About Kelsey Philbrick

Hi! My name is Kelsey Philbrick. I am a violin teacher currently living in Greensboro, NC. I began my violin studies at age 8 with the Suzuki Method in the Chapel Hill area. My teachers always inspired me growing up, having studied with Candida Yoshikai (who studied with Shinichi Suzuki in Japan) and Shelley Livingston of the Duke University String School. I went on to earn two degrees in Violin Performance: a Bachelor's degree from UNC-Greensboro (2014), where I studied with Dr. Fabian Lopez, and a Master's degree from Appalachian State University (2017), where I studied with Dr. Nancy Bargerstock. Although I am passionate about orchestral and chamber performance, I also had an interest in teaching and began to teach after graduating from UNCG. I received Suzuki teacher training at ECU and taught a full violin studio for a year at the Chapel Hill School of Musical Arts. The following year, I accepted a graduate assistantship as a member of the Hayes Graduate String Quartet at App State. During my time there, I continued to gain teaching experience through pedagogical training, teaching at the Community Music School, and serving as graduate violin teaching assistant to Dr. Bargerstock. Upon graduating, I accepted an offer to teach at App as an Adjunct Instructor of Violin, and I have been teaching undergraduate students there ever since.
 
As a teacher, I greatly enjoy being able to see the growth of each student over time as they practice, play for me in their lessons, and perform. I strive to find what each student needs in order to help them understand concepts and develop their technique. To that end, I try to pick pieces that fit each student's interests and level, as well as providing scales, etudes, and music reading exercises to help with their technical progress. I encourage developing the ear in order to achieve better intonation and tone, both of which are very important to learning the violin. I believe that practicing not only increases your musical capabilities, but also strengthens your abilities to learn and grow in other areas. I look forward to meeting you soon!