Talya Schenk, viola

As a professional freelance musician in the community, I maintain an active private viola and violin studio in Rockville, Maryland in addition to performing in various ensembles in the Washington, DC area.  My students range ages 10-65, but the majority of my studio has consisted of middle and high schoolers.

My training includes string pedagogy training with Melinda Daetsch at the Hartt School, attendance at the Paul Rolland Institute, Suzuki Every Child Can training with Jeffrey Cox, Suzuki Violin Book 1 training with Ronda Cole, and Suzuki Violin Book 2 training with Kathleen Spring. My teaching style is eclectic, drawing from the string pedagogy of Paul Rolland, of Shinichi Suzuki, along with simplistic elements of the Alexander Technique, and my own personal experiences.

I encourage my students to audition for youth orchestras in order to give my students a goal to strive for during the summer.  While being accepted to and participating in youth orchestras is often a goal of students, whether the student is accepted or not is not my primary concern.  Preparation gives students a concrete goal to work toward, and a structure to do so in.

I encourage my students to observe themselves when they play, strive to teach them to be independent learners, and advocate playing with others, be it through sight reading duets in a lesson, chamber music, or orchestras with peers.  These musical experiences are crucial, as students learn to collaborate, communicate, and create something larger than themselves.