In a nurturing & immersive environment, Ms. Brimberry takes piano & violin students of all ages on a learning journey tailored to individual learning styles & strategies.
Her teaching incorporates Classical technique, Suzuki methodology, listening, reading, & practicing skills, music theory, history, & literature, as well as modern performance practices, & injury prevention.
Ms. Brimberry's studio contains a large music library, including music reference books & resources such as the complete Grove's Dictionary of Music & Musicians (1995), theory, form & style texts, composer biographies, & numerous recent books & research on Music & the Brain. Combined with sections on ear training, music history, practicing, injury prevention, & more, Ms. Brimberry can provide students with resources to develop a deeper understanding of the who, what, why, when, & how of music to round out their learning journeys.
Utilizing quality online subscriptions such as Tonebase, MediciTV, YouTube, & other platforms that provide world-class live concert listening opportunities & master classes, along with a curated selection of apps for ear training & note reading, she takes students out of an everyday perspective & brings them into the world's music community.
My Background
Master of Arts, Violin Performance
I've studied piano and violin for a combined 22 years with over 14 different teachers and professors, privately and at three universities: Texas Women's University, University of Texas, Austin, and Northern Arizona University (M.A. 1997). My teachers included Irma Kluck, Ron Grinage, Dr. George Robert, Dr. Steven Hall, Dr. Gregory Allen, Dr. Dave Scott, my sister Kim Brimberry, Kathie Jarrett, Norma Davidson, Joseph Kim, and Dr. Louise Scott.
Graduate accompanist
As the Graduate Accompanist at NAU, I accompanied and observed countless instrumental and vocal professors and their students' lessons, master classes, recitals, and other performances.
Orchestras
Since I was 12, I've played with over 20 different orchestras and chamber ensembles on both coasts and four states in between, as well as in Austria, Hungary, and the former Czechoslovakia. I infuse my teaching with all the knowledge gained from these experiences and my expertise in Traditional pedagogical principles, combined with Suzuki methodology from 12 graduate hours of Suzuki training over 2.5 years.
Teaching Experience
I've been teaching piano since 1982 & violin since 1992, and have taught students aged 3 to 86, privately and in groups, and at a boot camp for juvenile offenders. Several of my students have become professional musicians in recording studios, regional orchestras, churches, and as teachers. My teaching took place in my private studio and my own music school, but also in church, charter, public, preparatory, and private school programs that I created or for which I was contracted to teach.
Philosophy
Like Dr. Pangloss, Voltaire's protagonist in his novel "Candide" (and Leonard Bernstein's opera of the same name) I believe that all things are possible and that anyone can learn to play an instrument if they commit and apply themselves. Now, science informs us that music is essential for human survival. No other activity simultaneously engages as many of the brain's processing centers or contributes as much to overall happiness.
Anthropologists believe music likely developed before language. We probably couldn't have survived without it. In part, that's why so many adults are attracted to and take up the study later in life, no matter their age, proving that music and the arts are important components of a complete education and essential for our overall mental health. That's also why we in the U.S. have spent from $17.1B to $26.7B per year on vinyl, CDs, & streaming every year from 1999 - 2023.
I believe the world would change overnight (and very much for the better) if every child and adult could learn to play an instrument. I want to help students of all ages be happier and healthier by learning to play beautiful music beautifully for the rest of their lives.
