Brown

Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Brown — lovingly known by her students as Ms. Mary Beth — has been helping violinists of all ages and stages to refine their skills for 22 years. Whether online or in person, she's known for her smile, her joyful way of teaching, and her easy, step-by-step ways of breaking down even the most complex challenges in violin playing.

The founder and director of the AVIVA Young Artists Program (one of the first web-based music education programs in the world) in 2012, she has taught more than 15,000 web-based lessons and trained hundreds of teachers in the art of online pedagogy. She is widely regarded as an expert in the field of online education and was named Teacher of Distinction by the Royal Conservatory in 2020. Her students are frequent prize-winners in all levels of competition and RCM medalists, and have gone on to study in major North American university performance programs. She's a member of the RCM's College of Examiners.

Following parallel paths as a performer and pedagogue, her career as a concertmaster and soloist has taken her through five continents and some of the world's most beautiful concert halls. She received her education from the University of Toronto, the University of Montreal, the London School of Economics, and Harvard University. She lives in Montreal with her family and welcomes the opportunity to work with students of all ages and levels — including homeschoolers and those with learning exceptionalities — in both English and French.

What students and parents say:

"I really like Mary-Beth’s teaching because it’s easy to understand what she’s explaining. I’m so glad to be able to take lessons in Tampa, where there are no teachers like her, and it feels like she’s in person with me even on Zoom.”

"I love my teacher! She is the most amazing and wonderful person. She's so caring, encouraging, generous, and exciting. She gives "tough love" when it's needed (out of love and care, she gives criticism that is difficult to hear) and identifies/helps with my frustrations. And even though we don't live in the same country, I still feel like she is always right there to help."

"As I do strongly believe young people sense when a person is truly invested in them, it was no surprise to find her students love being around her. Each lesson is carefully and individually crafted, with progress seamlessly delivered in manageable segments. In the safe and positive learning environment that Dr. Brown holds as essential, the speed of transformation is truly astounding. My professional self was so completely struck by her ability to empower a young person, both in individual and group teaching, to leave them better so consistently after each lesson than before."

"Sometimes I think Mary-Beth is a magician with a magical bottomless bag of tricks, tools, ideas, games, and pedagogy. Really, she is a brilliant violinist and teacher, with many years of experience, with science, skill, and expertise behind what she does. She emanates kindness, beauty, and encouragement as she motivates, challenges, and inspires."