Teacher Profile: Sydney Cooney

About Sydney Cooney

Sydney is a performing violinist and teacher in the Golden and Denver area. Sydney began playing the violin at the age of ten, and it quickly became the focus of her life. Originally from Phoenix, she joined the North Valley Symphony Orchestra's youth and adult programs, while also participating in state competitions. In 2015, Sydney competed in the Summerford Violin Competition and won, earning a locally hand-crafted violin and the opportunity to perform in front of a full auditorium. Since her high school years, Sydney has continued honing her violin playing by continuing violin lessons with professors at the College of Music at University of Colorado Boulder. Throughout college she took music classes such as Music Theory, Aural Skills, Appreciation of Music, and performed with the Campus Orchestra. She also began teaching violin lessons and performing at weddings. She graduated with a BA in Psychology in 2020. After working in the Psychology field since graduating, Sydney has decided to go back to her passion and focus on performing and providing private lessons.

Sydney's other passions include developmental psychology, hiking, and traveling. In her free time, Sydney enjoys walking her poodle, making sushi, tending to her many houseplants, and, of course, playing her violin. She frequents Colorado Symphony performances and loves to attend performances and get signatures from her favorite performers: Joshua Bell, Midori Goto, Sarah Chang, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zukerman.

Sydney loves teaching students of any age to learn the violin or advance their playing. Sydney teaches using the Suzuki method, while also prioritizing the physical set-up and comfortability of holding a violin. Sydney has experience working with students with injuries and pain due to playing, and prioritizes physical health over talent. Sydney has spent time working with physical therapists and teachers of the Alexander Technique to better understand how to play the instrument without causing long-term damage. She aims to teach the love for music and the appreciation for the violin, and takes a positive approach to learning the violin. She believes that music is a universal language and aims to spread love for it.