Prior to joining the faculty at Western Springs School of Talent Education and the Naperville Suzuki School, Sally Gross was a cello teacher with the Suzuki String School of Guelph, Ontario since 1981 and became the Artistic Coordinator in 1989. In her 43 years of teaching, she has seen many young cellists grow up into extraordinary adults. Watching and learning from their development, both musically and emotionally has given her powerful insights into teaching.

Sally grew up in the Chicago area, graduating from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Music in Performance degree, where her teacher was Marc Johnson. She received her Masters of Music in Performance with an emphasis in Suzuki Pedagogy from Ithaca College where she did her cello Suzuki teacher training with Carey Beth Hockett.

Ms. Gross has been a Registered Teacher Trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas since 1990 and has taught numerous short term Institute courses as well as many years of apprenticeship courses in southern Ontario and the Chicago area. Sally is pleased that she has been able to support and guide so many new Suzuki cello teachers. She is an active clinician throughout Canada and the United States, especially Ontario and Illinois. She was a founding director of the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute as well as the Guelph Youth Music Centre.

In September 2004 Sally joined the faculty at the Western Springs School of Talent Education and the Naperville Suzuki School bringing her expertise in cello teaching and teacher training to the Chicagoland Suzuki community. In 2008 Sally was the Coordinator for the Suzuki Association of the Americas National Conference and served on many subsequent SAA committees.

In 2010 Ms. Gross was awarded the Suzuki Association of the Americas Certificate of Achievement, an award given to teachers that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to excellence in their teaching. She was the 2022 recipient of the Illinois ASTA Outstanding Studio Teacher award.