Meet Elizabeth Faidley: A World Class Renowned Pedagogue, Violinist, and Mentor, Laying Strong Foundation for All Students

Her stellar work as a violin pedagogue in the classical music realm has given umpteen opportunities for new talents and helped to nurture their overall growth.

The music industry is an ecosystem which is home to tremendous talents on a whole. Ability is in abundance when we look across the world of music. With changing trends of music, people are often fascinated by different music making from jazz, RnB, hip-hop to rap, to classical.

We have seen and witnessed the rising of many artists--singers, musicians, songwriters, who have etched a permanent place in our hearts. In any genre of music, it is incredibly difficult to stand out in a crowd of so much talent and so much hard work.

One such stand-out is Elizabeth Faidley, of New York City.  Elizabeth has created a high benchmark as a teacher, trainer, mentor and much more when it comes to passing on musical knowledge to the future generations.

Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Elizabeth was 8 years of age when she fell in love with the violin after watching a string quartet perform at her elementary school. Today, Elizabeth today is a renowned violin teacher at the Manhattan School of Music and the Heifetz International Music Institute, and is a well-known personality in New York City and beyond. She has created a huge base of students who wish to develop their artistic and virtuosic playing.   Her students come from every part of the world, from Australia to Austria and back to New York City.

Elizabeth’s method of teaching and mentoring is different than what one might think about when hearing the words, "violin teacher".

She nurtures and develops a deep sense of understanding of the student along with the teaching of the violin. She takes special interest in developing strengths of the individual and empowers the core foundation of music within them. She puts special emphasis on foundation technique and makes sure that every student feels like “her favourite”.  Her students are confident, expressive, and powerful performers.  (During this interview, she was very careful to emphasize that indeed, every student IS her favourite.)

During these unprecedented times of the global pandemic, Elizabeth has held 36 violin pedagogical symposiums on Zoom platform for 400 violin teachers across 38 countries. She hopes to continue to engage teachers and families through Instagram where she has over 60,000 followers.  She is captivating, innovative, and really funny.  Her approach to teaching and pedagogy has been a life changer for many.

Peter Winograd is a concert artist, the first violinist of the American String Quartet, and the father of one of her students.  He says, "Elizabeth Faidley shapes the lives of these young musicians with inspired teaching and the incredible ability to create connections.   My daughter's experience and growth was life-changing."

Finding stand-outs in any industry is difficult, but not after you have watched Elizabeth Faidley and her students.  Her special touch is second to none.