Kevin Nordstrom
Violist Kevin Nordstrom leads a vibrant and multifaceted career as a performer, teacher, scholar, and music producer. He has appeared as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, teacher and clinician throughout North, Central, and South America, Europe, and Asia, and has served on the string faculties of the University of Louisville, Wright State University, and Earlham College. His albums and recordings can be heard on all major digital platforms released by his own imprint Ambleside Records - where he serves as artist/producer - Oclassica Records, and the American Viola Society.
Teaching Philosophy
In my viola studio, I cultivate an environment where learning and application are central to both student and teacher. I guide students to develop steadily into accomplished performers and teachers through a structured and reflective learning process. My teaching builds musicianship, technique, and professional skills; it develops a detailed “practice-room vocabulary” that will advance the students’ playing and become the teaching vocabulary they use with students of their own. I ensure that each student knows that practice and work ethic are the foundations of their professional life so that they can pride themselves on their performing and teaching excellence.
Building musicianship and technique are top priorities in my studio, so students become respected professional performers who can communicate their playing knowledge to others. Musicianship is developed by selecting repertoire based on individual needs and interests. For example, if a first-year student needs to work on tone production and using varied tone colors to shape phrases, they may be asked to choose either the Primrose arrangement of CPE Bach’s Sonata in g minor, Hindemith’s Trauermusik, or Bloch’s Meditation and Processional. The piece that is chosen is the one the student has affinity with, and the pairing will grow their sense of how mechanics and artistry are intertwined.
