Bowed Arts Education
Bowed Arts is a collective of like minded musicians who have joined forces to contribute to the evolution of string performance and education. Together we’re committed to creating relevant, accessible, diverse, equitable and inclusive high-quality string education.
Bowed Arts Ed was founded in the midst of the pandemic in early 2021. We started with an online March Break camp for strings and the rest is history!
Founding members Amanda Penner, Amber Walton-Amar, Laura C. Bates and Maya Killtron came together through performance and united as teachers. Our lived experience as contemporary string players serves to inform our pedagogical philosophies and continues to open doors beyond traditional classical music education.
Meet the team!
Click on any photo below to be whisked away to our individual websites, or click the button below to email each teacher directly.
Meet Laura Bates!
Violinist & 5-String master! She loves Bartók, olives, trills, concept albums, spiders and her dog Taco.
Laura is currently accepting a limited number of new students.
Meet Maya Killtron!
Violinist & singer. She loves Donny Hathaway, Vaughn Williams, dim sum, organizing, bread, house plants.
Maya Is currently accepting a limited number of new students.
Meet Amber Walton-Amar!
Cellist & recording artist. She loves all things cello, sea otters, marzipan, Leonard Cohen, driving, practicing.
Amber is currently accepting a limited number of new students in Hastings & Prince Edward County area.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to reimagine string education by making learning the violin, viola, cello, and bass relevant, fun, engaging, inspiring, and accessible for 2025 and beyond.
While technique and discipline are fundamental across all musical genres, our approach begins with inspiration. Rooted in the Suzuki tradition, we embrace a diverse musical landscape, from Beethoven and Bach to Beyoncé, B.B. King, and The Beatles. We believe in helping students explore the rich world of music and find their own voice.
Committed to inclusivity, we introduce a community-based payment model to lower barriers and foster equity. We see inclusivity as an ongoing journey—acknowledging biases, taking responsibility for missteps, and learning together with our students and their families.
Ultimately, our goal is to create a welcoming, supportive environment where everyone feels at home with bowed instruments.
We are currently accepting new private students for the 2025 calendar year. Please inquire for information on group classes. Recitals, concerts and guest clinics are ongoing.
For more information on registration email us anytime and check out our FAQ’s below.
FAQ
What kind of lessons do you offer?
We currently offer private violin, viola and cello lessons for all ages (typically 3yrs to adult).
Do you offer in-person lessons or are you just online?
We currently offer both. Each teacher has their own schedule and can accommodate students in both settings.
Do you offer group lessons?
In future yes but not currently. However our recitals, group concerts and visiting artist clinics are currently running in person.
What is the Suzuki Method and what is Suzuki-ish?
We have devoted our lives to studying, performing, teaching, and exploring music. This wealth of experience and perspective is what we offer for our students. The Suzuki method has been a powerful component of each of our backgrounds (we are SAA trained and recognized) and thus it is integrated, adapted, modified, and combined with all that we find to be exciting, relevant, important and contemporary. What we teach is proudly and uniquely the Bowed Arts/Suzuki method.
Below is the brief WIKI definition of the Suzuki Method.
The Suzuki method is a music curriculum and teaching philosophy dating from the mid-20th century, created by Japanese violinist and pedagogue Shinichi Suzuki. The method aims to create an environment for learning music which parallels the linguistic environment of acquiring a native language.
Do I have to use the Suzuki Method?
Nope! We definitely draw upon elements of Suzuki in our teaching but by no means does any student HAVE to follow it. The principles of music exist in lots of places and we love exploring non-Classical and non-Suzuki Classical repertoire for all levels from beginner to advanced players. For those wishing to go the Suzuki route, we 100% offer this in an updated Suzuki format of private lessons and accompanying group lessons.
Do you offer subsidized rates and how do I qualify?
We are happy to offer subsidized rates and all you need to do to qualify is check the box on our registration form. We operate on a system of trust and will not be asking you for any financial information.
How do I register for Private Lessons?
Before any registration is required simply email us so we can tell you more.
What if I sign up and don’t like it or find stringed instruments frustrating to learn?
We encourage you to take as much time as you need prior to signing up for lessons to be sure that this is the path you want to follow. You are welcome to observe lessons, ask questions, do your research, listen, meet with different teachers etc. in order to feel confident in choosing your instrument. The reason being that once you make that decision we strongly encourage you to stick with it. No matter what. Like, for life. Learning an instrument is tough, it’s not always fun, and we don’t always want to practice. The grit of it is that we keep at it, through thick and thin. A little like life.
Do I need to own an instrument? When do I get one?
Do you need to have an instrument at home and for lessons? Yes, absolutely but you don’t need to own one. You can rent directly from some of us or you can rent from a list of suggested retailers. We strongly (STRONGLY if not ABSOLUTELY) advise against buying instruments on Amazon or from unknown sellers online. Please meet/chat/zoom with your teacher BEFORE renting or buying an instrument. There are lots of considerations before you start and we want to make sure you don’t buy twice or end up with something that is too large/too small or of poor quality.
I don’t like Classical, I just want to learn fiddling and Pop songs by Harry Styles and Lizzo. Can I do this as a beginner?
We got you.
There may be some steps before you get to a full blown As It Was and Truth Hurts moment but yes, Day to Night to Morning, we’ll keep you in that moment!
This applies to any genre outside of Classical. String technique and pathways to mastery can be found in every style of music.