Meet Danielle Belen

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Belen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
When I tell people I am a violinist, they often comment about how peaceful and soothing that must be to play music for a living. It’s a really sweet comment, but it always makes me laugh a little, because it is a bit like telling a competitive gymnast that their work must be quite relaxing. Sure, music itself is healing and transformative, even calming for the listener, but playing the violin is extremely physical, requiring the use of nearly every muscle in the body. While our goal is ultimately to play in a relaxed manner, the journey there is everything but! At this point in my life, teaching is at the core of my violin career, working with young artists to maximize the way they interact with the violin so they can become the most expressive and projected versions of themselves. I absolutely love the challenge of this process, helping others realize how much BIGGER we can be, pushing our bodies and minds to the their creative and acoustical limits. If you were to walk by my teaching studio and peek in the window, you will likely hear me singing/belting out “MORE bow” or “MORE sound” while my student is playing, waving my arms around and pointing out the window to the field far across the campus pond to indicate that’s how far their sound needs to actual travel. This is what it means to be a professional violinist vs. an amateur, someone who makes music for their own satisfaction, but not necessarily to work or compete in the job market. Playing for our own joy is an incredible aspect of musicianship, too, but a professional must perform in such a way that paying audiences feel a certain electricity from the sound, and this is no small feat, especially when your instrument has no other amplification than its own wooden acoustical shell.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It brings me joy to speak a bit about my life as a violin professor and specifically my teaching studio, which is filled with 20 eager, talented and creative violinists, and which encompasses the core of my musical life. The skills I aim to offer these young artists are wholly fused with my own identity as a performer and creator, and I am grateful that U of M’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance supports and amplifies this type of fully immersive teaching. I will highlight just a few aspects of my pedagogy – mainly, the importance of building community within my studio and creating inventive new ways to inspire, all while building them into strong, capable violinists.
Students grow faster when they are excited to learn and are presented with opportunities that connect their artistic pursuits with others in their community. We’ve had a Puerto-Rican dancer/singer/percussion ensemble visit our studio class to perform and teach, getting everyone (literally) up on their feet, and invited a musical theatre star to sing selections from West Side Story. These engagements are juxtaposed with unique spins on more traditional classical projects. In the past few years, I’ve organized my students to perform Paganini caprices with the rarely played Schumann piano accompaniments, interpret Bach solo violin partitas along with dancers, and present an entire concert of the cherished canon of encore pieces in our annual Evening of Encores.

With all of this energy around repertoire and musical projects, I do strongly consider myself to be a violin teacher first. Scales, arpeggios, shifting, intonation, double stops, bowing articulation exercises—these serve as the gateway to liberating the music of Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, and Montgomery from the confines of our physicality. Our bodies aren’t inherently designed to play the violin; our muscles must learn to transform themselves into resilient structures while maintaining overall relaxation. All of this exists in order to throw a bow across the strings and coerce notes on a page into a magical and devastatingly beautiful phrase. This is a wild business we are in and is why I never tire of teaching violin for hours and hours on end. Each student brings a new complex code to crack and new puzzles to solve as we navigate this immensely fulfilling journey together.

In recent years, I have become interested and active in creating content for YouTube and other social media outlets to share a unique brand of pedagogy broadly with those who have less access. It also serves to highlight the accomplishments of students in my class at SMTD. You can view our channel Belen Studio Channel on YouTube and @belenviolinstudio on Instagram. I am especially proud of my nerdy vibrato, bow arm and slow practicing videos, which have over 40,000 views combined! It’s thrilling to me that so many people are interested and excited about the art of string pedagogy!

It is clear that media platforms can be used to extend beyond the confines of a singular live performance, and in turn, I find that I am increasingly becoming seen as a respected and recognized personality in these spheres. Similar to the way that a figure like Neil deGrasse Tyson has become a cheerleader for science, a disseminator in a public-facing way through online channels, I aspire to be an advocate for the idea that high-level musicmaking is for everyone. If they have access to the right tools, even digital stepping stones can lead them towards other opportunities for in-person growth. By shaping myself in the mode of a public scholar through media creation, I hope to extend these bridges and build a community for those who don’t already have it. This is my new artistic output, my creative research, and it brings me great fulfillment and joy.

I decided I wanted this life as a career violin teacher when I was 24 years old, around the same time that most of my colleagues were taken orchestral auditions, applying for DMA programs, or pursuing international competitions. Teaching itself became my own teacher, and from my mid-twenties to mid-thirties, I made the biggest strides in my own violin playing. A full-time teaching career revealed tools I never even knew I had at my disposal and I became the most productive, imaginative version of myself as a violinist in the process. Still, I find my calling is to guide others in their journey towards technical mastery, comfort and artistic integrity.

I try to use every possible tool at my disposal to emphasize responsibility, diversity, and commitment in each student’s journey, creating opportunities for students to lead and explore their unique talents. While I prioritize technical precision, I also aim to cultivate a supportive, inclusive environment where all students—regardless of background—can thrive and pursue fulfilling careers in music and beyond.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many great places in Ann Arbor to see – where to begin?

UMMA is an incredible museum – great for a long, immersive visit, or just a quick walkthrough for a little inspiration. Plus, Center Stage Strings performs there in the summer, so I love that additional connection!

Catching a concert at Hill Auditorium, one of the nation’s most beautiful halls that attracts orchestras from all over the world (including the Berlin, London and New York Philharmonic) would be a must! Check out UMS.org

I’d also bring a friend to the School of Music, Theatre & Dance where I teach to hear some of our fabulous students!

For a little longer drive, I’d definitely take a friend to see our own Detroit Symphony, stopping first at the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA) to see Diego Riviera’s jaw-dropping mural “Detroit Industry”.

Favorite fun (and unfussy) restaurants in Ann Arbor:
Spiedo- love this fresh spin on Mediterranean and the chill vibes. (Order everything on the shareables menu!)

Bigalora – a regular go-to spot for us with our pizza-loving five-year old, which also satisfies our adult palette for a great wood-fired pie and cocktails. It’s a well-designed indoor/outdoor space!

Frita Batidos – so fun – a unique spin on burgers and shakes…

Black Pearl – great cocktails and mussels (my favorite in town)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents, Rudy and Deniese Nesmith, have supported me every step of the way in this journey ever since I picked up the violin as a child. From driving me to music lessons and youth orchestra rehearsals to helping me start my summer music program Center Stage Strings in my mid-20’s, they have always been there for me. My dad helped to build our initial website and apply for non-profit status, and my mom handled everything having to do with admitting students in those early years. It was a TON of work, and this was right when they thought they were starting retirement! Center Stage Strings would eventually become part of the University of Michigan’s summer lineup, now fifteen years later, but it was completely a family-run operation at first. Although they aren’t musicians themselves, my parents believed in me and most importantly, they never second-guessed whether I could make a living in the arts, even when they maybe should have!

Website: www.belenviolin.com

Instagram: @belenviolinstudio

Facebook: Center Stage Strings

Youtube: Belen Studio Channel https://www.youtube.com/@belenstudiochannel8278?sub_confirmation=1

Other: www.CenterStageStrings.com Facebook – Center Stage Strings Instagram – @centerstagestrings

Image Credits
Natali Herrera-Pacheco