Hi! My name is Taylor, and I’m a violinist, fiddler, and educator based outside Phoenix, Arizona.
[If you’re looking for a formal, third-person bio, scroll further—it feels weird for me to open with that.]
You might wonder why I mention both violin and fiddle. Aren’t those the same thing? Yup! They're basically the
same instrument, but they have different sounds, techniques, and heritages, and are played in different contexts. For example, when I’m playing classical music in a string quartet or an orchestra, I’m a violinist; when I’m playing
folk tunes with a band, I’m a fiddler. And, frankly, music is music—I actively play music from a wide variety of
styles, so why identify with one label over another?
I grew up participating broadly in many of the performing arts, just another kid having fun, never knowing I would settle professionally in music. Eventually, I realized how much I loved music and received a bachelor's in violin performance at Arizona State University, studying classical violin with Dr. Katie McLin. After college, I was
lucky enough to land my dream job and had a blast touring for four years with Barrage, a world-music fiddle
troupe based out of Canada. When the band went on hiatus in May 2012, I spent a year freelancing in Phoenix before attending Harvard University and obtaining a master's in education.
Now, I'm on a mission to help students and educators alike experience the thrill of ownership, finding their own ways to make music. To this end, I actively seek variety in my work as a musician and educator. As a performer, I collaborate with the inimitable Tricia Park as one half of Tricia & Taylor, explore chamber-folk with The Sound Accord, and pursue various projects and performances with friends; on the education front, I serve as a founding co-director of the Gilbert Town Fiddlers, direct my own summer camp called StringPlay, guest lecture at Arizona State University as part of a long-term exploration of multi-style musical skills with the students of Dr. Katie McLin, and teach a bunch of hilarious students on a weekly basis through school orchestra programs and my private studio.
That being said, I should probably get back to practicing…or lesson planning…or something.
[If you’re looking for a formal, third-person bio, scroll further—it feels weird for me to open with that.]
You might wonder why I mention both violin and fiddle. Aren’t those the same thing? Yup! They're basically the
same instrument, but they have different sounds, techniques, and heritages, and are played in different contexts. For example, when I’m playing classical music in a string quartet or an orchestra, I’m a violinist; when I’m playing
folk tunes with a band, I’m a fiddler. And, frankly, music is music—I actively play music from a wide variety of
styles, so why identify with one label over another?
I grew up participating broadly in many of the performing arts, just another kid having fun, never knowing I would settle professionally in music. Eventually, I realized how much I loved music and received a bachelor's in violin performance at Arizona State University, studying classical violin with Dr. Katie McLin. After college, I was
lucky enough to land my dream job and had a blast touring for four years with Barrage, a world-music fiddle
troupe based out of Canada. When the band went on hiatus in May 2012, I spent a year freelancing in Phoenix before attending Harvard University and obtaining a master's in education.
Now, I'm on a mission to help students and educators alike experience the thrill of ownership, finding their own ways to make music. To this end, I actively seek variety in my work as a musician and educator. As a performer, I collaborate with the inimitable Tricia Park as one half of Tricia & Taylor, explore chamber-folk with The Sound Accord, and pursue various projects and performances with friends; on the education front, I serve as a founding co-director of the Gilbert Town Fiddlers, direct my own summer camp called StringPlay, guest lecture at Arizona State University as part of a long-term exploration of multi-style musical skills with the students of Dr. Katie McLin, and teach a bunch of hilarious students on a weekly basis through school orchestra programs and my private studio.
That being said, I should probably get back to practicing…or lesson planning…or something.
A Formal, Third-Person Bio
Hailed by a class of 2nd graders as “wreely nice and kind” and “the coolest man on erth,” Arizona native Taylor Morris enjoys blurring the line between violin and fiddle. Strongly believing we can learn more about the world through collaboration with others, he actively pursues musical projects in different genres. Currently, he is part of Tricia & Taylor, a genre-bending violin/fiddle duo with concert violinist Tricia Park, and a member of The Sound Accord, a string sextet that creates vibrant arrangements of folk music. After studying classical violin at Arizona State University with Dr. Katie McLin, he spent four years touring with Barrage, a world-music violin troupe based out of Canada. His travels, both with Barrage and personally, have led to performances in 48 states and 13 countries with musicians from a multitude of backgrounds, including Mike Block, Hanneke Cassel, Brittany Haas, Natalie Haas, Jeremy Kittel, Lauren Rioux, and the Tetra String Quartet.
Offstage, Taylor obtained a master's in education from Harvard University and is a passionate advocate for arts education. Since 2000, Taylor's teaching has taken him into classrooms around the country, from kindergartens to colleges, including as a continuing Guest Lecturer at Arizona State University. He frequently works with educators in professional development settings and has presented at the national conferences for the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and at The Midwest Clinic. Cherishing his own childhood experiences at summer music camps, Taylor frequently teaches at camps around the country and directs his own camp for young musicians in the Phoenix area called StringPlay. During the school year, he is a committed private teacher with a dynamic studio of violinists and fiddlers. Additionally, Taylor is a founding co-director of the Gilbert Town Fiddlers (GTF), an extracurricular high school fiddle group that collaborates to create its own arrangements for performances. GTF students even designed and presented their own session on student-led arranging at the 2019 ASTA National Conference! Through his teaching, Taylor is ultimately on a mission to help students and educators alike experience the thrill of taking musical ownership and finding their own meaningful ways to make music.
Offstage, Taylor obtained a master's in education from Harvard University and is a passionate advocate for arts education. Since 2000, Taylor's teaching has taken him into classrooms around the country, from kindergartens to colleges, including as a continuing Guest Lecturer at Arizona State University. He frequently works with educators in professional development settings and has presented at the national conferences for the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and at The Midwest Clinic. Cherishing his own childhood experiences at summer music camps, Taylor frequently teaches at camps around the country and directs his own camp for young musicians in the Phoenix area called StringPlay. During the school year, he is a committed private teacher with a dynamic studio of violinists and fiddlers. Additionally, Taylor is a founding co-director of the Gilbert Town Fiddlers (GTF), an extracurricular high school fiddle group that collaborates to create its own arrangements for performances. GTF students even designed and presented their own session on student-led arranging at the 2019 ASTA National Conference! Through his teaching, Taylor is ultimately on a mission to help students and educators alike experience the thrill of taking musical ownership and finding their own meaningful ways to make music.
Photos by Denise Karis.