Timna Mayer is an Austrian-born violinist and educator whose work bridges tradition and innovation in string pedagogy. After completing her studies at Universität Mozarteum and Ithaca College, she spent five years on the faculty at Cornell University, where she taught a full studio of violin and viola students and founded the university’s first unconducted chamber orchestra—an ensemble built on collaborative leadership and shared responsibility.

Her teaching emphasizes structured independence and inclusive learning. She is the creator of Violin Bootcamp, the Double Concertmaster Initiative, and the Living Room Concert Series—projects that promote technical rigor, peer collaboration, and spontaneous music-making.

Mayer’s research spans a network of inclusive learning strategies, including bilateral cognitive processing, ADHD-responsive practice methods, and pedagogical reform in higher music education. Her work, including the project From Performer to Practitioner, reimagines how musicians learn and lead by combining cognitive insight with practical artistry. She now teaches privately in Ithaca, NY.