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
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
pictured bottom: KPhil students learning to coordinate separate elements, Gracie playing the Accolay concerto with the FWYO as concerto competition winner
Most importantly, her students have all enjoyed the experience, education, and life skills that studying violin have to offer.