About
At Stringlights Music, we partner with students of all ages to nurture and develop a special relationship with music. As an active participant or listener, we hope music is a life-long source of connection, confidence, and creativity. Through small group classes, individual lessons, and community events, students of all ages discover the joy of Fiddle and the Violin in a supportive, collaborative community and environment.
Located in Silver Spring and Bethesda MD, with virtual learning options.
In weekly individual or semi-private lessons, students build technique and gain knowledge working through fun and exciting repertoire in a supportive, progress-focused and active community.
The Fiddle School Method provides a curriculum of technique and tunes provided in sequential order, plus an online library of audio/visual resources to support at home practice.
Active studio members develop skills necessary to participate in various music situations such as: sight-reading, youth orchestras, contest-style fiddle and square dances, swing dance, or country dance.
Lessons also available with a focus on Suzuki, technique, orchestra repertoire, audition prep, and special projects..
Hi, I'm Elizabeth Cunha, a violinist/fiddler, vocalist, orchestra director, performer, inventor, composer, actor, and creative problem solver with trainings in Suzuki, Fiddle, Bornoff, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Creative Strings Academy, Music Mind Games, Tunewriting, Orff Schulwerk, Musical Theater, and World Music Drumming methods.
In addition to running a studio, I am director for the Middle and High School orchestras at Stone Ridge School. I also serve as Assistant Conductor and Orchestra Education Liaison for Young Artists of America (YAA) and have a rich background in and passion for musical theater, both as a stage actor and in the pit. I was honored to join the Foundation for the Advancement of String Education (FASE) team as the Director of Certification Programs. I enjoy teaching at camps and leading sessions at institutes during the summer, and I welcome opportunities to collaborate and consult with other studios and creatives for workshops, passion projects, and curriculum development.
I have led studio musicians in two European performance tours. Students have also participated in local youth orchestras, All-State, the Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival, Brookside Gardens Gardens of Lights, pit orchestras, and various performance opportunities, barn dances, and contests. My students and I have earned judges' prizes at the Deer Creek Fiddlers Convention in Maryland, and have placed and even won divisions at the Colorado State Fiddle Championships at the National Stock Show in Denver.
My training is grounded in a Bachelor of Music from The Catholic University of America and a Master of Music in Music Education, with an emphasis in string pedagogy, from the University of Maryland.
