Aura Strohschein

By BRETT BOGGS
TVSC Superintendent

AKRON — After receiving an honors diploma in 1997 from Tippecanoe Valley High School, where she was salutatorian, Aura Strohschein continued collecting diplomas: a Bachelor of Arts with departmental honors in French and music from Ball State University and Master of Music Performance, Suma cum laude, from the University of Toledo. She currently is working on a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance and pedagogy at the University of Iowa.

She participated in the International Student Exchange Program at Université de Charles de Gaulle in Lille, France, and received the Médaille de vermeil in piano and Deuxième prix in chamber music from the Conservatoire National de Région de Lille.

She has made presentations and done research in various fields of music throughout the United States and appeared in special programs in England, France, Mallorca, Germany, Austria and a number of American cities.

She began teaching piano and flute in a studio in her Akron home and has since taught in Iowa, Ohio, Louisiana and Indiana and worked as a teaching assistant at Lycée Fénélon in Lille, France.

Despite her collection of diplomas and degrees, she says she is especially famous for making lemon crème pie out of life’s lemons. “Well, possibly as a pianist, linguist, teacher, traveler and for making people smile,” she added. “I’ve had to learn not to allow the past or others’ opinions determine my destiny. That has meant overcoming doubt and fear, learning to be who I am and not who others want me to be.”