Ward Beebe

Ward Beebe is a registered Suzuki Violin Instructor and also teaches Irish and Scottish traditional fiddle. Ward grew up in Tacoma, Wash. and started his musical studies on the piano at the age of seven. At ten, he started playing the violin. He taught himself to play guitar when he was 15 because of an interest in folk and popular music. For the past 30 years he has been very interested in traditional dance music of New England, and the roots of that music including Irish and Scottish traditional music.

Since 1996, he has focused on teaching violin and fiddle. He received his Suzuki teacher training from Vera McCoy-Sulentic, Debbie Goolsby and Liz Arbus. He has taught at the Port Townsend Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Island Strings Summer Music Camp on Whidbey Island, the Suzuki Association of Washington State Fall Festival, and the Super Suzuki Saturday in Port Angeles. Ward has played on-stage with award winning Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, and master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser. He has also studied with respected Cape Breton fiddlers Buddy MacMaster, Jerry Holland, Carl MacKenzie, Joe Cormier, and J.P. Cormier; the founder of the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes Frank Ferrel and treasured French-Canadian fiddler Lisa Ornstein.

He is an Officer and Director of the Suzuki Association of Washington State; co-founder of tthe Whidbey Island Youth and Community Orchestras; and is the Steward of the Northwest Regional Scottish Fiddle Championships. He is also a past member of the Skagit Symphony.

Ward maintains studios in Oak Harbor, Anacortes, and Burlington. His music lessons are designed to satisfy the needs of students at all levels and ages. His warm and enthusiastic teaching style emphasizes the fundamentals of violin playing through ear training, tone development, music reading, and music theory.