Ashwood Waldorf School Welcomes New Strings Teacher, Sophie Davis
Please join our entire faculty in welcoming Sophie Davis to Ashwood’s faculty. Ms. Davis will be teaching strings classes to our fourth through seventh grade students as well as offering private lessons to individual students after school. During her interview and practice teaching, Ms. Davis impressed our faculty and students alike. She is a talented and enthusiastic musician who cares deeply about inspiring students to love music. She sees music as more than just the art itself, but also as a way to cultivate communication skills and bring people together. She expressed interest in integrative projects across subjects, an idea that is deeply rooted in Waldorf pedagogy.
We cannot give enough thanks to Hannah Miller. As we conducted a summer-long search for just the right teacher, Ms. Miller’s commitment to Ashwood’s students, its strings program, and to the school have been most evident. We are so grateful to Hannah for starting the year, for providing guidance to our new teacher, and for her willingness to substitute at Ashwood as needed. A special thanks is also due to Monica Kelly , Director of Education, Bay Chamber, and to Maho Hisakawa, parent and first grade aide, both of whom reached out to Ms. Davis on Ashwood’s behalf.
Ms. Davis will begin teaching in early to mid-October (details are still being worked out). Until then, Ms. Miller will continue teaching our strings classes. Read on to find out more of Ms. Davis’ life in music in her own words.
Jody Spanglet, School Director
A Note from Sophie Davis
I am a musician from Maine and am honored and excited to join Ashwood’s creative and welcoming community. I grew up in Waldoboro, playing music with friends and mentors and forming musical friendships that have lasted for many years. I am dedicated to teaching music in a way that nurtures a holistic love of music and the arts and am honored to be able to share my love of music with the students at Ashwood.
I received degrees in Violin Performance and Environmental Studies from Oberlin College and Conservatory, where I studied with David Bowlin. I am a passionate chamber musician and have participated in the Perlman Chamber Music Workshop, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Program, as a soloist with Oberlin’s Contemporary Music Ensemble, and with my sister on NPR’s “From the Top”. I have performed at the Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Symphony Hall, the Monte Music Festival in India, and with the Jordan National Orchestra (JOrchestra) in Amman, Jordan. In 2017, I was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Research Grant to spend nine months in the South Pacific island nation of Samoa where I explored the ways in which the arts can raise awareness of climate change. In addition to pursuing research, I taught and performed with the National Orchestra of Samoa, a government initiative established in 2013. I currently divide my time between musical performance and pedagogy, working as a crew member on tall ships, and working for the Pemaquid Oyster Company. In all of my work, I have found myself at the intersection between the musical and environmental communities: two groups that rarely collaborate. It is my goal to bridge this gap by using music and the arts to promote environmental stewardship.
Sophie Davis, Ashwood Strings Teacher
