Mrs. Carol C. Ourada

Carol Ourada** has been teaching in the Wheaton College Community School of the Arts Suzuki program for more than thirty five years and early childhood music for more than twenty five years. She teaches primarily cello, but also violin, viola, bass, music reading, cello choir and Creative Ability Development improvisation. In addition, Carol teaches in and is the violin coordinator for Wheaton College’s outreach program, Community Outreach for Developing Artists, CODA, an initiative that began in 2006, which has grown to offer early childhood and Suzuki violin and recorder classes to over 1,000 refugee and at-risk children, 100 of them violinists, 50 of them recorder players, in connection with Educare and two school districts. The violin students have lessons, groups and reading classes taught in a bilingual setting in a school district with 90% Hispanic population. Carol was the coordinator for the 12th SAA conference and served on the SAA board of directors. In 2007 she was awarded ASTA Outstanding Studio Teacher of Illinois. Carol is a clinician at workshops and institutes around the country. She has presented at numerous conferences including SAA, ISMTA, Musikgarten and ASTA workshops. She studied violin with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki in Matsumoto in 1985 and returned 1989 for summer school