John Austin

Biography

John Austin is an active performer and music teacher based in Brooklyn, New York. John currently teaches violin, viola, Suzuki group classes at Wharton Arts in Berkeley Heights, NJ. He has served as principal violist with the Manhattan and Bergen Symphonies in major NYC performing arts venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Before moving to NYC, John lived in North Carolina where he was a member of the Asheville, Hilton-Head, Roanoke, and Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestras. In addition to his classical roots he has recorded and performed live with folk, contemporary jazz, and rap groups including Deltron 3030 & Tarbaby. He previously taught at the NJ Academy of Music, P.S. 310 ‘The School for Future Leaders,’ P.S. 219 ‘Kennedy-King Elementary,’ and the Louisiana State University Music Academy. John has also taught as a guest teacher and lecturer at Teachers College, Columbia, and McGill Universities. He was the viola studio teaching assistant to Sheila Browne at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts while pursuing a degree in viola performance. All of his primary teachers were graduates of the Juilliard School where they studied with Karen Tuttle, long time teaching assistant to William Primrose at the Curtis Institute of Music. John teaches Karen Tuttle’s ‘Coordination’ method of musical expression, along with the Alexander Technique’s mind-body awareness and habit changing potential within the framework of the Suzuki Method’s naturalistic pedagogy. This approach of scaffolded learning supports the whole child’s potential for multidimensional development. Mr. Austin holds a dual degree in Human Development & The Arts with concentrations in Childhood Development and Music from SUNY Empire State College and is an AmSAT certified (1600 hours over 3 years) Alexander Technique teacher. He completed his AT training at the American Center for the Alexander Technique in Manhattan, the oldest and most prestigious AT teacher certification program in the United States.