Click here for the Students’ Page
Carla Deniz, Ph.D.
Carla’s first love is teaching. She is dedicated to imbuing excitement and joy in students as they grow on their instruments and find they can achieve great heights. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from George Mason University with a focus on problem-solving techniques. She received her Masters degree in Music Performance on the viola from Shenandoah University in 2017. Her bachelor’s music degree was conferred at George Mason University in 1993 where she won the George Mason University Concerto Competition. She has been performing throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area since 1990, including performances at the Barns of Wolf Trap and the Kennedy Center. Carla has studied under Richard Parnas (recent principal violist of the National Symphony Orchestra) and Doris Lederer, violist of the Audubon String Quartet. Carla provides enrichment classes in strings for local elementary schools in Loudoun County. Her focus is the viola and loves sharing her knowledge with her students who typically gain top chairs in their school, county, and regional orchestras. Her philosophy is that students need four key ingredients to grow in music: 1) a warm and caring learning environment in the teaching studio; 2) teamwork, whether it be through school and county orchestras and activities or through the numerous activities offered through her studio; 3) loving parental support; and of course 4) daily practice.
For Children and Adults.
Carla provides private instruction as well as studio classes and performance opportunities. Weekly lessons of 30 or 60 minutes in her Leesburg, Va studio located five minutes from Wegmans and Costco.
Testimonials
- Dr. Deniz is a great teacher for our son. His motivation and enjoyment increased noticeably since he began lessons. I greatly appreciate that Dr. Deniz’ teaching approach goes far beyond providing a standard weekly lesson to include practical audition preparation and practice, and year-long goals to improve the student’s overall appreciation of music. We love that she performs professionally and shares those experiences with her students. ~A. Adamson
- I have two children that take lessons with Dr Deniz, both with very different learning styles and individual personalities. She does a great job personalizing lesson plans for each of them, they love going, and are both very much thriving musically under her instruction. ~M. King
- As an adult who resumed playing the violin after many years of neglect, Carla was the perfect teacher for me! She offered encouragement, careful observation of my acquired habits, and exercises uniquely designed to address what I needed to learn. She is a highly talented, serious, and supportive teacher. ~J. Winter