Jessica McNamara

Jessica McNamara is a violin and viola teacher and the director at Ridgefield Suzuki School. Jessica founded Ridgefield Suzuki School in 2016 and now oversees the program of over 140 students in violin, viola, cello, piano and flute. Jessica began violin at the age of 6 in a Suzuki program in her elementary school in Queens, NY.  After playing violin throughout her childhood, Jessica went to Providence College on a full scholarship and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Music Education. She also holds a Masters Degree in Music Education from the Hartt School of Music.  Jessica has done Suzuki training with Ed Kreitman, Kirsten Marshall, Mark Mutter, Teri Einfeldt, James Hutchins, Sue Baer and Nancy Jackson.

Jessica taught middle school orchestra in the Westport public schools in CT for 11 years and later went on to found the Ridgefield Suzuki School.  Jessica and her colleagues at Ridgefield Suzuki School enjoy inspiring children as young as 3 years old to begin playing violin, viola, cello or piano and continue to make music an important part of their lives as they grow into adults. Since 2009, Jessica has been a conductor with the esteemed Norwalk Youth Symphony. Jessica also conducts with the Fairfield County Summer String Orchestra, a three-tiered summer orchestra program she and her husband founded in 2009. Having lived all three sides of the Suzuki Triangle, Jessica is also mother to a 10 year old cellist and 13 year old violinist