Mary Mathews is a piano teacher and composer who believes in the music teaching method of Shinichi Suzuki. Mary began her musical training at age 8 and has been fortunate to study with many master teachers. Her musical interests range from Classical to Jazz to Rock. Also passionate about yoga and meditation, Ms. Mathews combines her understanding of energy, motion, and the body to relate it to the expression of music. She closely connects to children and uses patience and humor to nurture their musical abilities. She also enjoys teaching adults with young hearts and willingness to learn new things.
Realizing that music study is a life-long pursuit, Mary has continued to refine her musical skills by studying theory and composition with Dr. Susan Fee and is mentored by Dr. Anne Young. She regularly attends master classes or workshops given by prominent music educators and concert pianists. As a child she studied with Mildred Bradley Smith, Suzanne Rabaud, Denise Hugonnet, and Alfred Teltschik.
Mary is a member of SMAC-CA, MTNA, and the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She is a founding teacher of the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program, and also is a founding member of the San Diego amateur piano group, Presto. Her students who have tested through the MDP have all received high scores in performance and theory, including those who received state and national honors. Mary is registered with the Suzuki Association of the Americas to teach Piano Books One through Five. She received her training for the first three books of study with the late Doris Koppelman, a pioneer in the American Suzuki piano movement. She teaches both Suzuki and traditional classical piano. Mary holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas in Austin.