Amy began her music studies as a student at the Harford Conservatory, studying Suzuki violin with Lani Bortfeld. It is from those formative years that she first developed a love of playing violin and an understanding that music itself is a powerful instrument of personal development and human connection. Amy studied Music Therapy at Marywood University before traveling to South Africa in 1992 where she worked with Pietermaritzburg Community Arts Project (CAP). Through her involvement in this grassroots arts organization in post-Apartheid South Africa, she witnessed the power of music to give voice to marginalized communities and to bring people from different backgrounds to a place of peace.

 

Amy is registered Suzuki violin teacher with The Suzuki Association of the Americas. She has studied Suzuki pedagogy with Edward Kreitman, Christie Felsing and Dr. Susan Baer and has studied Suzuki Early Childhood Education with Lynn McCall. She founded and served as Executive Director of The Music School at Sound Crossing (MSSC) for 15 years. Through her work at MSSC she developed and implemented string programs in under-resourced schools in the greater Hartford, Connecticut area. Amy relocated to Dallas, TX in 2022 where she now lives with her husband, Michael and daughter Lindi. In addition to teaching out of her home studio, Amy serves students and families in the greater Dallas area though her work with Dallas Symphony’s Young Musician Program, Broadway Dallas, White Rock Montessori School, Callier Center for Communication Disorders at UTD, and Rockwall School of Music.

 

Amy is a firm believer in the transformational power of music on both an individual and community level. She is committed to the belief that everyone deserves access to the strong, nurturing framework which Suzuki music education provides.