LD Bell High School Orchestra
Suzuki Strings

 

Christine Collins-Davis, Viridian Elementary

Christine Collins-Davis began her musical journey at age 5 on the piano, but switched over to the violin as quickly as her parents would allow her. She was an active participant in band, choir, and orchestra throughout her middle school and high school years before attending the University of North Texas to double major in violin music education with a focus in elementary education and oboe performance. Halfway through her time at UNT, Ms. Collins-Davis made the decision to focus full time on elementary music education.

 

Ms. Collins-Davis taught private lessons in violin, viola, piano, and voice beginning in 2012 at the Frisco School of Music where her violin studio was named “The Most Improved Studio”.  Culminating her graduation at the University of North Texas, Ms. Collins-Davis moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where she continued to teach privately.  Although Ms. Collins-Davis grew up playing repertoire from the Suzuki books, she did not grow up using the Suzuki Method.  She took her first Every Child Can and Violin Book 1 course at DFWWoW in 2015 and it completely changed the trajectory of her teaching career.  Upon moving back to Texas in 2016, Ms. Collins-Davis accepted a position as a Suzuki Strings Specialist as part of Hurst-Euless-Bedford’s Suzuki in the Schools program. In this capacity, Ms. Collins-Davis has the pleasure of teaching students in grades Kindergarten through Sixth Grade the violin, viola, cello, and bass using the traditional Suzuki Method. 

 

Ms. Collins-Davis attended the University of Texas at Arlington from 2018-2021 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Music Education where she had the privilege of working with Dr. Diane Lange as a mentor and advisor. During her time at UTA, Ms. Collins-Davis had the opportunity to study the benefits of the Suzuki Method and similar teacher methods as they relate to young music learners.  Her thesis discussed the benefits of the Suzuki Method versus traditional string classroom teaching methods and how the Suzuki Method could be especially beneficial to students with Dyslexia.

 

Ms. Collins-Davis is passionate about the Suzuki Method. Through her work with the Executive Board of the North Texas Suzuki Association, she hopes to continue their work reaching a broad and diverse community of Suzuki students and teachers, as well as encouraging new students and teachers to join our fantastic Suzuki community.

 

Kristine Fish, Hurst Hills and Wilshire Elementaries

Kristine Fish is currently a Suzuki Strings teacher in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford School district. Much like Dr. Suzuki himself, upon hearing a recording of a violin at 14, she fell in love at first sound. She took traditional violin lessons that happened to learn all of the songs in the Suzuki books. Struggling to read music for the first time and play an instrument, she discovered that listening to recordings of the songs made learning so much easier. Her mom, being a pianist, made it fun to play all of her review pieces. As she studied in college, she wondered what the Suzuki Method was all about and what makes it different from traditional violin lessons. Once she took her Every Child Can and Book 1 course, everything made sense. Before accepting her current position, she taught privately in the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra Suzuki program. 


 

She graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington with a Bachelor’s in Music Education and teacher certification where she studied with Dr. Timothy Angel. Kristine Fish also holds an Associate's Degree in Music from Tarrant County College where she studied under Becky Rathbun. When not teaching, she loves performing violin for church services, weddings, funerals, and other events. She is a part of a string quartet named Seasonal Strings and a local world music band named Sombati and 50 Strings: a violin/harp duo.

 

 

Amber Gutermuth, Lakewood Elementary

Amber Gutermuth is a product of HEB ISD, starting on the violin in the Suzuki program at Lakewood Elementary at the age of 5 and progressing all the way through the orchestra programs at Central Jr. High and LD Bell High School. At the age of 12 she began to pursue music outside of the classical realm in addition to her Suzuki studies, taking fiddle lessons with Tom Demer and eventually Dale Morris Sr. Amber also studied the acoustic guitar with local instructor Howie Baldwin for 10 years. It was her Suzuki teachers Rachel Holt and Ian Salmon that inspired her to follow the path of a Suzuki teacher. 

 

Amber Gutermuth participated in the Suzuki practice buddy program all throughout high school, after which she began to build a private lesson studio of her own. She attended the University of Texas at Arlington, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Music with education certification, studying violin with Dr. Martha Walvoord and Professor Elizabeth Elsner. After graduating, Amber spent one year teaching 5th and 6th grade orchestra in Mansfield ISD at Alma Martinez Intermediate School Fine Arts Academy. She then returned as quickly as she could to HEB ISD, her home, where she now gets to teach at the elementary school that she grew up at. 

 

Amber is a member of multiple local performing groups including Sombati, a world music band that specializes in Celtic, Bluegrass, Latin styles, Eastern European music and so much more, as well as Seasonal Strings, a string quartet that performs for weddings and black tie events. Outside of school hours, Amber also teaches private lessons and group classes with the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra Suzuki program and sits on the executive board of the North Texas Suzuki Association as their secretary.

