Violinist Shelby Dems is a Suzuki Violin Teacher, Performer, Recording Artist, and Artistic Coordinator who strives to inspire students/parents to enjoy practicing while learning how to problem solve and find their voice. She encompasses breathing, balancing, yoga, and even dancing to guide students in bringing calming awareness to their bodies for improved performances & mental clarity. Shelby believes these actions are vital for the success of our minds, bodies, and actions, both on our instruments & in life.
With her 20+ years of performing and teaching experience, Shelby has taught through her own business DemStudios, Songbird Rising, Suzuki Strings of Austin, the Bermuda School of Music, and Cornell University. Her dedicated students have been recipients of the NYC Honors Program, NY All-State/Area All-State Conferences, Scholarships, as well as attending Nazareth College, Ithaca College, Colgate University, and the University at Albany.
Shelby has traveled around the world creating music in New York, Rhode Island, Texas, & internationally in Bermuda and France. Her Master’s Degree from Ithaca College in Suzuki Pedagogy & Violin Performance and Bachelor’s from Syracuse University were some of the most enlightening years of her life. Beautiful thanks to her phenomenal teachers Carrie Reuning-Hummel, Calvin Wiersma, and Harumi Rhodes. In her spare time, Shelby loves traveling, learning, yoga, listening & playing music, and enjoying her favorite parts of nature – flowering trees, the breeze, sunsets, and the moon.