Chatham County String Program

Miriam Bryant has been teaching and leading others in musical activities for over 30 years.  She earned a Master’s of Arts in teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 and held  K-12 Music Educator certification 2005-2018.  Mrs. Bryant taught in the public-school sector for 8 years as a music educator at the high school level in strings, chorus, music theory, and music appreciation classes.  Additionally, she taught elementary music in typical and atypical blended pre-K classes and in special needs class settings of varying abilities. Mrs. Bryant also taught fiddle with the Chatham County Junior Appalachian Music organization for several years and lead various children and adult choirs at her church Currently, Mrs. Bryant teaches private lessons in violin, piano and voice in Lee and Chatham County. In addition, Miriam is a violin instructor at the elementary school level for the Chatham County Schools strings program.    She is a continuing in her seventeenth year as a member and violin section leader of the Lee County Community Orchestra and performs regularly at churches and community events.  Professional organizations include membership in the Music Educators National Conference and the American String Teacher’s Association.  

“Ms. Miriam” bases her teaching methods on the pedagogy of Suzuki, Bornoff, Kodaly, and student led processes to develop technique, intonation, and tone.   In addition to teaching and playing music, Ms. Miriam enjoys cooking, knitting, birding, hiking and being a Mimi to her grandsons.

Susan Beth Barak, MEd, BA (Hons), OCELT, RMT, RYT-300. Susan is a Registered Music Teacher specializing in Upper Strings. Certified/Registered Suzuki, Royal Conservatory, Mark O'Connor and Wee Violin Methods, a Life Member of the TMA/AFM, ORMTA, SAA, and Gold Winner, 2020 Toronto Star Readers' Choice Award, Best Music Instructor. Her passion is learning and teaching and inculcating a lifelong love of music! Susan  grew up in proximity to New York City and was privileged to study violin and viola with many illustrious American teachers, and is still engaged in continuous professional development and further certifications. She has performed internationally with a wide variety of orchestras and chamber groups. As Founding Concertmaster and Artistic Director of the York Chamber Ensemble, she led the organization of YCE’s inaugural Annual Youth Concert in 2004, and the Baroque for Belinda fundraiser for Belinda’s Place [York Region’s first dedicated women’s shelter] in 2012. Susan has performed with other notable groups including Glimmerglass Opera and Symphony in the Barn. In addition to private lessons, Susan has taught groups in educational settings from pre-schools through university, and adult programs in the Toronto and York Region District School Boards. Her students excel in competitions and achieve high results in examinations, but the priority is on character development and learning in a safe, kind, and fun environment. Susan is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and has served as Chair of the AVS Anti-Discrimination Committee, 905 North Area Representative of the SAO, and President of the Newmarket & Area branch of ORMTA. With doctoral work in Critical Disability Studies, she has been an international advocate for disability inclusion. Recently relocated to the Triangle area, Susan is honored to join the Faculty of Triangle Youth Music, and looks forward to joyful learning together!