Dr. Sera Jane Smolen

Dr. Sera Smolen, has a thriving Suzuki cello studio at the Opus Ithaca School of Music in Ithaca, NY. Her doctoral study allowed her to explore the Suzuki Philosophy and Method in relation to the new impulse in Waldorf music education. Smolen is in demand internationally to teach teachers how to incorporate creativity into each level, so all students may have the opportunity to improvise and compose. The philosophy and method of Creative Ability Development, as Dr. Suzuki recommended, profoundly helps us discover innate musical brilliance of our children parallel with their repertoire study and group classes. Smolen has taught at Mansfield and Alfred Universities, at Hobart and William Smith College, and at numerous Suzuki Institutes each summer. She has been the Assistant director of the New Directions Cello Festival, a concert cellist, and a long standing member of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. Her most recent publication is “Off the Page”, a collaboration with composer Elizabeth Alexander.
www.serasmolen.com