Biography

Ms. Paula Verdicchio Ailshie has had the pleasure of directing several student concerts with over one thousand people in attendance. Her students have successfully auditioned for all-county and honor orchestras, earned high ratings at local solo and ensemble festivals and performed in local youth orchestras, chamber groups and at recitals. In addition, her students have performed many other genres of music with her encouragement at local recitals and concerts, and have even created original musical compositions, arrangements and programs for recitals and other youth-friendly local venues.

Using tools such as the Socratic Method and Reality Therapy, Ms. Ailshie both helps students discover how to learn independently, and encourages them to excel in self-esteem in order to reach goals successfully. She believes in continued growth as an educator, musician and human being. Her teaching philosophy focuses on being a true musician at every level of development not just a “music student.” It is important to her to train each student as an individual and to find the correct synthesis of music pedagogy and repertoire appropriate to each specific student. Her current students have said that she is inspiring and creative.

Ms. Ailshie has over fifteen years professional playing experience, has performed for audiences of over seven thousand people, and has directed musical events with nearly one thousand people in attendance. In classical music, she has played in concert halls with international soloists Frank Spinosa, Colin Carr, Ursala Oppens, Faye Robinson, and Sam Pilafian. She recorded as a section violinist for under the baton of Dr. Timothy Russell on the CD Perceptions for the D’Note Classics label. She has played with the Grand Canyon Chamber Orchestra, The Mesa Chamber Orchestra, the Arizona State University Symphony, the Mexican Marimbas de Comitán and the Arizona Lyric Opera Theater. On jazz concert stages, she has soloed alongside Ira Sullivan and Michael Pagán. In folk and pop genres, she has played with local songwriters John Common and with J.T. Nolan as a member of the Denver-based group The Lovely and Talented. In addition, she has recorded with Cincinati-based roots songwriter Jack Redell. She currently co-leads and manages the acoustic trio Blue Avenue, in addition to her freelance work as a classical violinist.