ASHLEY JONES

ASHLEY’S STORY

Violin has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. In 1977, I began my training at the Hartford Conservatory of Music at the age of three, shortly after moving from Britain to the US with my family. Under the watchful eye of my father, also a musician, I studied at the Conservatory with Barbara Embser and violinist Jane Carlberg for 14 years. I graduated from the Ethel Walker School in 1993 as a member of the Advanced Performing Arts Program. In 1994, Hugh Blumenfeld, former CT State Troubadour, invited me to perform with his band Faithful Sky, which continues to this day. I attended the Universities of Oregon and Connecticut, pursuing a future in plant science, but music…and opportunity called. 

In the fall of 2000, two chance encounters would change my life forever. In the same week, I was invited to become a member of both the Val Ramos Flamenco Ensemble and Fotoba, a West African (Guinean) drum and dance company under the direction of my teacher Abdoulaye Sylla. Abdoulaye was a principal in Les Ballet Africains (the National Ballet of Guinea), artistic director of Les Mervielle D’Afrique, and adjunct professor at Trinity College, where I trained. I accepted and immersed myself in these cultural forms.

I performed throughout New England at festivals, universities, theaters, and cultural centers, expressing the traditions of Latin and African music as a Euro-American. Cold winters chased me south to Key West, Florida, where I performed at The Ocean Key Resort Hotel and tourist hotspot Mallory Square, with resident singer Raven Cooper. 

In 2001, I began teaching violin at the Musicians Co-op of Mystic, allowing me to share the gold I learned through countless master artists. Rooted in the Suzuki method of talent education, I aim to innovate and honor Dr. Suzuki’s vision via the mother tongue method. My cultural training in ancient musical forms enables me to integrate alternate styles in addition to the largely classical repertoire of Suzuki, both having immense value.

In 2006, I decided to train at the Hartt School of Music as a Suzuki teacher — the same method I had studied as a child. I became a registered Suzuki teacher through the Suzuki Association of the Americas and taught violin at the Cheshire Academy from 2006 to 2007. In 2013, I was introduced to another influential form, orchestral Salsa, where I immersed myself again in another Latin style!

Music is my life. I continue to perform in New England and teach from my studio (surrounded by plants) in North Stonington, a beautiful village in coastal Connecticut. I am honored and privileged to share a lifetime of experience with students of all ages.