About Mike
To read my full formal sounding bio with some of my background and performing activities, click here.
I have been teaching in the midwest for a couple of decades. My students have ranged in age from 3 to 77 and have included beginners to college bound music majors, All State concertmasters, to adults of various levels. My interest in teaching began while observing different teachers as a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music. I began teaching in the CIM Prep Department and enrolled in the Suzuki teacher training program there. I was in the first graduating class at the Cleveland Institute to receive the Masters Degree in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy under the late Michele Higa George. Since Michele was Dr. Shinichi Suzuki's translator whenever he came to the US, one of the perks was getting to participate in special classes with him and to be present during the filming of Cleveland footage for the "Nurtured by Love" video. I have registered long term Suzuki teacher training through the Suzuki Association of the Americas in all 10 Suzuki books as part of my degree program. I have since had the opportunity to take all of those courses with other teachers.
Currently my main performing orchestra instrument is violin, but I have also studied viola both in school and at numerous summer camps. Throughout all of my student years, I usually played and coached in multiple chamber groups in both violin and viola, and performed in Europe on viola in chamber groups and orchestra. I still perform as a chamber music violist. I have always taught viola along with violin. I have numerous viola videos on my youtube channel.
I am a 3rd generation teacher of some sort in my family, and music runs there as well! My mother played the piano and sang, and my father was both a virtuoso pianist and trumpet player. Both my parents were also church organists. My brother currently plays bassoon in the Canadian Opera, the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago, and teaches at the University of Toronto. His wife plays violin in those organizations. My wife, a former college music major and former member of the Cedar Rapids Symphony also plays violin and we have enjoyed playing weddings and many church events together. I continue to play in Orchestra Iowa, play various weddings and other events, and am probably one of the few violinists in the area who does strolling. In addition to playing violin and viola, I have played piano since I was 3 and took 2 years of guitar.
I have been teaching in the midwest for a couple of decades. My students have ranged in age from 3 to 77 and have included beginners to college bound music majors, All State concertmasters, to adults of various levels. My interest in teaching began while observing different teachers as a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music. I began teaching in the CIM Prep Department and enrolled in the Suzuki teacher training program there. I was in the first graduating class at the Cleveland Institute to receive the Masters Degree in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy under the late Michele Higa George. Since Michele was Dr. Shinichi Suzuki's translator whenever he came to the US, one of the perks was getting to participate in special classes with him and to be present during the filming of Cleveland footage for the "Nurtured by Love" video. I have registered long term Suzuki teacher training through the Suzuki Association of the Americas in all 10 Suzuki books as part of my degree program. I have since had the opportunity to take all of those courses with other teachers.
Currently my main performing orchestra instrument is violin, but I have also studied viola both in school and at numerous summer camps. Throughout all of my student years, I usually played and coached in multiple chamber groups in both violin and viola, and performed in Europe on viola in chamber groups and orchestra. I still perform as a chamber music violist. I have always taught viola along with violin. I have numerous viola videos on my youtube channel.
I am a 3rd generation teacher of some sort in my family, and music runs there as well! My mother played the piano and sang, and my father was both a virtuoso pianist and trumpet player. Both my parents were also church organists. My brother currently plays bassoon in the Canadian Opera, the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago, and teaches at the University of Toronto. His wife plays violin in those organizations. My wife, a former college music major and former member of the Cedar Rapids Symphony also plays violin and we have enjoyed playing weddings and many church events together. I continue to play in Orchestra Iowa, play various weddings and other events, and am probably one of the few violinists in the area who does strolling. In addition to playing violin and viola, I have played piano since I was 3 and took 2 years of guitar.
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