Photo courtesy of Karina Whitmarsh

     Stephanie Hellekson is the instructor for the junior orchestra and is the newest member of the Peninsula Youth Orchestra teaching staff. She comes to the PYO from the Bethel School District, where she serves as the orchestra specialist for grades 4-12.

     Stephanie holds a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in teaching, both from the nearby University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. Her primary instrument is the violin, which she's been playing since she was 8 years old, although she claims to be able to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on all the string instruments. Besides playing in a string quartet, she also subs with both the Tacoma Symphony and the Olympia Symphony orchestras and teaches private violin lessons.

     "PYO welcomed me into their family right away, and that is what has stuck with me the most," Stephanie says. "The staff, the students and the other directors are all so wonderful and encouraging. Sometimes classical music can feel stuffy and old, but not at PYO, and that is an attribute I cherish about PYO."

     Kids gain a lot of things from being involved in an orchestra, according to Stephanie, including discipline, an opportunity for social networking, positive role models, higher-level thinking skills and the ability to work as a team. But she gains from her job teaching them as well.

     "Kids, especially youth symphony students, are so great to work with because of the energy that they bring to everything they do," Stephanie says. "I find that they encourage new ideas and new ways of thinking about music. They inspire me to be a better teacher and musician."

     Stephanie lives in Tacoma with her husband and her Labradoodle Miles.