Ryan teaches from two convictions: that every child can achieve remarkable things with the right collaboration between teacher, student, and parent, and that music is ultimately a means to develop the whole child. These beliefs—rooted in the Suzuki philosophy he has practiced and refined for nearly two decades—guides every choice from a three-year-old's first pizzicato to a teenager performing Mendelssohn at a college audition.

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Ryan has served on the faculty of the Western Springs School of Talent Education and Naperville Suzuki School since 2012, where he maintains a studio of 40 students ages 3–18, leads the school Viola Choir, and co-directs an annual Summer Chamber Music Camp. He has also served on the faculty of the Atlanta Suzuki Institute since 2020, and joins the faculty of the Chicago Suzuki Institute beginning in the summer of 2026. Ryan is a frequent guest clinician, sectional coach, and adjudicator throughout Chicagoland and across the US, and maintains a private studio in Oak Park, IL.

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Ryan completed his Long Term Training in Suzuki Pedagogy with Teri Einfeldt at The Hartt School, and has pursued additional study with Edward Kreitman, Elizabeth Faidley, Nancy Jackson, and Doris Preucil. In 2013, he presented at the American String Teachers' Association National Conference. In 2017, he received the Suzuki Association of America's Certificate of Achievement, recognizing teachers with a commitment to lifelong learning and self-improvement.

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Ryan holds a Master of Music in violin performance from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, where he studied with Katie Lansdale and Elizabeth Faidley, and a Bachelor of Music from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he studied with Glenn Basham and Scott Flavin. He has participated in summer chamber music festivals across the country, working with members of the Emerson Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Borodin Quartet. Before moving to Chicago, Ryan taught for the Elizabeth Faidley Studio.