The teacher behind the teaching.

In this field, the teacher behind the teacher matters, and Leota's own lineage runs deep. She began violin studies at age nine, in 1965, under Patience Thompson Berg and Herman Clyde Berg, Professors of Violin at DePauw University — and by eighth grade was already performing with the DePauw University Symphony, under guest conductors Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, and Lukas Foss.

Leota graduated valedictorian of the Greencastle (Indiana) High School Class of 1974, then went on to Smith College, graduating in 1978 with a B.A. in Music, where she trained under renowned violinist Philipp Otto Naegele — one of the founders of the prestigious Marlboro Music Festival. She played in the Smith College Orchestra and in various chamber groups for special concerts, and later earned a Master's in Music Librarianship from Indiana University, becoming the first person to complete its specialization in that field.

While in Bloomington, Leota played violin and sang in concerts for the Community Chamber Music Association of Bloomington, and served on its board of directors.

Beyond the violin, Leota was selected as a First Soprano in Smith College's elite Chamber Singers, touring Western Europe in 1977 and competing in the International Choral Festival in The Hague — where the choir won First Prize in the female youth division, Second Prize in the adult division, and the Audience Award.

She began teaching violin as a student herself, tutoring for her own teacher's studio in 1973 — a thread of mentorship she has carried forward ever since. In September 1993, she founded her own studio in The Woodlands, where she has taught violin and viola students to reach their own goals and go beyond: chairs in top school and college orchestras, state and regional competition wins, and scholarships to the colleges of their dreams. Her teaching has also reached beyond The Woodlands, coaching students abroad toward success in the internationally recognized ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) examination system.

Leota remains an active performer as well as a teacher. More locally, she has played violin with The Woodlands Symphony Orchestra, and has played violin and viola with the Trinity Lutheran Church Orchestra in Spring, Texas, accompanying Lyle Lovett's Christmas Eve and Easter performances since 1995. She has performed for occasions ranging from the presidential visit to The John Cooper School to countless weddings across the Houston area.

Her approach is simple to describe and hard to execute well: meet the student exactly where they are, and build the plan that will help them realize their dream.