• education
1974 Began studying violin with Phyllis Glass and Evelyn Shuck
1979 Studied under Elizabeth Mills,
1990 - graduated from University of Redlands with B.M in violin performance where I had studied violin with Lyndon Taylor, Todor Pelev, Endre Balough - viola with Lucille Taylor,
1992 - graduated from University of Northern Colorado with M.M. in violin performance where had studied violin with Richard Fuchs, viola with Juliet White-Smith.
• Teaching
1983 - 1990 started teaching Suzuki violin at the Claremont Community School of Music both as a private lesson and a group class instructor with faculty of four other violin instructors.
1986 - 1990 Began teaching at the University of Redlands Community School of Music and the Arts building a Suzuki program from start to 25 students.
1995 - present Began teaching privately in Ft. Collins collaborating with Ruth Larner and Allison Sherman for Suzuki group events.
• Orchestral experience
1985 - 1990 Redlands Symphony (1st and 2nd section violin),
1986 - 1989 Inland Empire Symphony(1st and 2nd section violin),
1987 - 1990 Riverside Symphony (1st section violin, section viola),
1990 - 1998 Greeley Philharmonic (1st 2nd section violin, section viola),
1990 - 1997 Cheyenne Symphony (1st section violin)
• Family
1992 Married John McLaird.
1993 First child Andrew was born.
1996 Andrew diagnosed with Autism.
1997 Began to feel struggle with autism as tried to manage a studio of 50+ students and organize a 30 hour a week ABA treatment program for Andrew (and drive him twice a week to Denver for doctor consults).
1998 Began a year of IVIG treatments for Andrew, meant flying or driving to San Diego every third week but had to try, cut back on size of violin studio.
1999 Ceiteag our first girl born.
2002 Andrew began attending the Aspen Center for Autism, where he started to actually learn some sign and his aggressive behaviors decreased.
2003 Ashlyn our second girl born.
John McLaird’s Short Bio ...
• Born and raised in the thriving metropolis of Mitchell South Dakota ...
Home of the Corn Palace:
http://www.cornpalace.org/
(and other more subtle things like the Oscar Howe Art Center .. and a prehistoric Mandan Village ...)
• 1990 Bachelor of Music Education form Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln Nebraska .. where I had many wonderful teachers .. during this time I also studied bass privately with Bassist Andy Hall.
• 1992 married Rachel
• 1992 Master of Music in Music Theory & Composition from the University of Northern Colorado
• 1993 Andrew born
• 1995 I had a short stint as an instructor at Southwest Missouri State University
• 1995 I took my current job as Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition and Director of Music Technology at the University of Northern Colorado
• 1996 Andrew diagnosed with severe autism
• 1999 Ceiteag born ...
• 2003 Ashlyn born ...
(maybe we’ll get more detailed in a future update .... ).
