About Carol Havelka

Carol Havelka is a Registered Suzuki Teacher (through Book 10) with over 20 years of teaching and performing experience. She combines Suzuki philosophy with traditional training to help students develop strong technique, confidence, and a lifelong relationship with music. 

 Founder of Frederick Talent Education, Carol brings extensive pedagogical training alongside real-world performance experience. Her background includes advanced study at the Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School, and The School for Strings in New York City, as well as a long-standing career as a professional violinist and educator. 

 “I believe every child can learn.”

This guiding principle of the Suzuki philosophy sits at the center of Carol’s teaching. At Frederick Talent Education, instruction is grounded in the partnership between teacher, parent, and student, with consistency, care, and patience forming the foundation of progress.

Carol’s approach blends the warmth and encouragement of Suzuki teaching with the technical rigor of traditional violin training. Students are supported in developing not only musical skill, but also focus, resilience, and artistry..

• Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, Manhattan School of Music 
• Graduate coursework in Music Education, University of Maryland 
• Registered Suzuki Violin Teacher (Books 1–10), Suzuki Association of the Americas 
• Two-Year Suzuki Teacher Certification, School for Strings (NYC) 

Louise Behrend • Ronda Cole • David Strom • Timothy Durbin • Dr. Shu-Yi Scott
 

Carol’s musical formation was shaped by distinguished violinists and pedagogues, including:

David Nadien • Carroll Glenn • Robert Gerle • Ruggiero Ricci • Samuel Kissel

Walter Verdehr • Helmut Braunlich

Each of these mentors influenced her approach to music-making with discipline, curiosity, and depth.

Carol has taught at leading institutions including:

New York City & Region

• School for Strings 
• Westchester Conservatory of Music 
• 92nd Street Y School of Music 
• Bloomingdale School of Music
   

Washington, D.C. Region

• Jewish Community Center 
• Butler Montessori School 
• American University Pre-College Program 
• Shepherd University Preparatory Division
• Private studios in Kensington and Takoma Park, MD
   

She has also served on faculty at the Eastern Music Festival (Greensboro, NC), teaching violin and chamber music.

As a professional violinist, Carol has performed throughout New York City, Washington, D.C., and the East Coast in orchestral, chamber, Broadway, and recording settings.

Her orchestral affiliations have included the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, White Plains Symphony, and the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra, where she also served on the violin and chamber music faculty at the Eastern Music Festival.

Her performance career has encompassed concert, opera, ballet, and musical theater, with appearances at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Broadway productions, the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, and PBS recording projects.

These experiences continue to inform her teaching, giving students insight drawn directly from the professional performance world.

• Concertmaster, Manhattan School Opera Orchestra, under Anton Coppola 
• Fellow, Congress of Strings, Cincinnati, Ohio 
• Orchestral training with Leon Barzin’s National Orchestral Association (NYC)

Teaching is where all of this comes together. 

Each lesson is an opportunity to help a child discover their voice, grow in confidence, and experience the joy of making music.  Students at Frederick Talent Education are not only learning violin — they are developing focus, perseverance, empathy, and artistry  that extend far beyond the instrument.