Teacher Spotlight: Carrie Schrader, Suzuki violin

Carrie Schrader, Suzuki violin instructor

Interview by Erin Cano, violin

Carrie joined MIC in 2015.

What led you to become a Suzuki teacher?

I took the Every Child Can Course with Ed Kreitman when I was a student at Illinois State University through their String Project. I fell in love with the Suzuki Triangle all over again from a different angle. I saw all of this in a new light! I understood what my parents did all these years and how their involvement impacted my learning. I wanted to create this atmosphere with my own students and my own teaching. The love and true passion that Suzuki instilled in each student is inspiring and each day I teach, I want to become the best version of myself to share the passion and love of music.

 Which of your teachers inspired you the most? What aspects of their teaching have you integrated into your own style?

All of my teachers have inspired me in many different ways. I feel each teacher you come across impacts you both positively and sometimes negatively, but it’s how you learn to make the best out of each situation. The teacher that has inspired me the most would be my private teacher for 15 years, Katie Brooks. Katie inspired me to teach; to be a teacher whose passion, kindness, perseverance, creativity, and musicality would create a rapport with a family and instill a lifelong friendship and relationship. Not only did she push me to become the best violinist I could, but also she genuinely cared about our relationship and her relationship with families and other students.

One more teacher that has truly inspired me is Dr. Sarah Gentry. Her ability to challenge me by having high expectations and the willpower to instill freedom and enjoyment while playing changed my performance skills. She embraced me with her bubbly, warm, and warm personality. Each teacher I have experienced throughout my years, I have incorporated some part of their own teaching into mine and created a lifelong passion for music.

 What is your favorite Suzuki piece to teach?

I love teaching Suzuki Books 4 and 5! It’s so hard to choose which piece, but I would have to go with the first violin part of the Concerto for Two Violins in D minor. This piece is near and dear to my heart. I love the baroque era, and going into the stages of music history and composers is a great mini break while working through this piece! There are so many teaching points within this piece. It fits my personality since I am detail-oriented!

You spent some time studying violin and music history in Salzburg. What were some interesting experiences that you had during your time there?

Yes, I studied in 2010 in Salzburg, Austria! It was life-changing and one of the best experiences I had! I was diagnosed with tennis elbow in 2010 prior to going to study abroad. I was told without treatment, I would only be able to play my violin 30 minutes at a time. I went through physical therapy, cortisone shots, and iontophoresis. I was hesitant about going to study violin performance, but I did and it was the best thing for me! Florian Beer, who I studied with at the Mozarteum, fixed my tennis elbow and we were able to work through techniques and studies to help with this condition lifelong.

My other favorite experiences were performing at Mirabellplatz in Salzburg and traveling to Vienna which is so rich in history, culture, and food. My host mother babysat three children every day after school. Two were twins and one was older. The older one was about 8 years old. The little girl would always listen to me practice and play the violin. She would sit on the bed quietly and just watch. There was one day I was practicing Bach Partitas for violin. She started talking to me in German/Austrian dialect. I understood a fair amount, but she was talking too fast for me to comprehend. I went to get my host mother to help translate. My host mother said, “She wants to be just like you, teach and play the violin with ease and delight.” I knew that even though we did not speak each other’s languages well, we bonded and communicated through music. This is exactly what I want students to experience.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love doing Orangetheory and yoga! You may have heard about Orangetheory or in short, OTF, but the best part about this for me is seeing your heart rate and progress throughout the class. This gives me the extra push to challenge myself! It’s nice to take an hour or two for yourself to escape all aspects of life and focus on your fitness and health. Fitness and health have become a lifestyle I want to maintain for the rest of my life. I also love to read! One of my favorite books recently is, The Nightingale. Somehow, in any additional free time I have, I love traveling and experiencing new cultures and foods.

Do you have any pets?

No, but my fiance and I have agreed to get a West Highland White Terrier when we move. It’s a white Toto!