Cello with Ryan A.

I am a professional music teacher and cellist who specializes in orchestral strings. I graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2017 with a Bachelor's Degree in K-12 Music Education. I have a very wide range of musical interests, from classical to folk/fiddle music, Irish and Scottish music, pop, funk, rock, heavy metal, and many more. I hope to use my many interests to appeal to the varied musical interests of all of my students while continuing to teach important terms, traditions, and similar aspects of all music in our lessons. As a cellist, I began as a Suzuki Strings student under Charlene Melzer in my hometown of Racine, WI, and continued my musical training within the Suzuki tradition. I studied privately with Martha Veto in Racine for seven years before attending Illinois Wesleyan University, where I studied under Dr. Nina Gordon. In 2011 I won the Racine Young Artists Competition and performed solo with the Racine Symphony. I received Honorable Mention in the Milwaukee Symphony Young Artist Auditions in 2012 and 2013. At Illinois Wesleyan, I won the 2016-17 Henry Charles Memorial Concerto-Aria Competition, and performed Tchaikovsky's "Pezzo Capriccioso" with the Illinois Wesleyan Symphony Orchestra. I love to continue working on my own craft so that I can always be the best possible musical model for my students. I believe that all people of all ages, backgrounds, and identities are capable of making quality music. My goal is to help each student find his or her musical identity and use it to create meaningful, lifelong experiences for all people!