Specialty
Viola
Biography
John Austin is an active performer and music teacher based in Brooklyn, New York. He has served as principal violist with the Manhattan and Bergen Symphonies in major NYC performing arts venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Previously, John 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. John currently teaches violin, viola, Suzuki group classes at Wharton Arts in Berkeley Heights, NJ. 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 his undergraduate degree. John combines the fields of movement science, artistic performance, and embodied mindfulness practices to provide a unique perspective on music education and well-being that helps bridge the gap between science and art. John is an AmSAT certified (1600 hours over 3 years) Alexander Technique teacher. He trained at the American Center for the Alexander Technique in Manhattan, the first and most prestigious AT teacher certification program in the United States. John is also a certified teacher of the Suzuki Method for Violin & Viola. All of John’s primary teachers were graduates of the Juilliard School. John embodies the philosophy of former Juillard professor, Karen Tuttle. He combines Tuttle’s ‘Coordination’ method of musical expression with the Alexander Technique’s mind-body awareness and habit changing potential in the framework of the Suzuki Method’s naturalistic pedagogy. This approach of scaffolded learning supports the whole child’s potential for multidimensional development. With support from John and parents, children will find learning violin and viola a healthy experience that’s fun and easy.