Peggy Sarantos

     When I started learning the violin in school at 10 years old, I fell in love. I completed a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2012. I also graduated with a Master of Music in Music Education degree from the same school in 2016. From 2012-2018, I taught elementary and middle school orchestra in the Public Schools of Robeson County. I was also the strings department chair, where my main duties were planning and running all-county orchestra auditions and clinics, as well as training other orchestra teachers. I had students participate in performance festivals and regional honors orchestras. From 2018-2022, I taught elementary general music at Community Leadership Academy, where we focused on music theory, history, rhythms, keyboard and percussion instruments, and singing. Throughout my career, I have taught private in-person lessons to students of all ages. In 2023, I chose to focus only on online private violin lessons, and began working for Trala, Inc. I have been teaching exclusively online for the last two years. My current students range in age from 5 to 72. Since 2004, I’ve performed at hundreds of weddings, art shows, business events, birthday parties, and church services - solo and in my chamber group, Orchid River Strings. I also have several years’ experience as the principal 2nd violinist in the Aurora Symphony. 

     I have experience teaching students of all ages and skill levels, but my specialty is beginners. I am patient and like to teach in a step-by-step way. We will start with the basics. Once you have good posture, left-hand setup, and can play comfortably with the bow, we can set learning goals for new music. This could be classical, pop, movie, worship, video game, or country music. If you are more intermediate or advanced, I will want to hear repertoire you've played in the past. I will want to know what your personal learning goals are. Typically, we will focus more on shifting, vibrato, intonation, and musical expression.