Mira Yamamoto, 21, who learned to love music as an Island Strings student, graduated May 24 from the Juilliard School in New York City.

She’s planning to go to the Royal Academy of Music in London with a goal of playing the violin professionally, said her mother, Barbara Phillips.

Yamamoto received a foundation in music from Island Strings, a network of Suzuki Method strings teachers in Langley who offer instruction in violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, piano, recorder, banjo, dulcimer and harp.

The group was founded in 1974 by Linda Good, Paula Pugh and Linda Morris.

Phillips credits its program for teaching her daughter the tools of passion and precision.

“Another important teacher was Noah Geller,” Phillips said. “Mira met him at Philadelphia International Music Festival when she was 14. At the time, he was a recent Juilliard grad and in the first violin section of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

“He subsequently was concertmaster of the Kansas Symphony and now he’s concertmaster of Seattle Symphony. The crucial role he played then was recognizing her potential and really selling her on the idea that she had the right stuff to be a pro.”

Yamamoto grew up in Clinton, attending the Island Strings program from ages 3 to 10.

In 2015, she graduated from Keystone High School in Pennsylvania after completing its distance-learning curriculum designed for students training in sports or following non-traditional paths.