Mission Statement
We at Tiny House of Strings seek to fill a need for access to strings education and instruments for our rural community, by offering lessons, maintenance and minor repairs and referrals when necessary. The goal is to build a thriving strings education resource in our community for interested participants of all ages and levels.
The Tiny House of Strings Story
In the summer of 2021, cellist and Oregon native Aniela Perry found herself wanting to relocate back to the Pacific Northwest. When an old friend said, “I have an old cottage on Whidbey Island you can rent for however long you need”, not being very familiar with the island, she tentatively accepted and made the move up. Choosing to drive the long way down, so as to get a look at what the island had to offer, she took one glance at Deception Pass, the majestic open fields around Coupeville, snow-capped mountain and sea views and instantly knew this was where she wanted to be.
Ms. Perry wasted little time and went right to work on fixing up the 110+ year old building and connecting with the community, seeing the potential for a music school and shop she called Tiny House of Strings. She met and formed a chamber ensemble, Trio Rasa, with pianist Sheila Weidendorf and violinist Linda Vogt. Shortly after, she joined the Saratoga Orchestra and a few months after that became the bass player for local band, Buried Blonde. She also happily accepted the newly vacant position of Strings Teacher at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School. During this time, she also was able to explore her passion for musical instruments and woodworking with serious studies in bow and instrument repair and maintenance. She has discovered a great love for this work and makes room for it in her schedule daily, including weekly trips into Seattle to expand her knowledge and experience under the guidance of luthier Duane Lasley.
The Tiny House building was estimated to have been built around 1900, during the original settlement of Freeland. It has lived many lifetimes in the past 100+ years and has functioned as a private home, daycare, massage parlor, jewelry store, office and probably many other commercial operations. In her design and restoration of the building for Tiny House of Strings, Aniela adhered to a style that embraces natural woods, earthtones, handcrafted antiques and heirlooms to create a cozy feeling of home in rural Pacific Northwest.