
Paul Olefsky Scholarship
Nov 2017University of Texas at Austin; the Butler School of Music
University Honors
Aug 2016University of Texas at Austin
Affiliations
Texas Music Educators Association
Sep 2019American String Teachers Association
Dec 2018Suzuki Association of the Americas
May 2018Let Our Student Counselors Help You
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