Suzuki Music School of Barrington Faculty
The Suzuki Music School of Barrington faculty is comprised of accomplished teachers and musicians. They work together to provide an extensive music education program.
SMSB Director
Betty Mueller, Suzuki piano, is the founder and director of the Suzuki Music School of Barrington. Master of Music in music theory and composing, Northwestern University, Bachelor of Arts in piano performance, Mundelein College, Chicago. Betty taught piano, music theory and music composition at Mundelein College. She studied piano at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, and has continued her piano study and performance since graduate school. Betty is the founder of the piano program in the Suzuki Music School of Barrington. She is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Betty has done extensive accompaniment with Barrington Suzuki Strings. She is a registered Suzuki teacher and has had one child in our Suzuki program.
Teachers
James Baur, Suzuki guitar: Currently Jim is working on his Doctorate in guitar performance at Northwestern University. He has Masters and Bachelors degrees in the same field from Northwestern. He is presently a lecturer at Northwestern, a guitar instructor at Lake Forest College, and has also taught at the Suzuki-Orff School for Young Musicians and Sherwood Conservatory of Music. He has made CD recordings, performed in premieres, and was the 1st place winner in the 1998 Society of American Musicians Competition. Jim recently was guest performer and master lecturer at the 2008 Guitar Workshop presented by the Barrington Suzuki Strings.
Maria Fadrowski, Suzuki flute: Master of Music from Moniuszko Music Academy in Gdansk, Poland; Suzuki training with D. Garry, R. Paluzzi and P. Bryce; taught flute at the Music Institute of Chicago, Judson College and presently teaching for Suzuki School of Elgin as well as privately in her studio; performed with Slupsk Symphony, Ad Libitum and Barrington Trio; introduced Suzuki method for flute instruction in Poland. Her students have won numerous flute solo competitions including the Society of American Musicians and the Chicago Flute Club Solo Competitions in all divisions. Maria has had two children in our program.
Marian Fadrowski, Suzuki cello, received his Master of Music in Cello Performance from the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University where he studied under Karl Fruh; additionally, he received his MM in Cello Performance from the Music Academy in Gdansk, Poland where he studied with B. Zaborowska and R. Suchecki. Mr. Marian Fadrowski has played as the principal cellist in the Northwest Indiana Symphony and Chicago Music Forum Chamber Orchestra. He is a former member of numerous chamber ensembles and symphony orchestras, among others: Gdansk Chamber Orchestra (2nd place winner of H. von Karajan Competition in Berlin), the Baltic Opera House in Poland, and the Dubuque Symphony, IA. Mr. Marian Fadrowski has taught for over 25 years with experience in both the Suzuki and traditional methods. His two children: Annette (violin) and Christopher (flute) both attended the Barrington Suzuki School.
David Katz, Violin and viola; Violin Diploma, New School of Music, studied with Jascha Bodsky (Curtis String Quartet); Associate concertmaster with Lake Forest Symphony; performs with Lyric Opera, Grant Park Symphony, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra; Joffrey Ballet; Chicago Opera theatre. 25 years teaching experience: Elmhurst College; Moody Bible Institute; Loyola Academy; Willowbrook High School; Chicago Waldorf School. David has two children studying music, one of whom is in Suzuki.
Emily Morgan Sobacki, Suzuki violin, received her B.M. and M.M. in violin performance from Illinois State University. At ISU Emily served as graduate assistant to Dr. Sarah Gentry, second violinist of the Faculty String Quartet, and Concertmaster of the ISU Symphony Orchestra. Emily was a member of the 1st violin section with the Peoria Symphony and a participant in the Sugar Creek Symphony & Song (IL), Dublin Symphonic Festival (Ireland) and the Aegean Verdi Festival (Greece).
Ms. Sobacki has been teaching violin since 2001. A Suzuki certified instructor, she has obtained teacher training from Suzuki pedagogues through the American Suzuki Institute at StevenŐs Point, Wisconsin and Ithaca, New York. Currently, Emily is the business manager of the Illinois Valley Youth Symphony and is in her second year with the Suzuki Music School of Barrington.
Don Montgomery, Suzuki cello, Bass chamber strings; Bachelor of Arts in Music from Ohio University. Professor, Denison University, string bass. Director of orchestral program in Newark, Ohio. Principle bass in Southeastern Ohio Symphony, Land of Legend Orchestra and Springfield. Symphony Orchestras in Ohio. Directed the Newark H.S. Orchestra and the Fayette Chamber Orchestra in GA. Conductor and Music Director, Suzuki teacher Orchestra in Atlanta, GA. Don is the orchestra teacher at Barrington Middle School Station Campus.
Ron Velleuer, Director, Barrington Youth Orchestra. Mr. Velleuer is a native of Barrington, IL and the Barrington Suzuki Strings. He holds a Master's degree in Music Education and a Master's degree in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 1994 with a Bachelor's Degree in music education and has been teaching in the public schools for 15 years.
He began his teaching career in 1995 at Lake Zurich High School as the choir and orchestra director. During his three years there the orchestra program grew from 16 to 46 students. He then moved on to Barrington High School in 1998, where over three years he fostered growth in the orchestra from 25 to 60 players and divided it from one group into two. Since joining the faculty at Deerfield High School in 2001, the orchestra program has grown from 24 to 64 students. Under his direction, Mr. Velleuer's groups have produced 7 recording projects and completed performing tours across the United States and Europe. He has been nominated three times to Who's Who Among America's Teachers and was awarded the "My Most Inspirational Teacher" award by the Distinguished Citizens Society International of Greater Chicago in 2006. Mr. Velleuer is also a member of MENC and ASTA. In addition to his skill as a teacher and conductor, Mr. Velleuer is an accomplished trumpeter, violinist, pianist, and vocalist. He lives in Barrington together with his wife and four children, two of whom are in the Suzuki program.
Accompanists
Christine Salvatore