If you want to learn violin (and viola and cello), you need a teacher. You really do. Some instruments are possible to teach yourself to play enjoyably, but in my experience as both a teacher and a player, violin family instruments are not among them. Bad habits are easy to establish and difficult to unlearn, and at some point if your technique is poor that will prevent you from playing a piece of music that really interests you. Even if you are getting back into playing and only want a few lessons to make sure you are headed in the right direction, having the guidance of a teacher can make all the difference between success and frustration.

Luckily here in Milwaukee we have a lot of really great teachers to choose from. Look through our list, and give a few a call to ask about rates and availability. See about setting up a sample lesson and find someone you click with. Happy playing!

Teachers currently teaching in our studios include:

CONSTANCE AGUOCHA, violin
CURRENTLY ACCEPTING STUDENTS

In store: (832) 703-9921; connieaguocha@gmail.com

Constance is a native of Houston, Texas and a first generation Nigerian-American. She holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance from Stephen F. Austin State University, as well as a Master of Music Degree in Violin Performance from the University of Washington.

An active violinist, Constance currently plays with the Rockford Symphony, the Peoria Symphony, the Racine Symphony, the Wisconsin Philharmonic, and the Sheboygan Symphony. Constance is also the Racine Symphony’s librarian, and the former Assistant Personnel Manager of the Milwaukee Symphony. Prior to moving to Wisconsin, Constance also performed with the Sound Ensemble in Seattle, Washington, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, and the Northwest Symphony.

Constance believes that every student is teachable and capable of greatness. She prides herself on instilling a sense of discipline in her students, and leading with an emphasis on empathy and encouragement. She is currently on the violin faculty of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and is an Orchestra Coach with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra.

JASON BUSNIEWSKI, violin, viola, and Irish and Upper Midwestern fiddling
CURRENTLY ACCEPTING STUDENTS

In store: (405)816-9365, jason.busniewski@gmail.com

Jason is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma School of Music (BMA) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (MA), where he is currently a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology. He has studied music from Ireland, Scotland, India, Indonesia, the Middle East, West Africa, and North America and performed with various ensembles at venues from Nordic Fest in Decorah, IA to Egypt’s famed Cairo Opera House.

Jason has been an active Irish fiddler for the last two decades and is currently working to preserve the multiethnic old-time music of Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest, teaching and performing with his band, the Lakeside Ramblers, and serving on the board of directors for Folklore Village in Dodgeville, WI. He is also the recipient of an American-Scandinavian Foundation Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions Fellowship to produce a book and recording of the music of Wisconsin fiddler Otto Rindlisbacher.

As a teacher, Jason draws on pedagogical traditions from around the world and puts a special focus on issues of tuning and temperament often neglected in string teaching. Students can expect individually tailored instruction, high attention to detail, and the development of fundamental skills and the principles of effective musicianship.

GRETCHEN LEANNA, violin and viola

In store and Glendale: 414-759-5584

Private and group Suzuki for beginners and intermediate, specializing in early learning.


Korinthian Violins is also happy to promote other string teachers around the Milwaukee area. If you are a teacher who would like to be included in this list please contact us! If you are looking for a teacher close to you, feel free to contact anyone you see here who looks as if he or she would be a good match, or call us during store hours for recommendations.

LISA CHODOROWSKI, violin and viola

Woodstock, IL: 815-814-8292

Beginner, intermediate, and advanced violin and viola.

CLAUDIA SULLIVAN, cello

Waukesha and Wauwatosa: 318-286-0588

Beginning and intermediate cello.

ALLEN RUSSELL, violin and viola

262-496-4732

Allen Russell teaches both private and group lessons for Suzuki beginners, as well as continued coaching at all levels and ages. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In addition to over 20 years of experience playing/performing in a wide variety of popular and traditional styles, he is a registered Suzuki violin teacher. Allen has studied with Mimi Sweig at the String Academy of Wisconsin, as well as with David Becker, Elaine Skorodin and Jerry Franke.

BETH WARNE, violin and viola

Bay View: 414-482-0190

Beth Warne holds a Masters of Music degree from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, both in Violin Performance. She has also done post-graduate work in New York with Burton Kaplan of the Manhattan School. Her teaching philosophy and knowledge have been heavily influenced by her teachers Stephanie Preucil, Efim Boico, Stacia Spencer, and Burton Kaplan, who in turn studied with Josef Gingold, David Oistrakh, Mimi Zweig, Ivan Galamian, and Dorothy DeLay. She has taught privately since 1991, and taught at the college level at Austin College in Sherman, TX (1993-5) and at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI (1996-2001). She has coached at the International Suzuki Institute and for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony, and has substitute taught orchestra and strings in the public schools in both TX and WI. Her students have won Concerto Competitions with the Milwaukee and Kenosha Symphonies, as well as top chairs in MYSO. Others have gone on to study music at Lawrence University and at UW-Madison. She has been a member of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra’s First Violin Section since 1998, and also freelance in Chicago and Grand Rapids. You can read about her performance biography on Violinist.com.

