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I was accepted into the Violin Performance program as a freshman at Brigham Young University and participated in the top ensembles there. After completing my undergraduate degree in Music, I attended the University of Northern Colorado, where I graduated with a master's degree in Music Education (Instrumental Emphasis) in 2008, complete with a CO teaching certificate. During my studies at the university, I was a Graduate Teaching Assistant, an orchestra set-up crew member, and a violin section leader. I finished portions of my student teaching in Colorado Springs and completed my requirements in Highland, UT.
I have taught Beginning Orchestra Classes publicly in seven different school districts in Utah and Colorado for over twenty years. I also began teaching private violin lessons at age 17. I appreciate the value of continuing education, and I find myself borrowing heavily from the twenty years of training and private instruction I received, from teachers of many backgrounds, when I work with my students. Starting in Fall 2024, I am taking a hiatus from teaching my private studio. This has been a complex decision, but I look forward to possibilities ahead!
It was amazing to be selected as one of ten musicians from the United States to perform in an all-expenses-paid (minus airfare) collegiate group based in Berlin in 2001. We got to tour Saarbrucken, Amsterdam, Salzburg and other notable cities in that part of Europe. I participated in music for the Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. I have recorded over twenty CD's, two movie soundtracks, Christmas concerts, and countless weekly broadcasts for the Orchestra at Temple Square, a companion ensemble to The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. I auditioned at the time of the orchestra's formation in 1999 and still continue as a regular member. It has been a marvelous blessing to spread awareness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in such a unique way! See thetabernaclechoir.org. Check out my resume on the info page for professional ensembles I have recently joined.
These teacher training workshops, offered through the Suzuki Association of the Americas organization, with celebrated guest teachers, go through the Suzuki Violin Books sequentially; they provide excellent training and ideas for teaching young beginners especially (approximately ages 3-10). I have successfully completed eight courses, up through Level 7.
I was lucky enough to get to work in three different shops: Charles Liu Fine Violins, as a Public Relations Specialist; Day Violins, as a Marketing Director and website creator, and Riverton Music in Sandy as a full-time associate and Strings Specialist. In addition to other responsibilities, I sold instruments at all three locations. From the training received in these responsibilities, I was able to help store customers as well as pass on knowledge to student families about good instrument and accessory brands, geting the right supplies, what to look for in an instrument, and proper violin maintenance. Much of this information is also available on my blog!
I have been hired to step in as a guest concertmaster, soloist, or participant in various groups. Playing for weddings, in church or at retirement centers is always memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed my job as a violinist at Busch Gardens for their "Holiday in Roma" show. We performed over 320 shows that summer, but I never got tired of the music! I have done some album recording, but mostly I prepare solo recitals when I get the itch to perform. Click on Media to see videos. Added Bonus: Click here to see my premiere of Andrew Swan's Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Tooele County Symphony Orchestra in 2024. Paired with his second violin concerto, we see a tale of degredation and subsequent redemption. Our 2023 performance of the first half of the story is also available. In additon, in late 2023, I got to record violin tracks for a new ballet! Highlights are on the Media page. In Summer 2025, I will be performing at the Utah Arts Festival.
I have branched out even more in my musical pursuits in the last ten years. I prepared a few solo recitals. (After all, it always helps to have something to practice for!) I briefly stepped
into the popular music scene when I joined new friends for a Celine Dion tribute band. In 2018, I was featured in a commercial for Deseret Industries! In 2019, my husband and I moved our family to Tooele, UT, where I served for a time as Associate Director
of the Tooele Valley Youth Symphony. I have been invited to perform at various events in town, including Ren Faire, Women in Business, the Tooele Arts Festival, and Utah Arts Festival. You can check out my YouTube channel, look at my art and brand new trio pages, or subscribe to my violin blog! Also, please see below for details about my exciting new VIDEO SERIES undertaking for brand new teachers, currently in early production stages.
How-to-teach videos from a violin expert, project description:
I'm Miss Cami, a mom of two adorable young ones in Utah. If there is one thing I'm experienced in, it's the violin. I started lessons at age five and never stopped! So, it's always been a passion--perhaps a bit of an obsession. I play professionally in orchestras throughout nearby states, but there's more. In addition to extensive requirements for two music degrees, I've taken over 20 years of private violin lessons from many different teachers as my family relocated from time to time. Now I'm at the point where I've taught even more years than I took lessons as a student!
Now my husband is going back to school and our two young children are needing me more at home, so I recently reduced the scope of my private teaching. But I don't want all the teaching knowledge I've gathered to go to waste. I've learned so much over the years. With my history of public professional performing, teaching out of schools, music stores, and my home, serving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, working for luthiers, a few years managing/conducting/tour planning for a youth symphony, judging high school festivals, recording, and more, I want to impart my expertise to help those seeking improvement and an insider's perspective in many areas.
So, I thought of a special way I can contribute my knowledge to an even wider community that also fits a specific niche and helps fill a hole in the educational video world: through a course, or professional series of mentor videos that will benefit young violinists who can already play well, but who want to know more about running a studio... who may not have the confidence they need to be an effective teacher OR don't know quite how to get started in running their own business.
This is NOT JUST A RUN-OF-THE-MILL HOW-TO-PLAY-THE-VIOLIN YOUTUBE TUTORIAL. It will give valuable tips, knowledge, and encouragement for essential and more nuanced techniques to confidently and effectively TEACH THE VIOLIN! I have plans for a more-than-16-video series over a wide range of topics and supplementary materials. The videos will be fun and engaging, use quality sound and lighting equipment, be professionally edited, and include real lessons with a REAL student/students, including a true beginner who has never played before, and a brand-new-to-teaching private-studio-teacher-in-training!
Other music fields also impact teaching. I will include a collection of interviews with those in other music professions in the video series.
If you think there's a dearth of this type of quality material, please donate! I hope you can see the value of this project, put faith in the journey, and spread the word to YOUR friends.
Click here if you want to information on how to sponsor a video and get perks!