Teachers
Mary Lou Roberts
Guitar & General Coordinator
MaryLou Roberts teaches Suzuki Guitar in Ann Arbor, Michigan and travels internationally as a Guitar Teacher Trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas and the European Suzuki Association. She is Coordinator of the Ann Arbor Suzuki Institute of Music, and has served four years on the Board of Directors of the SAA and for three years on the Guitar Foundation of America Board. MaryLou is Chair of the International Suzuki Association Guitar Committee, guiding the process of revising the Suzuki Guitar repertoire along with her international colleagues. She holds a Masters Degree in Guitar performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with John Holmquist and received the Valedictory Award and was elected to the Society of Pi Kappa Lambda.
Kathy Almquist
Violin & Viola
Judy Wayman Blank
Violin
Judy Wayman Blank has been a member of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra since 1984. She has been nurturing a wide variety of students for over 40 years. She has gone above and beyond with Suzuki training as well as teaching at numerous Suzuki Institutes world wide. Her performance studies include the University of Northern Illinois, as well as with famed violinist Ruggiero Ricci.
Graham Emberton
Violin
Graham Emberton is a violinist and teacher dedicated to compassionate talent development. He is a recipient of the Suzuki Association of the Americas’ Certificate of Achievement, and has registered teacher training in Violin Books 1-10. Previous teaching engagements include faculty positions with the Aber Suzuki Center at UW Stevens Point, the American Suzuki Institute, Interlochen Arts Camp, Detroit Youth Volume, and DePaul Community Music Division. He served as concertmaster of the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Utah Festival Opera, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the Britten-Pears Orchestra. Graham holds BM, MM, and Artist Diploma degrees in violin performance from Butler University, DePaul University, and the University of Memphis.
Terry Farmer
Guitar
Vera Flaig
Guitar
Alice Greminger
Cello
Kevin Horne
Violin
Shannon Jansma
Violin & Suzuki Early Childhood Education
Austin Netherton
Guitar
Austin Netherton is a passionate guitar instructor at the Suzuki Institute of Ann Arbor, where he teaches Suzuki classical guitar with an emphasis on both musical skill and personal confidence. He earned his undergraduate degree in classical guitar from Concordia University in Ann Arbor and completed his master’s studies in music composition at Michigan State University. Along with his Suzuki training, Austin specializes in jazz guitar, music theory, composition, and improvisation. He integrates these areas of expertise with the Suzuki method, encouraging creativity, deep listening, and a solid technical foundation. Austin loves teaching and meeting new students, providing a personalized approach to music that’s rooted in connection, tradition, and innovation.
Deborah Stanton
Debbie Stanton loves teaching and is tremendously excited at every new opportunity to help a student. As a great believer in Dr. Shinichi Suzuki's philosophy, Debbie has been a part of the Ann Arbor Suzuki Institute for several years. She has registered her official Suzuki teacher training at the American Suzuki Institute at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. She has attended many National Suzuki Teachers' Conferences, some of which featured Dr. Suzuki, himself. Having received a Bachelor of Arts in Education (Elementary certificate) from the University of Michigan in 1983, she continued studying at Eastern Michigan University in the Instrumental Music Education program. Debbie has taught for more than thirty years and has worked with children of all ages including some with special needs - as well as adults. I have a warm and gentle personality and specialize in making music-learning positive and fun in a relaxed and caring way.
Chase Ward
Violin
Anna Weller
Violin
Born in Washington, D.C., she earned her Bachelor's degree in Music from the University of Wisconsin. She subsequently studied at the Bern Conservatory of Music, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and the Fiesole School of Music, and obtained a diploma in chamber music from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. She lived in Italy for six years, performing with I Solisti Aquilani, the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, and the Sinfonica Abruzzese. She has performed frequently with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. She has been a member of the Detroit Opera Orchestra for the past thirty years. She is active in violin pedagogy, maintaining a large studio of students ages 3-18. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband, Derek Weller, and her dog, Monty. Her daughter, Francesca, lives in Chicago. When she is not playing the violin, she enjoys traveling, yoga, and running!
