"She had the whole audience eating out of the palm of her hand." -Yo-Yo Ma
Praised for her skilled teaching artistry, creative and original programming, and her intelligent, holistic approach to string pedagogy, Katie Kresek combines passionate performance practice with deep commitment to learning to illuminate musical worlds for students and concertgoers. She holds both a Masters and Doctorate in Education from Columbia University, Teachers College. For six years, she was an Adjunct Associate Professor at St. John’s University in the department of Core Studies, where she taught interdisciplinary courses that explore the intersection of the arts and social issues in New York City, in addition to serving as an instructor of violin and viola. From 2016 to 2021, she served as the Community Liaison for the Teaching Artist Community at Teachers College, where she mentored teaching artists on expanding their practice. As a co-creator of Teachers College’s Online Certificate in Responsive Pedagogy program, she has designed online arts learning experiences for numerous cohorts since 2016. A passionate advocate for the teaching artist in today’s society, her research has been published in numerous journals and can be accessed here. She is one of few to publish a dissertation devoted entirely to music teaching artistry.
For eleven seasons, she served as Artistic Director of Family Programs at Caramoor Center for Music and The Arts, where she curated and hosted the "Dancing at Dusk" series in addition to creating family programs for the International Music Festival. As an artistic advisor and concert host, she has collaborated on interactive programs with The New York Philharmonic, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and The Knights, The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra featuring guitarist Sharon Isbin, The Key West Symphony Orchestra, The Hudson Valley Philharmonic, and numerous other ensembles. For twelve years, she served on the teaching artist faculty of the New York Philharmonic, whose School Partnership Program is the nation's leading orchestral partnership program for elementary schools. Since joining the faculty in 2006, she sustained ongoing residencies in the New York City Public Schools, wrote and performed interactive concerts, and represented the faculty abroad in tours to Japan, The Phillipines, and the United Arab Emirates. She is also a teaching artist for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Lincoln Center Education, where she has taught from the pre-school to post-graduate level. As a guest facilitator, she has led workshops, professional development, and programs for students and teachers at Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera, The 92nd Street Y, Hunter College, CCNY, St. John’s University, and Bank Street College of Education.
As a violin teacher, she studied violin pedagogy with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School, and was a teaching assistant to Barbara Krakauer, with whom she worked closely at the Mannes College of Music in New York and at the Academie Musicale Franco-Americaine in Vaison-La-Romaine, France. Teaching classical violin as well as pop, folk and numerous other styles, she is certified in Mark O'Connor's String Method, and has taught group violin classes and designed string curriculum for many schools and cultural institutions, including The New York Philharmonic, The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Caramoor, Ang Misyon and The Orchestra of the Filipino Youth in Manila, , Dwight-Englewood School, and The Calhoun School. She has also served as a clinician for professional development workshops for Education Through Music, Inc., The Bronx Arts Ensemble, and numerous other string programs. She maintains a private studio of students who are active, leading members of student ensembles in the tri-state area and have gone on to continue their studies at the Juilliard School, Harvard, The University of Chicago, The University of Pennsylvania, Fordham University, Smith, and Ithaca College. She has also served on the teaching faculty of the International Music Festival of Campina Grande in Brazil.