JUANITA GROFF, violin and viola

South Side / Jackson Park: 414-321-2905

2818 S 46th St, Milwaukee WI

Juanita has more than 30 years of teaching experience. Half of her students are currently in MYSO and numerous past students are now teaching and/or performing professionally as adults. She is an active performer in the area, primarily with Festival City Symphony and the Milwaukee String Quartet. Her performing background includes the Dallas Opera Orchestra, Sherveport Symphony Orchestra, Skylight Opera Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Bel Canto Chamber Orchestra, Waukesha Symphony Orchestra, and Music Under the Stars Orchestra.

LAURA ROONEY, violin and viola

Glendale, Mequon, Milwaukee (East Side): 414-228-0062

B.M. Music Education, M.M. in Performance, university of Wisconsin, Madison. Laura received her degrees while teaching strings in the Madison public schools. She has performed professionally as a violist and violinist in the United States and Europe, and taught elementary and middle school strings in Oshkosh, WI for 9 years. She directed the orchestra program at Pius XI High School for 4 years before deciding to devote more time to studio teaching. She freelances in the Milwaukee area. She is ABD towards a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music, and has been published in American String Teacher. She also heads Downtown Community Strings, a community string orchestra for players 18 and up.

SASCHA MANDL, advanced violin

Wauwatosa: 414-403-9137

One of the foremost violinists and conductors of Brazil, Alexander Mandl, or Sascha Mandl, as many know him, maintains an active and diverse career as violinist, conductor, and educator. Mandl serves as Associate Lecturer of Violin at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Adjunct Professor of Music at Wisconsin Lutheran College, and faculty member at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. He also served on the faculty at Cardinal Stritch University, where he was also conductor of their chamber orchestra. In addition to his academic posts, he is also the Concertmaster of the Beloit-Janesville Symphony, Assistant Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Kenosha Symphony and Guest Concertmaster of the Tallahassee Symphony, Music Director/Conductor of the Lakeshore Youth Philharmonic, and Conductor and guest faculty at Elm City ChamberFest.

Internationally, Mandl has performed in Europe, North and South America at renowned halls, including Alice Tully, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Music Hall, Sprague Hall, the Mellon Institute, the Memorial of Latin America and Auditorio Manuel de Falla in Granada. A versatile musician, Mandl has partaken in myriad projects throughout his career. Along with famed cellist Jian Wang, he participated in the famous Duke Ellington Concert Series performing throughout Northeastern United States along with the Mitchell-Ruff Duo. In 2002, he recorded for CD Baby's Heavenly Lullabies dedicated to the orphans of 9/11, produced in New York City. That same year, he recorded J.S. Bach's E major concerto with the UFPB Chamber Orchestra (Brazil) under the direction of maestro Sidney Harth. Mandl also appeared frequently as a featured guest at the Ted Sawyer program of WQED, Pittsburgh.

As a soloist and orchestral musician, he has collaborated with notable conductors, such as Eleazar de Carvalho, Gunther Herbig, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Santoro, Lawrence Leighton Smith, Robert Shaw, Juan Pablo Izquierdo, Sidney Harth, and Krzysztof Penderecki, among others. Most recently, he has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, Beloit-Janesville Symphony, University of Wisconsin-Madison Symphony, and Paraiba Symphony Orchestra.

A dedicated and passionate chamber musician, Mandl has collaborated with eminent artists, such as Yo-Yo Ma, Jian Wang, Mathieu Dufour, Erick Friedman, Sidney Harth, Aldo Parisot, Alex Klein, Humberto Lucarelli, Nai-Yuan Hu, Elizabeth Sawyer, Frank Morelli, Todd Levy, Jeanyi Kim and Ole Akahoshi, among many others. He is a founding member of the Philomusica Quartet, Yale Piano Trio, and Quintessence Piano Quintet, which recently performed in the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, with live broadcast on WFMT, Chicago. As a chamber musician and featured artist, he has appeared at numerous music festivals, including most recently, the Sunflower Music Festival and the Shreveport Music Festival.

