Kylie Ahern

Kylie Ahern grew up in Stillwater, Oklahoma where she began her Suzuki violin studies at the age of four with Mahlon Halleck. She attended Oklahoma State University where she earned her Bachelor’s of Music degree in Violin Performance and studied violin and viola with Dr. Laura Talbott. Kylie spent two years as concertmaster of the Oklahoma State Symphony Orchestra. She was also an active member in Frontiers New Music Ensemble. Kylie was selected as the Boh Makovsky Freshman of the Year and the Presser Foundation Scholar during her time at OSU. She played in violin masterclasses with Paul Kantor, Dr. Martha Walvoord, and Walter Verdehr.

Kylie moved to Flagstaff in 2014 to pursue a Master’s of Music degree in Suzuki Pedagogy at Northern Arizona University. Kylie studied violin with Dr. Louise Scott and Dr. Karin Hallberg and studied viola with Dr. Jacquelyn Schwandt at NAU. Kylie spent summers at Brevard Music Festival in North Carolina and the Pierre Monteux School in Maine. Through her Master’s program, Kylie earned her Suzuki certification in Violin Books 1-6. Her graduate lecture recital was “The Progression of Bow Technique Within the Suzuki Repertoire: A Perspective” in Spring 2016. She also completed her Unit 1 Music Mind Games training with Kari Lapins.

Kylie currently plays as a section violin in the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. She first joined FSO in Fall 2014. She currently plays viola in the Skylight City String Quartet, a local string quartet that she started with her friend Rachel Paquette in 2017. Kylie played as a section violin in Verde Valley Sinfonietta between 2015-2019 and she was the principal second violin from 2019-2021. She currently plays violin and viola in the Flagstaff Chamber Music Series. She subs as a section violin/viola for Prescott Pops, Arizona Philharmonic, and Sedona Symphony.

Kylie formerly worked at Marshall Magnet Elementary School where she taught K-2 students Suzuki Violin in group class settings. She was the Assistant Suzuki Strings Coordinator at the NAU Community Music and Dance Academy in Flagstaff from 2016-2020, and the Suzuki Strings Coordinator from 2020-2022.

Kylie is currently the Strings Teacher at Northland Preparatory Academy, a public charter school in Flagstaff for grades 6-12. She has taught at NPA since Fall 2019. She is currently the Fine Arts Department Head at NPA and conducts four orchestras - Beginning Strings, Concert Strings, Symphonic Strings, and Chamber Strings. Her Symphonic Strings and Chamber Strings classes have received Superior with Distinction ratings at ABODA Area Festivals. In addition to her orchestra classes, Kylie also teaches a dual-enrollment Music Appreciation course through Coconino Community College.

Kylie is currently the Orchestra Chair for NABCOF (Northern Arizona Band Choir Festival) and has been since the 2023-2024 school year. In 2026, Kylie was selected as a finalist in the category of Excellence in Education - Individual for the 18th Annual Viola Awards, an annual Flagstaff awards event celebrating excellence in arts, science, and culture.

Kylie maintains her own private violin studio in Flagstaff. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, reading, and spending time with her dog Queso.