Founder, Dow Street Community Music School
Bio and Personal Statement

Bio

Founder and Violinist Andrea Dawson joined the MTSU Music Faculty in 2007. Dawson received her Masters in Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where she was awarded the coveted Performer’s Certificate. She also received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, with a minor in French, and a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Oberlin College. Before accepting the position at MTSU, Dawson served on the faculty of the University of Texas Pan American. At MTSU, she teaches violin and viola, string chamber music, string pedagogy, and string literature, and she conducts the Chamber Orchestra. Since 2008, she has also been a member of the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.

In addition to over 60 solo and chamber music performances at MTSU, Dawson has performed as a violinist, violist and Baroque violinist throughout Tennessee, the United States, and internationally. As a member of the Stones River Chamber Players, she has performed at Steinway Hall, New York City, as well as numerous times on WPLN Nashville for Live in Studio C. She performed with colleagues in Hangzhou, China. She performed solo recitals in Brazil, Mexico, and Curaçao. She recorded two pieces by MTSU faculty Paul Osterfield (Navona Records). Dawson also spent over a decade in various orchestra positions, including Valley Symphony Orchestra (as associate concertmaster) and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed solos with orchestras including the Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Bucknell Orchestra, and the MTSU Symphony. She has performed extensively as a Baroque violinist and violist (following historically informed performance practices) with Music City Baroque, Early Music City, and Atlanta Baroque Orchestra.

In 2021, Dawson published 24 Etudes for the Modern Violinist, Book I: Early Intermediate, as well as a version for viola (Sleepy Puppy Press).

Principal teachers: Lynn Blakeslee, Camilla Wicks, Taras Gabora, Kathleen Winkler, Robert Koff, Janet Packer<.p>

Personal Statement:

I have devoted my life to making and sharing music, through performing and teaching. I started the violin at age 5 in the Suzuki Method, with my mom coming to all my lessons and supporting me every step of the way. I was a shy kid, so having music in my life helped me learn confidence and gave me an outlet to express myself without fear. I feel profoundly fortunate to have been given so many opportunities throughout my life because of my musical upbringing; I am grateful now to be able to share these opportunities with others. I believe that the universal language of music can help our society thrive in countless intangible ways. Music