When I moved to Lexington in 1974, I started teaching with LTEA and playing with the Lexington Philharmonic. I did not begin my violin studies as a Suzuki student, although I wanted to. At the age of three, I begged my mother for violin lessons. My mother had experienced much unhappiness as a child because of music. Music meant everything to my mother’s father. All four of his children studied music, and if they had not practiced before he came home from work, he would beat and kick them. At that time, my mother decided that her children would never study music. Finally, when music lessons were offered in the Beloit public schools, where I lived as a child, my mother agreed that I could begin violin lessons. However, my mother said, “I will never tell you to practice; you will have to do it on your own.”

I began teaching violin at the age of thirteen to a neighbor woman. In high school I taught some of my classmates to play the violin. I began my college education at the University of Wisconsin taking general courses but then I transferred to the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Illinois, to major in violin. My teacher, Scott Willits, planned for me to become a concert violinist; however, I felt that my strengths were in teaching. So, in order to keep my teacher happy, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in violin performance; however, to keep myself happy at the same time I worked on a Master’s degree in music education. In the summer of 1991, I continued my education by going to Japan to study with Dr. Suzuki.

In 1993, I suffered a massive stroke. At the time I taught 65 violin students, conducted the reading orchestra for LTEA and taught note reading classes for LTEA students. Although my paralysis from the stroke made it impossible for me to play the violin, I continue to teach approximately twenty- five students each week.

A number of my former students are now playing in major symphony orchestras including the Louisville Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony. One of my former students is free lancing in Berlin, Germany, and plays in several orchestras there.

My philosophy of teaching is that I do not expect my students to become professional musicians but, rather, I hope to give students a strong foundation in violin so that if they wish they can play professionally or have music as an avocation.