Lauretta Werner Merriman
Assistant Professor in Music

Dr. Lauretta Werner currently teaches as the Assistant Professor of Music, Violin at Longwood University, and serves as the String Program Director at the Longwood Center for Community Music. Dr. Werner taught as Lecturer of Violin at West Virginia University, as a Suzuki violin instructor at both the Pittsburgh Music Academy and the Hope Academy of Music and the Arts in Pittsburgh, as a violin faculty member at Camp Encore/Coda, and as a teaching fellow at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.

As an active performer, she performs solo recitals at Longwood University, in regional concert series, and at national conferences. As a chamber musician, Dr. Werner plays with a variety of ensembles, such as string quartets, chamber orchestras, and Baroque ensembles. In summer 2019, she performed and taught as a quartet teaching fellow with the Montani String Quartet at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.

As an educator and conductor, Dr. Werner frequently judges and adjudicates music competitions and orchestra assessments in the south central Virginia region. She also frequently serves as a guest clinician at many high school orchestra programs, and recently conducted the All-County Orchestra in Henrico, VA.

As a researcher, she researches and explores the topic of mindfulness for musicians by reinterpreting mindfulness-based therapies and sport psychology models for musicians. In May 2019, she completed her dissertation, “Mindfulness for Musicians: Bringing sport psychology and mindfulness-based therapies to the practice room and the concert stage.” Dr. Werner has presented her research at the International Research Symposium on Talent Education, the American String Teachers Association National Conference, the American Viola Society Festival, the HERO Conference, and at various universities and institutions.

Dr. Werner began her studies in Suzuki violin at age seven in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from Ohio University, a master’s degree in Suzuki violin pedagogy from Ithaca College, and a doctoral degree in violin performance from West Virginia University. She studied with Solomiya Ivakhiv, Stephen Miahky, Mikylah Myers, Carrie Reuning-Hummel, and Susan Waterbury.