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University (B.F.A.), Yale University (M.M. and A.D.), and the University of Wisconsin (D.M.A.), Dr. Mandl has won several significant competitions as well as numerous honors and prizes, including the Francis G. Wickes fellowship, the Andrew Carnegie Tradition Award, the Milles Prize, the Yale Alumni Award and the prestigious Ivan Galamian Award. Mandl frequently serves as an adjudicator at competitions, clinician at festivals and workshops, and also conducts masterclasses, most recently in Paraiba, Brazil. His primary violin teachers were Sidney Harth, Erick Friedman, Vartan Manoogian, Robert McDuffie, and Erich Lehninger. He received conducting instruction from maestros Eleazar de Carvalho, David Stern, David Becker and James Smith. Major chamber music influences have been the Tokyo Quartet, Aldo Parisot, Peter Frankl and Felix Galamir. He performs on a Guarnerius violin from 1705 and has recently edited Leopoldo Miguez's Violin Sonata Op. 14.

JEANYI KIM, advanced violin

Wauwatosa, 414-403-9137

Jeanyi Kim is the Associate Concertmaster (Third Chair) of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra. In 2007, she served as a Guest Assistant Concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis and Valery Gergiev. As an orchestral musician, the Toronto native has performed in illustrious venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Barbican Centre, Salle Pleyel, and the Concertgebouw.

Recent solo appearances include performances with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra and Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra.

A passionate chamber musician, Kim is a founding member of the Philomusica Quartet, and as a member of Quintessence, she has been a featured artist in the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago. Kim has performed in numerous international music festivals throughout North and South America and Europe.

Dedicated to teaching, she and her husband, Alexander Mandl, have been faculty members at the Eleazar de Carvalho International Music Festival in Brazil and the Elm City ChamberFest. In addition to maintaining a private studio, she has served on the faculties at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, University of New Haven, and Neighborhood Music School, to name a few.

In 2008, Kim, along with pianist Daniel del Pino, recorded for a Boosey & Hawkes book/CD compilation entitled, 10 Violin Solos from the Masters. In February 2009, it was released and distributed by Hal Leonard, and is now available at major music retailers.

Her major teachers include Erick Friedman, Berl Senofsky, Kyung Yu, and Rebecca Henry. Other important influences include Sidney Harth, Aldo and Elizabeth Parisot, Tokyo String Quartet, and Peabody Trio. During her time at Yale, she was the recipient of the Yale Bach Society Award, Friends of Music at Yale prize, and the Stuart Walker Memorial Scholarship. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale University, from which she also earned her BA, MM, and MMA degrees.

Kim performs on a 1705 Petrus Guarnerius violin.

LAURIE ASCH, violin and viola

East Side: 414-403-2067

Laurie Asch teaches violin and viola out of her East-Side home. Over 30 years of teaching privately and in public schools. Presently performs in Festival City Symphony and Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra.

GLENN ASCH, violin and viola

East Side: 414-702-1159

(MSO violinist) teaches violin and viola out of his East-side home. He is knowledgeable in a wide variety of styles such as jazz and fiddle styles.

MARIE LOEFFLER, violin

Waukesha: 262-894-9044

Marie Loeffler is an experienced violin instructor who teaches all ages, and who works with all musical styles. She currently instructs at Outpost Music, Carroll University, and the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha. She is trained to teach through Suzuki book level 10 and has actively attended and lectured at Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) seminars, workshops, and conferences, and she has performed in SAA faculty recitals. She has worked with most professional classical repertoire, performing solo as well as in professional orchestras. Her students have had the opportunity to play for/attend masterclasses at Chicago's major music institutions. Her students have participated in school string ensembles, chamber groups, Suzuki training camps/seminars, UWM Honors Orchestra, WI School Music Association Festival, WI State Honors Orchestra, and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Loeffler is also an author, with several reviews and poems appearing in various publications, including Verse Wisconsin and The Lilliput Review.

MARTI KREIFALL, cello

Shorewood: 414-964-4487

Marti Kreifall graduated from UWM and plays in Festival City Symphony and the Milwaukee String Quartet, and has done free lance playing with most of the local orchestras. She specializes in teaching beginning and intermediate cello students.

