About Christine Widman

Christine WidmanWhy I Teach

When I initially decided to major in music, I thought I was only interested in being a performer.  After teaching some private lessons to earn extra money while going to school at UNL, almost immediately I discovered that teaching only helped my own playing and performing skills, and low and behold I was actually good at teaching!

My drive to teach comes from my own frustrations growing up trying to become a musician.  I didn’t know how to practice correctly, and I didn’t feel motivated until I got to college to fix the technical things that needed addressing.  After learning how to practice and being motivated by wonderful teachers in my life, I feel like I can do a service to young students trying to become musicians by setting them up correctly, while offering a solid foundation to build on.  I was not born a prodigy; I simply learned how to work hard, and consequently I feel I can really relate to a student trying to master the art of making music.  I am very patient, encouraging, and have the skill to work with students of different levels to help them become the best they can be at their prospective instrument.  Nothing is more rewarding than watching a student perform a piece that they have spent time and care to work through, ending with them smiling with pride as a direct result of the work they have done. 

Qualifications

I have played the viola for 15 years, in addition to having background in the violin and piano.  I earned a Bachelor of Music degree from UNL, as well as a Master of Music degree in viola performance from DePaul University in Chicago.  I have played with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, and the Chicago Civic Orchestra, among others.  After graduating from DePaul, I was a private string instructor at Chicago’s school of music, The Music Connection.  I have been a viola teaching-assistant at the Birch Creek Music Performance Festival for the past two summers in Wisconsin, in which I did one of my favorite musical things, to coach student chamber groups.  I have played on the Chicago Civic Symphony Orchestra chamber music series, in addition to leading sectionals for the Chicago Youth Symphony.  I look forward to getting more involved in the Lincoln and Omaha music scene now that I have moved back to my home state!

Fun Facts About Christine
Favorite Food:
 Anything Mexican! Especially chips and salsa; tacos
Favorite Color:
 Sage green
Likes:
 The Fall, Halloween, Scrabble, running/jogging, cooking with my husband, watching movies, a sense of humor
Dislikes:
 Any kind of olive, mice, humid weather, getting up early in the am
Disposition:
 Outgoing, Conscientious, Funny
Claim-to-Fame's:
 Chess champion, my cousin used to play in the NFL, I have played in Carnegie Hall and Chicago’s Symphony Center, met Tom Brokaw