For twenty years, Dr. Aaron Jacobs has taught at universities, academies, music schools, and summer camps throughout Ohio, Maine, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Currently, he serves as Instructional Assistant Professor of violin at Illinois State University and was formerly a faculty member in violin and string pedagogy at Millikin University. For ten years he taught at the University of Illinois where he founded the Illinois String Academy. There, he mentored a studio of 30+ violin/viola students and a staff of 15+ graduate and post-doctoral instructors, and also served as Co-Director of The Paul Rolland String Pedagogy Workshop for professional musicians and teachers, and “Young Strings on the Move” – The Paul Rolland String Camp. In 2014, Aaron created a violin program for Danville School District 118 that he developed for three years, which offered violin instruction to nearly 200 first and second grade students at two elementary schools in Danville, IL. Aaron’s private students consistently win top honors and receive numerous performance awards each year, including solo concerto performances with orchestras as well as admission and scholarship offers to prestigious collegiate music institutions.

As a performer, Aaron is in high demand as a soloist and chamber and orchestra musician. He has performed as concertmaster or section leader for more than a dozen orchestras throughout Illinois. As a chamber and solo recitalist, Aaron has performed throughout the United States and Europe. He has been the recipient of several honors and awards, and an award winner at international competitions.

Aaron holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Artist’s Certificate in Violin Performance from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance and String Pedagogy from Northwestern University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.