Valerie Golovko was born in Moscow, Russia in 1984, and moved to Brest, Belarus in 1990. She attended Brest Music School from 1992 to 1999 and graduated at the top of her class. She went on to study at Brest State Music College from 1999 to 2004 and received a Bachelor's Degree in Violin Performance with Minor in Piano. At Brest State Music College she studied with Viktor Supronenko, the best music professor in the region, with 50 years teaching experience. She also took Master Classes from famous Belarussian composer Igor Olovnikov and Savelij Shalman, a well-known violin professor from St. Petersburg.
In 2000, Valerie joined the orchestra of the well-known Polish ensemble "Karolinka" as Principal Violin. Upon graduating from Brest State Music College in 2004, she became the Director of the orchestra and also continued as Principal Violin. With Karolinka, she participated in international festivals and competitions, and together with the ensemble won competitions in Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Belarus, and Russia. Valerie played with Karolinka until 2007, gaining 7 years experience as Principal Violin and 3 years as Director of the orchestra.
In addition to playing in Karolinka, from 2002 to 2004 she taught at a youth music program through Brest State Music College. Also, from 2003 to 2005 she worked as an accompanist in the dancing ensemble "Krinichka", and traveled with Krinichka to an international festival in Germany. Further, from 2000 to 2004, she played in the Brest Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, as well as in numerous other quartets and chamber ensembles. She also played many solo performances. In particular, she played at the Polish and Lithuanian embassies and for visiting international diplomats.
From 2004 to 2007, Valerie studied Accounting Systems Analysis and Auditing at Brest State Technical University. While there, she presented two papers at scientific conferences and published the same papers in scientific journals. Valerie has the rare gift of having both artistic and analytical talent and uses both to more effectively teach her students. She left Brest State Technical University to move to the United States.
After moving to the United States, Valerie began working as teacher's assistant to Igor Veligan, a professor at University of Pacific Conservatory, at his private music school in Sacramento. Later, after becoming known as a highly skilled violin and piano teacher in the Sacramento region, she began to take on her own students and quickly became one of the most popular violin and piano teachers in the area. She often had more than 50 concurrent students, including a pre-school music group. Together with her previous experience teaching children's music in Belarus, Valerie has 10 years music teaching experience. In 2009, one of her students won 1st place in the Young Talents Music Competition in Sacramento, and many other students have participated in competitions and community concerts.
Valerie has worked with several Sacramento-area orchestras, including American River College, William Jessup University, and Capital Christian Center. From 2009 to 2011, Valerie was Assistant Concertmaster of the American River College Orchestra, and from 2011 to 2012 she was Concertmaster and soloist. In 2011 she won a Concerto-Aria competition to play solo with the orchestra. In 2012, she performed Vitali's Chaccone with the orchestra.
Valerie is a patient and detail-oriented teacher. She believes it is important for students to learn correct posture, hand position, and playing technique early in their studies so that they will establish a good foundation from the beginning. She teaches using a combination of Suzuki methods and the best traditions of the Russian violin and piano schools. Valerie also creates a unique learning experience for each student based on their individual goals and needs.