David Strom

David Strom began as a Suzuki kid himself at age 3 in the studio of Glen Lebetkin. At 10, he traveled to Matsumoto, Japan. for a week of intensive lessons with Dr. Suzuki. At the same time, David began study with Eric Lewis the first violinist of the Manhattan String Quartet and an enormous musical and personal influence. He also studied with Katherine Dorn-Lewis, a constant and continuing source of loving encouragement. David went on to complete his BM in violin performance at the Hartt School where he was privileged to study under Katie Lansdale and receive coaching from the Emerson String Quartet as well as the late David Wells.

Seeing how profoundly he had been shaped musically and personally by his great teachers, David became passionate about music education and child development. David went on to receive his MM from the University of Maryland in violin performance with a Suzuki Pedagogy specialization, where he first met Ronda Cole and felt immediately the synergy and spark that enliven their partnership today.

After graduating, David was the founder and director of Suzuki Violin programs at the Academy of Music in Gaithersburg, the Flint Hill Program in Gaithersburg, and the Herndon Suzuki School (which he continues to direct). In 2003, Ronda Cole invited him to be her co-teacher at Northern Virginia Suzuki Music School.

Since then, David has been in demand as a clinician and lecturer at workshops and Institutes throughout the country. His students regularly win top prizes at competitions and have been concertmaster of all four orchestras of the American Youth Philharmonic. His students have gone on to the top music conservatories, including Eastman, Cleveland Institute, Rice, Oberlin and University of Michigan. They have been accepted to the prestigious National Symphony Fellowship program and the National Youth Orchestra world tour and attended festivals such as Aspen, Heifetz Institute, Bowdoin, and Interlochen. David is now a registered teacher trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA).

David’s dream for all of his students is the development of higher level functioning- sensitivity, expressiveness, persistence, communication, leadership, compassion, and empathy through the medium of the violin.

In a typical day of teaching David might be found helping a five year old with wandering eyes play on one string at a time, guiding a seven year old to break down “the tricky part” mindfully until it is clear, manageable, and easy, encouraging a ten year old to BE the feeling, story, and drama they are playing, and inviting a teenager to exchange the security of their fears for the power of their own voice. David deeply honors each child’s unique journey through every step of the path.

When not playing or teaching, David is also a composer and arranger in a wide variety of mediums. David’s most important job is that of father to his beloved daughter Juliet—the light of his life.