Connie Sheu leads new Suzuki Guitar program at Colburn’s Community School of Performing Arts

The Colburn Community School of Performing Arts has launched a new guitar program, directed by Thornton alumna Connie Sheu (DMA ’11), that seeks to make classical music and instruments more accessible to beginning students. The program is based in the Suzuki teaching method, founded by Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki.

Sheu sees classical guitar as a “gateway” instrument that can open doors for more children to learn and appreciate classical music. “Many people don’t know that you can play classical music very seriously on the guitar, go to the best conservatories for training, and win Grammy awards on the instrument,” she says. “It is an incredibly rich art form that many young musicians gravitate towards.”