NANCY MAIO, violin and viola

Racine: 414-418-0237

Versatile is the word that best describes Nancy Maio. Her love for all types of music, coupled with years of experience in the field of entertainment music has honed her skills as a freelance musician and teacher. Ms. Maio, a Milwaukee native, has a B.M. in violin performance from UW Madison and a M.M. in violin performance from Boston University. She has been contracting music since 1992, first with Syrinx Inc., and currently with Elegant Music Services, which provides ensembles in classical, jazz, Celtic, strolling, and mariachi styles. She is active as a violin teacher, and she maintains a studio at the Center for Strings in Wauwatosa. She performs with several local orchestras including the Racine Symphony, the Festival City Symphony, and the Wisconsin Philharmonic, and she is orchestra director at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. Ms. Maio plays with the Celtic bands, the Wise Maids, the Jeff Ward Band, and Rira, and is sought after as an Irish step dance competition musician. She also is an expert strolling musician, service musician, and she is a founding member of the Mariachi Voz de Mi Tierra.

AMANDA KOCH, viola

(262)573-7367, pandakoch@sbcglobal.net

Ms Koch received her education at Oberlin Conservatory of Music (B.M.) and The Juilliard School (M.M.). She has been a member of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra since 2001 and performs as a substitute musician with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and other orchestras throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. Amanda teaches all levels of viola and beginner to intermediate violin at her private teaching studio in her Cedarburg home. She is also on the faculty at Concordia University - Wisconsin where she is the viola instructor and teaches a string pedagogy class. A student of Karen Tuttle, Lynne Ramsey and Jeff Irvine, Ms. Koch’s teaching philosophy and curriculum focuses on a relaxed and confident approach to playing string instruments. Ms Koch is regularly brought into Milwaukee area public schools and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and a string instructor and coach.

She recently earned a music therapy degree at Alverno College and is a Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) on the Wisconsin registry of Music Therapists. She has experience working with individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, mental health, and dementia. Prior to her residence in Wisconsin, Ms Koch performed as full-time member of the Virginia Symphony and taught on the faculties of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC and The Academy of Music in Norfolk, VA.

SARAH GREENWALD, violin and viola

Mukwonago: 262-501-4523

BRADEN & ADRIAN ZITOUN, cello

Brookfield: 414-372-2912

JULIE BAMBERGER ROUBIK, violin and viola

Glendale and Waukesha: 626-399-6164

INGRID HAAG-TIHTCHEVA, cello

South Side: 414-840-2519, prellest@yahoo.com

Ingrid runs a private studio in the city of Milwaukee and teaches a variety of methods depending on the needs and level of each student. She is an active orchestra and chamber musician with over twenty years teaching experience. All ages are welcome!

SCOTT COOK, cello

Milwaukee: 414-218-8080

JoANN HAASLER, violin and viola

Shorewood: 414-690-8631

PAMELA SIMMONS, violin

Greendale: 414-915-3203

ELLEN WILLMAN, violin

Mequon: 414-732-0265

MARIA TERRES, fiddle

Shorewood: 414-333-0283

TJ HULL, fiddle

Franklin: 414-745-6863

BARBARA BALLIN, cello

Brookfield: 414-254-1950

TOM SMITH, cello

Wauwatosa: 414-774-8688

PATRICK REINHOLZ, violin, viola, cello, and bass

Milwaukee / Bay View: 262-617-3408 Pat.Reinholz@gmail.com

HEATHER LEWIN, violin, viola, cello, fiddle, suzuki

Milwaukee: 414-322-7759 www.heatherlewinmusic.com

SHARON SLATTERY, violin

Grafton: 262-375-6304

WISCONSIN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC

Multiple Locations: 414-276-5760

THE STRING ACADEMY OF WISCONSIN

Milwaukee / East Side: 414-963-4729

BARCEL SUZUKI STRING ACADEMY

Wauwatosa / Mequon: 414-258-2881 www.barcelsuzuki.com

The Barcel Suzuki String Academy provides Suzuki violin instruction for students of all ages as well as Suzuki Early Childhood Education for children ages 0 to 3. BSSA aspires to create an environment of learning and excellence, using music as a tool to nurture the whole child and enrich the community through outreach.

AARON ZAUNER, cello

East Side / Shorewood: 920-904-4969 aaron.zauner@gmail.com

New to the Milwaukee area, Aaron Zauner recently completed his undergraduate music studies at Luther College, graduating Magna Cum Laude. While at Luther College, he performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra musician. His primary teachers include Eric Kutz, Scott Cook, & Peter Thomas, and he has had additional study with eminent cellists such as Timothy Eddy, Paul Katz, & Astrid Schween. Currently, Aaron is a performing member of Milwaukee's MacDowell Club and has performed regular solo recitals throughout the Greater Milwaukee Region. Aaron has also appeared with The Lutheran Chorale, Chant Claire Chamber Choir, & Danceworks.

