Paul Stroebel

Bio
Paul is originally from Augusta, GA, where he took Suzuki Violin Method lessons with Lois Akins from age 3 until graduating high school from Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School. At Davidson he was concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra and began gigging, leading chamber music ensembles for weddings and other events, which he continues to do today with Carolina Music Planner and Deans’ Duets as a full-time working musician. Paul graduated from UNC-Asheville’s Music Technology program in 2008 with distinction in music tech and music theory, studying violin with Inez Redman, and playing in the University Scholarship Quartet and Symphony for all 8 semesters, jazz combos for 4, and extracurricular bluegrass throughout.

During his 18 years in Asheville, he has played violin & sung in bluegrass, country, jazz, rock, and tango bands. Paul regularly plays in the Brevard Philharmonic, Four Seasons Orchestra, Augusta Symphony, and Asheville Symphony, where he also serves as stage manager. He subs regularly with Johnson City Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, Hendersonville Symphony, and Blue Ridge Orchestra. He has been teaching full-time since 2014, when he also took up viola, and received teacher certification by Mark O’Connor in the “O’Connor Method” violin books I through IV.

Lessons with Paul
I have no strict agenda of my own in lessons to which I expect students to conform. I adapt to them & believe in using multiple resources to guide the student through that in which he or she is interested in order to motivate themselves. I believe aural training and the tradition of playing by ear is fundamental to playing music, regardless of genre or method book, and knowledge of music theory is crucial to crafting a good musician, which is often overlooked & neglected when learning to play a challenging instrument like the violin.

My roots are in Suzuki training, for which I am grateful, but I know it is not infallible and that there is an immense world of music outside of its repertoire, even just within classical music. I recognize the potential of O’Connor Method in keeping kids interested by celebrating the diversity of American music and addressing their creative demands: improvising, collaborating, exploring many styles, and in general not being trapped in a classical violin box or ignoring modern music, to which they are constantly & increasingly exposed. I am excited to be a part of this developing experiment in establishing a uniquely American school of violin and reestablishing the relevance of the violin in American culture.