Episode #18 - Venona ”Nonie” Detrick; violinist & music educator

Life Between The Notes

Born on the east coast and raised in the Midwest, Venona “Nonie” Detrick has been living a life filled with curiosity, love and of course…music. As a young child, she was hooked on her parents Reader’s Digest LP subscription while doing the chores she detested, but it was seeing a violinist on TV’s “Miss Frances’ Ding Dong School” that reeled her in. Ten years later, after her parents lobbied the school board to start a strings program, she was finally fulfilling her dream.

In this episode, Nonie relays her life with the violin, marrying her pastor husband Joe (yet also confiding that the “devil made them do it” 👀) and raising 3 boys in the Dallastown Area School District in York, PA where she also worked as a string teacher for 17 years. It was here that she met her treasured colleagues David Diehl, Anne Moul and Colette Wichert who she describes as “excellent teachers”.

Nonie is the founder of the York Area Suzuki Superbowz and the No Strings Attached string quartet. She has been a member of the York Symphony Orchestra for 34 years and has played in over 15 orchestras in her lifetime in the Midwest and Pennsylvania.

As you listen, you will come to understand how passionate Nonie is about not only her family, but inspiring younger generations by instilling in them a love of music just as she did with her own children.

We began this episode with a posed question which was in reaction to the Super Bowl LVII game with the Chiefs vs. Eagles that was played just the night before. The coincidence that Nonie is the founder of a group named Superbowz wasn’t lost on us!

This insightful conversation was just lovely and we are so happy to share Nonie’s life…between the notes.