PRINCESS HIGH, violin

East Side: pmhigh@uwm.edu

Private lessons for beginners of all ages.

ROBERTA CARPENTER / ZENITH STUDIO, violin and viola

Waukesha County: contactus@zmusicintl.com www.zmusicintl.com

DR ALINA VAZQUEZ / HARTLAND MUSIC CENTER, cello

Waukesha County: 262-719-4944 alinalejandraz3@gmail.com

JANET SCHIFF, cello

Milwaukee: 414-305-3492 wwww.cellojanet.com

Janet Schiff studied the cello at The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music for 10 years and four years of cello performance at The University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee under the masters Wolfgang Laufer and Radu Nagy. Janet has over 20 years of teaching experience with students of all ages and abilities. Janet was recognized by the Wisconsin Area Music Industry as 2014 Stringed Instrument Player of the Year and 2014 Jazz Artist of the Year. Janet teaches classical cello (age 5+).

CATHERINE KRAUSE, violin and viola

East Side: 630-677-3089 catherinekrause125@gmail.com

Catherine Krause is a highly trained musician with an Undergraduate and Graduate degree in Viola Performance at DePaul University in Chicago and a Certificate in Chamber Music Performance at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She has been teaching since 2008, and has taken many pedagogical courses over her career. In addition to her teaching, Catherine currently performs with the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra as co-principal violist, the Milwaukee Philharmonic, and Dream City Strings.

RYAN FITZPATRICK, cello

Milwaukee: 815-207-3822 ryanfitzcello@gmail.com www.ryanfitzcello.com

Ryan Fitzpatrick is a registered Suzuki Method educator and has worked internationally with students, schools, and ensembles as a clinician. As an active member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, he has completed training with Pam Devenport, Carey Beth Hockett, Barbara Wampner, Dr. Tanya Carey, Dr. Beth Cantrell, Dr. Shu-Yi Scott, Laura Shaw, and Avi Friedlander. He currently maintains an active Suzuki studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Prior to living in Milwaukee, Mr. Fitzpatrick was an Assistant Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he taught cello and Music Education courses preparing students for careers in Music Education. He also taught at the Fairbanks Suzuki School of Talent Education, the Anchorage Suzuki Institute, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the Alaska Cello Intensive, and founded the Fairbanks Cello Festival. He has served as President of the Alaska chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and was a conductor for Fairbanks Youth Symphony Orchestra. He has been an active member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), served on the board for the Alaska Music Educators Association (AMEA), and been a regular presenter at various state Music Education conferences.

Mr. Fitzpatrick earned his degrees from Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His primary cello teachers have included Dr. Carol Semmes, Dr. Emilio Colón, and Daniel McDonough of the Jupiter String Quartet, with additional long-term studies with Richard Aaron, Dr. Helga Winold, and Marc Coppey.

BENJAMIN WHITCOMB, cello (advanced high school, college, and adult)

South side/Racine/Kenosha: 920-723-7231 www.benjaminwhitcomb.com

Benjamin Whitcomb is a Professor of Cello and Music Theory at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater, where he has received awards for his teaching, research, and service. He performs frequently throughout the country and abroad. A prolific author, he has published 10 books and 30 articles. His teachers include Phyllis Young, Evan Tonsing, and George Neikrug.

JOHN CLEERE, double bass

jcleere@iu.edu, (225) 610-7768

John Cleere holds degrees in Double Bass Performance from Louisiana State University, University of North Texas, and Indiana University. His teaching has been heavily influenced by Dr. Gudrun Raschen, one of his teachers from North Texas, and Jeffrey Turner. He has extensive orchestral performance experience and has taught classical and jazz double bass lessons privately since 2014.

JESSE GAYHART, Violin

West Bend: 262-247-5266, jesse@silvercrowstudios.com

Beginning and intermediate violin, including Suzuki method. Jesse teaches violin from his home studio in West Bend. He enjoys teaching everything from classical to celtic styles.


For adult players looking for community orchestras to participate in, please contact one of these fine groups:

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA at UWM in Milwaukee: 414-229-4609

CONCORD CHAMBER ORCHESTRA in Wauwatosa: 414-750-4404

DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY STRINGS in Milwaukee: 414-228-0062

UW-WAUKESHA STUDENT AND COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA (Windy Hill Strings) in Waukesha: 262-366-0742

WISCONSIN INTERGENERATIONAL ORCHESTRA in Wauwatosa: www.wiorchestra.org