Emily Zwijack

     Emily Zwijack is a violinist, violist, cellist, music educator, figure skater and skating coach in the Chicago area. She studied Instrumental Music Education and Violin Performance (B.M.) at the Chicago College of Performing Arts while studying with renowned violinists Almita Vamos and MingHuan Xu Choi. She is certified in the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and she holds a state-issued K-12 Music Education Teaching License.

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     Emily grew up in Chicago and studied privately with Matthew Mantell and Carl Johnston. Emily was a member of the Protege Philharmonic, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the CYSO chamber music program. She served as concertmaster of the Argo Community High School Honors Chamber orchestra for 3 years. Emily was the president of her high school orchestra council and managed an online platform representing the schools’ music page. She also currently manages her own Instagram page where she posts engaging content, practice videos, performances, and teaching clips to show the joy and journey of learning a musical instrument. She has a significant following of over 30,000. On her Instagram platform, she goes by thatcrazyviolingirl.

 

     In her early music career, Emily was selected for the prestigious Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) District festival all 4 years of high school. She also had the privilege of attending the All-State conference festival in 2019 and 2020, where she was announced 15th overall in the Illinois Honors State Orchestra 1st violin section. She has been a part of many other musical events such as Birch Creek, Illinois Summer Youth Music (ISYM), Chicago International Music Institute (CIMI), Suburban Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO), and more.

 

     Emily discovered an unconditional love and passion for music theory and analysis in her undergraduate program. She conducted her first research project on Aural Skills pedagogy in 2021, wrote her own music theory curriculum, and co-founded/co-hosted The Theory Club Podcast in April 2021-June 2022 for 4 seasons. The podcast held discussions of music theory and musicology on repertoire, research, featured guests, and more. Emily marketed their Instagram page as well. She later co-hosted Dissonant Dialogues: Challenges in Classical Music where she discussed issues, abuse, and survival tips in the classical music field. 

 

     Emily's heart lays deep in her private lesson instruction. She has been teaching private lessons since 2019. She strives to provide a nurturing multimodal learning environment for her students, guiding them continuously towards reaching high goals. She brings her love of music theory to the private lesson space by connecting theoretical terms early on. She taught private violin, viola, cello, and music theory lessons through the Justice Park District, Above & Beyond Music Store, Incredible Opportunity Program, the Suburban Youth Symphony Orchestras, and Through the Staff. She has a passion for studying learning disabilities and trauma-informed education as well, which she presented at Roosevelt University, the ILMEA Jazz Festival of 2025, and the Illinois Music Education Conferences in 2026.

 

     Emily published her first book, What About Me?, in 2025 and is currently working on her second book, continuing her contributions to the field of music education. When she doesn’t have a violin or baton in her hand, she has figure skates on her feet—coaching group and private lessons and performing in showcases throughout the year. She continues to teach private string lessons, direct K–12 orchestras, and perform throughout the Chicagoland area.​