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Kelly Christ
Ms. Kelly has been teaching violin and viola for over 15 years and has experience teaching students aged 3-83. She started playing the violin with the Suzuki method when she was 5 years old. She has taken both violin and viola lessons with Margaret Shimizu, Samuel Goh, and Elisa Boynton. She received a B.A. in Psychology from Lewis & Clark College (in Portland, OR), which she has found to be profoundly helpful in her teaching. Her Suzuki training includes a 2 year apprenticeship with Martha Shackford (Violin Books 1-10 & Viola Books 1-3), Oregon Suzuki Institute training with Betsy Stuen-Walker (Viola Books 3-4), and the Suzuki Principles in Action course with Susan Baer. She performed professionally with dozens of groups in Portland, before relocating to her hometown of Sierra Madre. In addition to private lessons, she also coaches the viola sections of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras and is the Administrative Coordinator of the Los Angeles Suzuki Institute. She is a proud member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the Suzuki Music Association of California-Los Angeles, and the Pasadena Suzuki Music Program. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, taking walks with her puggle, watching TV shows with her husband, and playing games and music with her 2 sons. |
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Suzuki Method
Developed by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, the Suzuki Method™ has several core components. While each teacher might offer their own interpretation of the Method, we have a few core tenets that guide our work. We believe that all children are capable and deserving of becoming great musicians! The first course in our Teacher Development program is called Every Child Can! because, well, that’s what we believe. Those of us who practice the Suzuki Method know that talent is learned, not inborn. With the right support, every child can be successful. We teach music based on how young people learn language. Dr. Suzuki called this the mother-tongue approach. When teaching young people how to read, we do not ask them to read before they can speak. Young people do not learn words for the purpose of learning to read a book; they learn to speak so that they can express themselves. In our approach, we do the same! We teach students by ear first, and we teach so students can express themselves through music. Each technical exercise is presented within the context of music and intended to develop the ability to communicate through music. We encourage students to listen to music – a LOT! We know children learn words from listening. Similarly, listening to music offers students a bigger vocabulary for musical expression. We love having families involved in student learning. Whether it’s a parent, grandparent, guardian, or an adult who is regularly involved in a young person’s life, we believe finding an adult that can support a student in their learning – in addition to their teacher – is a wonderful way to support student success. We know that for some students, this may not always be possible. Some of our teachers find creative and innovative ways for additional at-home support – and we encourage this too! We lead with a positive environment and encouragement in our music lessons. In addition to private lessons, students should expect to take part in group lessons and performances. Students are encouraged to learn with and support one another in their growth. The purpose of learning music is not to become a professional musician (though, for some, that’s important too!), but instead, our goal is to support young people in their development as life-long learners with kind hearts! Music gives us skill sets well beyond our instruments, and we focus on developing those skill sets alongside our instrumental technique. |