 

Mary Margaret Haraden, Shady Brook Elementary

Mary Margaret Haraden was hired by HEB ISD to teach violin in their new Suzuki program in 2001, and is the last original hire.  She now teaches violin, viola, cello (LOTS of cello!), and bass at Shady Brook Elementary.  Her first Fine Tuners assignment was assisting with the cellos.  She then co-led the violin group, and has been assisting with the viola group for over 10 years.

 

Mary Margaret began playing violin using the Suzuki Method at the age of 4 ½ when a friend of her mother’s wanted to begin two young students.  She earned Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts degrees from Texas Tech University, as well as a teaching certificate.  She began teaching violin in the TTU Suzuki Strings Program as an undergraduate student, and also taught 11 music theory classes for the Suzuki students every week.  Before moving to HEB, she taught violin in the Amarillo College Suzuki Program where she had been a student.

 

Dr. Kate Jones, Hurst Hills Elementary

One of three Suzuki Bass Teacher Trainers, Kate Jones studied with Jeff Bradetich at the University of North Texas, where she completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts in the summer of 2014.  Before moving to Texas, Kate received her Master of Music degree at Cleveland Institute of Music with Max Dimoff and Jeff Bradetich, and her Bachelor of Music degree from Illinois Wesleyan University with Judith Hanna.  In the fall of 2014 Jones joined the faculty of Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD as the Suzuki Bass Specialist.  She performs in the Richardson Symphony as a section bassist, among other regional orchestras.  In the past she participated in FAVA France and Music School Festival Orchestra at Chautauqua Institution. She has been a clinician/presenter at the SAA Conference and the International Society of Bassists conference.  She completed her Suzuki Bass Book 5 training with Virginia Dixon, and studied George Vance teacher training courses with Johnny Hamil. She has taught at such festivals as Austin Suzuki Institute, Colorado Suzuki Institute, DFW WOW Suzuki Institute, the University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point Suzuki Institute, Rabbath Institute of LA, Austin Bass Workshop, Kansas City Bass Workshop, Ozark Mini Bass Project, and Viva el Bajo. Dr. J has been teaching for Hurst Hills Elementary for 10 years.

 

Christopher Mattaliano, River Trails Elementary

Chris Mattaliano is a Suzuki Strings Specialist for the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District maintaining a private studio of 50 students, ages 5-16. As a professional violinist, he currently serves as the concertmaster of the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra. In past seasons, Chris has appeared as a soloist in numerous performances with the Texas Chamber Music Project, and as a featured guest artist with the Fort Worth Chorale. Chris has distinguished himself as a music educator, presenting multiple poster sessions at the 2018 Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference, and is in growing demand as a guest clinician at workshops around the state and country. With a passion for arts administration, Mattaliano has served on the executive board of directors for several orchestras in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and is the former vice president of the North Texas Suzuki Association. Mattaliano started his studies in violin at the age of 4 and holds two degrees from Ithaca College as well as a dual masters degree from the University of Minnesota in violin performance and Suzuki pedagogy. While completing his studies, Mattaliano held principal and concertmaster chairs of the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra for several projects. In his spare time, he enjoys playing jazz guitar with multiple big bands around DFW.

 

 

Edinson Moreno, Bellaire Elementary

Mr. Moreno was born and raised in Cali, Colombia where he began taking violin and piano lessons at the age of 9 at the Arboledas Music Academy in Colombia. Before Mr. Moreno moved to the United States, he studied Violin Performance at the Conservatory of Cali, Colombia. In addition, Mr. Moreno taught violin in several music foundations in Colombia including: Fundarboledas, Notas de Paz, SIDOC, and Trinity School.

 

Mr. Moreno has performed with the Irving Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonic of Irving, Plano Symphony Orchestra, San Angelo Symphony Orchestra, Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, and South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Moreno has attended the Suzuki Institute in Beaver Creek, Colorado, achieving his Teacher Training certifications of the Suzuki method for violin.

 

Mr. Moreno holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Texas Christian University (TCU) where he studied with Dr. Elisabeth Adkins. In addition, he earned his Master of Music Education degree and Graduate Certificate Diploma from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) where he studied with Dr. Martha Walvoord.

 

Mr. Moreno is an active pedagogue in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, teaching at the FWYO Suzuki School and HEBISD Suzuki Strings.

 

Kaylie Pugh, Spring Garden Elementary

Kaylie Pugh is in her 8th year of teaching Suzuki Strings in HEBISD at Spring Garden Elementary. This is her 3rd year as a director of the HEB Viola Fine Tuners ensemble. Kaylie has been around the HEB Suzuki program since its inception as both of her parents were teachers in the program in its first year until their retirement in 2021. She started playing the violin at a young age but made the best decision ever when she switched to the viola in junior high. She earned her Bachelor's of Music Education from Baylor University studying with Dr. Kathryn Steely. While at Baylor she performed with the Baylor Symphony Orchestra and taught in the Baylor University String Project. She student taught in Round Rock ISD with the Chisolm Trail Middle School orchestras under the direction of Suzuki violin trainer Daniel Gee Cordova. 

