Patti Tryhus

About Patti

Patti Tryhus has been teaching violin and viola at the Southern Minnesota School of Music since 1979 and served as Director from 1988-2017. After studying violin for four years with Marilyn Bos at MSU, she received training in the Suzuki method at the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point Wisconsin and attended numerous workshops and conferences over the years. She observes that “the best Suzuki teachers follow Dr. Suzuki’s lead in setting a high standard for tone while having fun with the children.

​

Patti has fiddled and sang for many years in a band with her husband Steve and played violin for nearly 25 years in the Mankato Symphony Orchestra. She still performs with Steve for various occasions. They raised two musical sons, Peder and John, and Patti remembers, “In our family it all started with singing and listening to good music. That was the easy part, the mother tongue method. The difficult part was setting aside enough time to be patient and feel creative with our home practice. I know it’s not easy. But watching other parents through the years, I see evidence that with persistence and love, much can be accomplished!”