RACHEL KEYSER
ABOUT
Biography
Early Inspiration
"When I was 5 years old, my parents took me to hear Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Vienna, Austria. I remember exactly where we sat, and I remember being mesmerized by the violin section and their bows moving back and forth across the strings. I remember getting ice cream afterward and telling my parents I wanted to play the violin. Those are the only moments I recall from the whole trip."
Rachel Keyser, a Suzuki-trained violinist from Vermont, started playing at the age of six. She began private and group lessons with Pam Reit, and later studied under Ira Morris and Evelyn Read. Rachel participated regularly in Vermont ensembles and played with the Vermont Youth Orchestra. She also participated in New England and All States festivals. Rachel attended Idyllwild Arts Academy in California to study violin in her junior year of high school.
Rachel attended the University of Vermont while beginning her teaching at the Richmond Elementary School through the Green Mountain Strings program. She was then accepted at Denver University where she completed her Suzuki Teaching Certificate while studying under James Maurer.
In 2008 she moved home to Vermont and began teaching private violin lessons full time. She teaches group lessons weekly with Vermont Suzuki Violins. In 2021 she became a teacher for the O.N.E Strings program at IAA which is funded by the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival. With this program, she can teach violin group classes to 3rd-5th graders during their school hours twice a week. She is an active member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has been teaching at Green Mountain Suzuki Summer Camp for many years. Rachel also specializes in music classes for 0- to 3-year-olds after receiving her certification at the Hartt School of Music. She enjoys teaching both young kids and adults and has also kept her love of playing music alive with various musical groups and friends around the area. She’s played in several bands and has been on a handful of recorded albums.
Rachel currently is teaching full time and lives in South Burlington Vermont with her husband, daughter, and dog. Her other interests include yoga, being in the woods, skiing and golf, and enjoying musical theater.
In 2010 her lifetime dream of playing violin on stage with her favorite band Guster came true and she performed 3 songs with them. That experience itself has continuously reminded her to pass on the famous words of Dr. Suzuki to all her students:
