Meet Mrs. Droz

Violinist and violist Maria Droz started playing the violin in 4th grade orchestra class and strings have been a part of her life ever since. In high school, under the guidance of her private teacher, she taught several private violin and viola students and confirmed her passion for teaching. She went on to earn double B.A.’s in Violin Performance and Broad Area Music Education from Central Washington University, graduating summa cum laude. While there, she performed in various ensembles, including serving as concertmaster for the CWU Symphony’s Halloween concert where she performed the famous Dance Macabre violin solo. Other performance and teaching highlights include:  Wenatchee Valley Symphony, Lake Chelan Bach Festival, and coaching for Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra’s (SYSO) summer orchestra camp. Her primary teachers and mentors include Judy Beatie, Carrie Rehkopf, Denise Dillenbeck, and Terry Shade. 

 

After graduating college, she taught orchestra for grades 5-8 in the Bethel School District for six years where she grew the Spanaway Middle School Orchestra program from 80 to 200+ in just four years. Her students have earned superior and excellent ratings at regional Large Group and Solo and Ensemble Festivals. When not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband (also a violinist), cooking, being in nature, and listening to podcasts.