Welcome to Emily Benoit's violin and viola studio! Due to COVID-19, please contact me for updated availability and location options.

I believe that every student can enjoy the process of studying an instrument, and can learn to play with ease and joy. As a result, I work to determine each student's learning style, look for ways to encourage individual ownership of learning, and adapt my approach to help meet each student’s needs and goals. I teach both Suzuki and traditional lessons, and draw from a variety of musical styles and approaches to help students develop a broad range of skills that include a strong technical foundation, ear training, sight-reading, ensemble playing, and musical self-expression. Through this approach, I hope to help students develop a lifelong love for music that will serve them in all future endeavors, musical or otherwise.

Teaching and Education

In and around Seattle, Emily is a strong champion of music education. Currently, Emily runs a thriving violin and viola teaching studio, and coaches in area schools through the Seattle Youth Symphony. Previously, Emily also taught at the Music Center of the Northwest and worked with the education department at the Seattle Symphony. She has experience teaching students of all ages, preparing students for success in competitions, auditions, and recitals, and is trained in a variety of teaching approaches that include the Suzuki method. Emily is an active member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and studied at the Greater Washington Suzuki Institute and the Japan Seattle Suzuki Institute, after receiving her Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University, and her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music.

Performance

Emily has performed throughout much of the United States and abroad. Most recently, she performed as a substitute musician with Seattle’s own Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Emily performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra while based near Washington, D.C, and with the Spoleto USA Festival and the Sarasota Opera. Emily also spent time in San Francisco, where she was a member of the Santa Cruz Symphony and performed as a substitute musician with the San Francisco Symphony.