Christine Faught

Christine Faught has nurtured a lifelong enthusiasm for teaching and music. She brings her love, experience, and dedication unreservedly to her students.  Having lived and thrived in both New York City and Fort Worth, she returned to her Washington roots in 2022 to contribute her energy and drive to the musical community in the Kitsap Peninsula. 

Locally, in addition to private lessons she:

  • conducts multiple youth orchestras
  • teaches early childhood music, adult beginner violin, and elementary beginning orchestra outreach classes
  • serves as a guest coach for school orchestras
  • composes arrangements for student groups
  • provides music for private events

Background:  Christine majored in music at Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA) and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY (Queens, NY).  She studied privately for several years with Burton Kaplan of the Manhattan School of Music, who himself was a student of the legendary Dorothy DeLay. 

She has performed professionally everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the local coffee shop. Summer festivals during her student years included Marrowstone Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, and Magic Mountain Music Farm. 

She taught a thriving studio in Brooklyn, NY from 1994-2004, and in Texas from 2007-2022.  


TRAINING

SAA Registered Core Units:

  • Every Child Can!
  • Violin Unit 1
  • Violin Unit 2
  • Violin Unit 3
  • Violin Unit 4
  • Violin Teaching Strategies

Continuing Education:

  • Birch Bay String Teachers’ Workshop / 2025
  • Celtic Arts Foundation Winter School / 2023, 2024
  • Violin Teaching Strategies / 2022 / Mark Mutter
  • Teaching with an Open Heart workshop / 2022 / Ed Kreitman
  • Supplemental Repertoire: Violin Books 6—8 / 2021 / Charles Krigbaum
  • Creative Strings Jazz and Improv Workshop / 2018 / Christian Howes
  • Fundamental Violin Technique & The Audacity to Make a Difference / 2018 / Ronda Cole
  • Group Class Techniques Workshop: Cello, Viola, Violin / 2016 / Carey Beth Hockett
  • Time with Teri: Examining Suzuki pedagogy and philosophy at all stages of a student’s musical journey / 2015 / Teri Einfeldt
  • Group Class Techniques: violin / 2012 / Edmund Sprunger

STUDIO LOCATION

String Beans Studio is located near the Mullenix exit in the 98367 area code, Port Orchard, WA.


ASSOCIATIONS, INVOLVEMENTS, & ACHIEVEMENTS

“Practice Makes Project Managers” article published in the American Suzuki Journal, Feb 2026

Suzuki Association of the Americas
Suzuki Association of Washington State
American String Teachers Association

Celtic Arts Festival
— 2023 winner Emerald Isle Scholarship (Irish fiddle)
— 2023 winner Celtic Arts Foundation Scholarship (Scottish fiddle)


EXPERIENCE

STRING BEANS STUDIO 

String Beans playing Celtic music at the Port Orchard Farmer’s Market

private lesson and group class instructor

1995-present

Teaches private Suzuki violin lessons and multi-level group classes. Manages and organizes studio administration and performances. Studio size has ranged from 20-60 students.

KITSAP PHILHARMONIC YOUTH ORCHESTRA 

Artistic Staff, Jan 2023-present

Conductor of Debut Orchestra

Violin sectional coach for both Intermediate and Advanced orchestras.

Organizes and directs sectional rehearsals, auditions new students, coordinates as a team with coaches and conductors.

PENINSULA COMMUNITY YOUTH ORCHESTRA

Jan 2026-present

Conductor of Sequim Youth Orchestra

Director of Sequim and Port Angeles Suzuki Sprouts (hybrid early childhood music and Pre-Twinkle violin skills) classes

Director of Port Angeles Adult Violin Lab classes

Director of Port Angeles Sound Sprouts (early childhood music) classes

PENINSULA YOUTH ORCHESTRA 

Christine conducting the Peninsula Encore Orchestra

Encore and Debut orchestras conductor

elementary outreach class instructor

summer camp artistic staff, adjudicator, auditioner

Summer 2022–present

FORT WORTH YOUTH ORCHESTRAS 

Anthony showing his amazing bow hold in the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra

artistic staff

2007-2020

Foundational instructor in a private lesson program that fed into the four levels of youth orchestras. Helped organize and grow the Suzuki lesson program from a core of three teachers to a small community of eight teachers with a thriving student base. Taught lessons, sectional rehearsals, group classes, and early childhood music classes.


INTERESTS

Christine has a deep interest in music history and Celtic music, and often composes and arranges. As a parent with experience in homeschooling, public school, and charter schools for many years she has a broad perspective and a creative approach to learning. Christine is a member of a family with representatives from the ADHD, autism, and LGBTQ+ worlds, and as such she prioritizes inclusion and accessibility for her students. 

Outside of music, Christine is an avid skier, cyclist, hiker, and backpacker.  She is often on the prowl after good vegan food, fancy whisky, and quality coffee.  She loves Renaissance faires, D&D, and online gaming with her friends and family. Her fiction has been published in literary journals and performed on podcasts. She enjoys woodworking, DIY projects, and spending time in her greenhouse. Her favorite colors are mossy and foresty shades of green. 


STUDENT SUCCESSES

Christine’s students have enjoyed acceptance into audition-only music and fine arts schools. Her students have won significant music scholarships and concerto competitions at the elementary, secondary, and university levels. They have regularly sat in the concertmaster position at all levels of the Fort Worth Youth Orchestras. 

pictured top: PYO students playing with glowing bows before Halloween, PYO string camp students learning theory, Minah using a balance board to refine precision, KPhil cellos preparing for a concert

Most importantly, her students have all enjoyed the experience, education, and life skills that studying violin have to offer.