About Dennise Cherkauer
Dennise began playing viola when she was 9 years old in her native Lewiston, NY. When she was 12, she moved to Kenmore, NY, where she had an amazing orchestra teacher, Marijean Quigley-Young, who instilled in her a love for music. Dennise studied privately with Louis Baroudi and Benjamin Simon while in high school. She was co-principal violist of the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra, and she was an orchestra student at The Interlochen Arts Center Summer Program.
After high school, Dennise attended Louisiana State University where she studied with Dr. Jerzy Kosmala and played with the Baton Rouge Symphony. She then attended SUNY@Buffalo where she studied with Pamela Adelstein. Following a job as teaching assistant at Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, Dennise was invited to be a student of Joseph DePasquale at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, from where she earned her Diploma. After graduation, Dennise moved back to NY and went to The University of Rochester. She freelanced and studied violin with Charles Castleman, professor at The Eastman School of Music. Dennise also began teaching violin and viola at The Hochstein School, where she found her calling. She started learning more about the Suzuki Method while thoroughly enjoying her two years on the faculty. A highlight of her experience there was performing as kazoo soloist in Robert Hirsch’s Concerto Grosso for 3 Kazoos and Orchestra. By the time she completed her B.A. in Geological Sciences, she knew she was going to make teaching Suzuki Method violin and viola her career.
Dennise then moved to San Jose, CA. There, she maintained a private studio of over 50 violin and viola students, ages 2 to 84. She completed extensive Suzuki Method Teacher Training in both violin and viola. She continued performing and was principal violist in The Mission Chamber Orchestra, where she was a soloist in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. Dennise became a mother of two children, and a few years later moved with her family to Fort Collins, CO. After a hiatus to homeschool her children, she began teaching in her home studio. She continued her education by taking viola lessons with Margaret Miller, special assistant professor at CSU, and she enjoys performing as a freelance musician around Northern Colorado. She has played with the Larimer Chorale Orchestra, the Front Range Chamber Players, and in the the band at Midtown Arts Center. In addition to being a wife and mother, she is an avid reader, a fiber artist, a dog lover, a ringer with Bells of the Rockies, and a beginning bagpipe student.
Dennise is a member of The Suzuki Association of the Americas, The Colorado Suzuki Association, The American String Teacher's Association, The Colorado American String Teacher's Association, and The Fort Collins String Teacher's Association. She serves on the board of directors for Front Range Chamber Players and The Colorado Suzuki Association, and she is a past board member of the Suzuki Association of Northern California and The Mission Chamber Orchestra of San Jose.
After high school, Dennise attended Louisiana State University where she studied with Dr. Jerzy Kosmala and played with the Baton Rouge Symphony. She then attended SUNY@Buffalo where she studied with Pamela Adelstein. Following a job as teaching assistant at Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, Dennise was invited to be a student of Joseph DePasquale at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, from where she earned her Diploma. After graduation, Dennise moved back to NY and went to The University of Rochester. She freelanced and studied violin with Charles Castleman, professor at The Eastman School of Music. Dennise also began teaching violin and viola at The Hochstein School, where she found her calling. She started learning more about the Suzuki Method while thoroughly enjoying her two years on the faculty. A highlight of her experience there was performing as kazoo soloist in Robert Hirsch’s Concerto Grosso for 3 Kazoos and Orchestra. By the time she completed her B.A. in Geological Sciences, she knew she was going to make teaching Suzuki Method violin and viola her career.
Dennise then moved to San Jose, CA. There, she maintained a private studio of over 50 violin and viola students, ages 2 to 84. She completed extensive Suzuki Method Teacher Training in both violin and viola. She continued performing and was principal violist in The Mission Chamber Orchestra, where she was a soloist in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. Dennise became a mother of two children, and a few years later moved with her family to Fort Collins, CO. After a hiatus to homeschool her children, she began teaching in her home studio. She continued her education by taking viola lessons with Margaret Miller, special assistant professor at CSU, and she enjoys performing as a freelance musician around Northern Colorado. She has played with the Larimer Chorale Orchestra, the Front Range Chamber Players, and in the the band at Midtown Arts Center. In addition to being a wife and mother, she is an avid reader, a fiber artist, a dog lover, a ringer with Bells of the Rockies, and a beginning bagpipe student.
Dennise is a member of The Suzuki Association of the Americas, The Colorado Suzuki Association, The American String Teacher's Association, The Colorado American String Teacher's Association, and The Fort Collins String Teacher's Association. She serves on the board of directors for Front Range Chamber Players and The Colorado Suzuki Association, and she is a past board member of the Suzuki Association of Northern California and The Mission Chamber Orchestra of San Jose.
Personal Teaching Philosophy
- Suzuki’s method and philosophy provide the foundation.
- Every student is on their own personal journey. It is an honor and a privilege for me to be a part of it.
- Create a warm and nurturing environment while holding students accountable and allowing them to own their learning.
- Start students as young as possible; rarely are they too young, and they are certainly never too old.
- Young students need their parents to be involved in lessons. Parents are taught how to be the home teacher.
- Parents of older students are always welcome.
- Mistakes are learning opportunities.
- Give students space to think, process, and figure things out for themselves.
- Good technique is everything. Good technique makes it easier to play. When it’s easier to play, practicing is a joy. When practicing is a joy, amazing things happen.
- Teach one thing at a time.
- Motivation should be intrinsic. But sometimes, external rewards are incredibly helpful as well as fun.
- Teach how to practice.
- Practice to make it easy. And beautiful. And expressive.
- Success builds upon itself.
- Give honest but kind feedback along with liberal doses of sincere praise.
- Start teaching music literacy as soon as the student is ready.
- Group classes are an essential part of the Suzuki experience. They are excellent vehicles for learning, and they provide a sense of community. Not to mention cookies.
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DENNISE CHERKAUER STUDIO © 2020