Maria Skidmore is a multi-instrumentalist based near East Lansing, Michigan. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the Michigan State University College of Music in Spring 2025, where she studied under Professor Yvonne Lam and performed with the Symphony Orchestra conducted by Octavio Mas-Arocas. Upon graduation, she received the Outstanding Senior Award, recognizing exceptional personal and academic achievement through leadership and community involvement. In Fall 2026, she will return to MSU to pursue a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance while serving as Graduate Assistant to Professor Lam.
Maria’s musical roots took hold in 2006 when she was adopted from Jinja, Uganda. At age four, she began violin lessons through MSU’s Community Music School alongside her five siblings and started piano lessons at age seven. During the summers, her family attended the Blue Lake Suzuki Family Camp, where she performed in the Honors Recital at Stewart Shell at age ten, further inspiring her passion for music.
As an educator, Maria has co-taught violin pedagogy to third- and fourth-grade students in the Lansing School District this past year, and instructed Suzuki Beginner Violin Group Classes through the Community Music School this Spring semester. She is passionate about creating engaging learning environments that foster creativity, confidence, and meaningful musical growth.
In addition to teaching, Maria serves as music director and performing artist for DeWitt-based rising artist Kanin Wren, performing on violin, piano, guitar, and background vocals while touring across Michigan and the East Coast. Maria believes that music education is an opportunity to build relationships, encourage artistic expression, and inspire lifelong learning. She strives to cultivate an environment that nurtures creativity and self-expression, facilitates growth, by empowering students to carry those values beyond the music classroom.
