Fiddleheads Violin School and Shop Owner & Instructor: Rhiannon Schmitt

Education & Playing Experience • Inspirational Teaching • Supporting Musicians • Awards • Music Shop & Other Involvement • Personal Life

Visit Rhiannon's performer page:
www.rhiannon.ca

Education & Playing Experience

Fiddleheads' Owner and instructor Rhiannon Schmitt is a Selkirk Professional Music College (now the Selkirk College Contemporary Music & Technology Program) graduate with honours in Violin Performance (Nelson, BC,1997).

Rhiannon has played many styles from classical violin to country fiddle, celtic to rock, world-beat to jazz and is a versatile and well-rounded performer. Her classical roots have brought her back for house and public concerts with pianist/composer Anna Höstman and pianist Anita Liebich.

Rhiannon’s playing has earned her distinctions such as the 1995 Bank of America Achievement Award in the Field of Music, many "Superior" marks in the SCSBOA Festivals in California and "Classical Artist of the Year" in the 2006 Okanagan Music Awards.

See other Music and Business Awards

She is featured on several albums, including harpist Caroline Mackay's "Tidings of Light," Bill Olsen's Take Me There and was featured in a CBC Christmas story piece by award-winning outdoor writer James Murray.

Inspirational Teaching

Rhiannon’s focus in business and teaching is “inspiration." She is known in the Shuswap and beyond to provide excellent guidance to her students in the traditional forms of theory, technique, reading and performance skills, the essentials in learning music.

What makes Rhiannon's lessons exceptional is her report with her students and the enthusiam and energy she puts into her teaching (see Student Testimonials).

Knowing everyone is a unique individual, Rhiannon personalizes each lesson to suit the player's learning style and personal interests in music. She connects to her students by focusing on their strengths and gently encourages changes in places which need improvement and keeps an open mind to all forms of music, working with the student as they learn the music they love.

Respecting the ever-changing and growing music community, Rhiannon strives to improve the way she teaches and shares ideas, which results in much personal research and study of varying teaching methods and techniques. What has resulted is a method she hopes to publish when she feels satisfied it is complete.

Though she does not encourage competition, Rhiannon does encourage her students to participate in the local music festival for the experience. Incidentally, all of her students who entered the Shuswap Music Festival in 2002 and 2003 won first place in their respective categories. The Fiddleheads Ensemble won Gold distinction two years in a row and several of her students have won fiddle and talent contests. Most importantly, they are inspired to make music and share their love of it with others.

Fiddleheads Violin School has been full-booked with a large waiting list for several years and is a household name in the region.

Supporting Musicians

Motivation is the key to a student's success in practice, hence Rhiannon created a program in lessons where younger students are awarded with "Fiddlebucks" for their home practicing during the week to be used to purchase toys, treats and ultimately, dinner with the teacher! Older students are motivated by the promise of paying performances, which Rhiannon arranges with hopes they will pursue music careers.

Rhiannon has directed the Fiddleheads Violin Ensemble so her students and other players can have the wonderful experience of playing with a group in practice and concert.

In her first few years in the Shuswap Rhiannon created a tight-knit violin community where players and their families were involved in numerous concerts, educational events and family events. Her Strings Alive festivals from 2001 to 2003 attracted violinists and fiddlers from around BC and initiated increasing public interest in local violin music.

As Founding President of the Violin Society, among who’s members were Canada’s two finest fiddlers, April Verch and Natalie MacMaster, the group established an instrument bank, granted thousands of dollars in scholarships, hosted fiddle contests and workshops with big name musicians and organized several successful community coffeehouses.

Music Shop & Other Involvement

Rhiannon's shop serves customers worldwide with student to collector's instruments, accessories and music book sales. Her customer service is extraordinary, earning her numourous testimonials and several business awards.

More info: About Fiddleheads Violins

Rhiannon has written for "Music Teacher Magazine" and "BC Musician Magazine." She is the School District #83 String Orchestra music arranger as needed.

Personal Life

Rhiannon married her music college sweetheart, Mason, who is an manager with a local cable internet provider. They have two sons, Ryan and Elijah.

Rhiannon is a huge fan of Beethoven, all things orchestral, classic rock groups from the '70s [Led Zeppelin, Queen, Beatles, Yes] and Alanis Morissette. She enjoys home decorating and painting, gardening, promotion and publication, road trips and all things unique and creative. Her birthday is February 12.

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