 

 

Lindsay Serdar, North Euless Elementary

Born to symphony musicians, Lindsay Serdar began violin lessons at 3 and piano lessons at 5. She studied violin with her parents until 5th grade, when she moved into Marcia Henry’s studio, where she would stay through high school. On the piano, Lindsay studied with Suzuki teacher Anna Nogaj through 4th grade and then with Yuri Iwasaki and Claude Hobson while in high school. All the while, her parents helped her to realize her love of collaboration through participation in their team-taught Suzuki studio and through working with fellow members of the Central Illinois Youth Symphony.

 

Lindsay earned her BM in violin at San Jose State University, studying with the Cypress String Quartet. Unable to put one instrument down in favor of another, Lindsay kept busy as a collaborative pianist for Cypress’ studio and other performing opportunities in the Bay Area. After graduating, the Serdars returned to Illinois and Lindsay spent a year as the pianist for the Peoria Symphony’s 2012-2013 season before moving to the Seattle area. Lindsay continued to teach piano and violin privately while accompanying and coaching for several local string studios. Enjoying cross-country moves so much, Lindsay and her husband decided to make one more big move in January of 2020. She and her husband now live in the Fort Worth, Texas area with their three children. Most recently, Mrs. Serdar has taken a position in HEB ISD as a Suzuki Strings Specialist at North Euless Elementary where she teaches violin, viola, cello, and double bass students and is one of the directors of the HEB ISD Elementary Honor Orchestra. Lindsay is in high demand both as a teacher, collaborative pianist, and performing musician, and is frequently found performing all over the Dallas Fort Worth area, and at string institutes and workshops all over the United States. She is enjoying her time teaching during the day and spending time with her family in the evenings.

 

Stacy Smith, South Euless Elementary

Stacy Smith is a Suzuki Violin Teacher Trainer and a Suzuki Strings teacher in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD where she teaches at South Euless Elementary and is one of the conductors of the district Elementary Honor Orchestra. Previously, Stacy has served as the Director of the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute, the Suzuki Program Director at the Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City, Utah, and President of the Suzuki Association of Utah.

 

Stacy has a degree in Violin Performance from the University of Utah where she studied with Gerald Elias and Mischa Boguslavsky. Ms. Smith has completed hundreds of hours of Suzuki training, primarily with Edmund Sprunger, Jeanne Grover, Linda Fiore, Mark Mutter, Cathy Lee, Carey Beth Hockett and others, and is truly passionate about Suzuki Education.

 

Stacy has presented educational sessions to both parents and teachers at state, national and international Suzuki conferences and conventions and is a frequent contributor to the Journal of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Stacy is on faculty at Suzuki workshops and institutes across the United States, and a featured presenter for the Suzuki Association of the America's "Parents as Partners" series. In April of 2018, Stacy was awarded the Suzuki Association of the America's Certificate of Achievement, an award given to teachers that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to excellence in their teaching, and in 2023, Stacy became a registered Violin Teacher Trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

 

Stacy is a Suzuki mom to five children: a violist, a violinist, a pianist, and two double bassists, all of whom provide her most in-depth Suzuki training.

 

Oscar Soler Santos, Wilshire Elementary

Oscar Soler is dedicated to Suzuki, currently teaching Suzuki Strings in the Hurst- Euless-Bedford Independent School District in Texas. He also served on the board of directors of the Suzuki Association of the Americas from 2017 to 2020. Prior to Texas, Soler taught at the Aber Suzuki Center at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. He also taught at Boulder Suzuki Strings. Additionally, Soler has taught at the American Suzuki Institute, Intermountain Suzuki Strings Institute, Peaks to Plains Institute, Fairbanks Suzuki Institute, Greater Austin Suzuki Institute, and the Festival Muchas Músicas in Mexico City. He has been a guest clinician at Suzuki workshops in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, and Illinois.

 

As an avid performer, Soler has performed as a violin soloist with many ensembles including The National Repertory Orchestra, Orquesta Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho, and Virtuosi de Caracas. He was a member of the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. Soler has also performed as part of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, the Erie Philharmonic, and the Canton Symphony, among others. During the 2008 and 2009 summer seasons, Soler was appointed assistant concertmaster and concertmaster, respectively, of the National Repertory Orchestra. Currently, Soler enjoys performing in the ROS/CAR duo with his wife, harpist Rosalie Gilbert.

 

Soler earned his Bachelor of Music degree in 2007 and Master of Music degree in violin performance and Suzuki pedagogy in 2009, both from the Cleveland Institute of Music studying with Kimberly Meier-Sims, and Paul Kantor. He became a registered SAA teacher trainer in 2020. He is a native of Caracas, Venezuela.