I had a wonderful time performing the Brahms Piano Quintet at the Fairfax Old Town Hall with some friends back in February!
Spreading Musical Cheer
I was delighted to bring some of my high-school age student violinists, violists and pianists to the local senior home to deliver some holiday tunes to the residents! Students performed duos and trios together. It was so fun to see and hear the residents singing and nodding along to the music.
District Orchestra bound!
Very proud of these wonderful students for being accepted into their respective Senior and Junior District Orchestras! Special commendation goes to Zoë B. for getting 1st chair viola in her orchestra!
Brahms in Concert!
I had the pleasure of performing one of my fave pieces from one of my fave composers recently - the Brahms Piano Quintet. It was a blast!
Farewell and Godspeed!
I am sending my well-wishes to four students who will be starting their college journey this month! I will cherish many wonderful musical moments and great conversations from their lessons and am so excited to hear about this next chapter of their lives.
This summer I also had the pleasure of working with a few former students who were home for summer break from college, and looking to take advantage of the extra free time to brush up on their playing. It’s so much fun to see all these young people grow and progress!
Senior Tributes
I had THREE graduating seniors in my studio this year, all of whom I’d worked with for quite a long time. I’ve seen them go from great kids to fabulous young adults and am excited to hear about their adventures in college! I will miss seeing these folks so much, but am delighted to know them.
Wedding season
A few weeks ago I had a fun “first”: First ever wedding gig with a student! A close family friend of Chloe’s asked her to play violin for their wedding processional, and I accompanied her on piano. After performing for thousands of weddings with my string quartet, it was very special for me to fulfill this exciting role as wedding musician alongside one of my beloved students!
Spring Recitals 2022
The students performed beautifully for our Spring 2022 recitals last weekend. We had a wide variety of repertoire selections, from Mario Kart to Taylor Swift to Led Zeppelin to Lili Boulanger. I love when students get creative and involved with their solos and develop a personal investment in their performance. Several students even created their own arrangements of medleys to perform. I couldn’t be prouder! We said a sad goodbye to 3 graduating seniors who have been with me for many, many years and whom I will miss dearly. Stay tuned for my special senior tribute in a future blog post!
Pyramid Concert!
The West Potomac High School Pyramid presented their Pops Concert last night, and I loved having the chance to see SEVEN of my elementary, middle and high school private students perform! Highlights of the show were Songs from “Encanto” and a Grease medley (one of my personal high school summertime favorites).
Jack B.
My final student to be featured today is Jack. He selected this lovely and lyrical piece entitled “Reflections” as one of his solos for the upcoming recital, and I suggested we record it at a recent lesson. I can always hear a beautiful expressive quality in his tone, and am particularly proud of the gorgeous vibrato he’s honed over the past years. Hope you enjoy the color-coordinated sweatshirt-and-wall combo here.
All-Virginia Orchestra Concert
So many things to be proud of in the studio this spring! I traveled down to Christopher Newport University last month to see senior Jaelyn perform in the All-Virginia Orchestra. Though she was accepted to All-State in the two previous years, this was the FIRST time she was able to attend the live event due to the pandemic. She made me proud sitting 5th chair in the first violin section. The students worked hard over the 2-and-a- half- day event, and sounded fabulous.
Minecraft Medley
Student Chloe had the unique idea to perform a medley of Minecraft tunes for the upcoming recital. She chose a variety of songs from the game, composed an original violin part using online music notation software, and even created a piano accompaniment for me to play! Anyone who has arranged music before knows that this is an hours-long process. I am continually amazed by my students’ creativity and enthusiasm. Looking forward to unveiling this number on June 4!
Pop violin cover
Student Nikhil is amazing at making great violin arrangements of pop songs. He covered this Britney Spears classic, Toxic, for a recent school talent show, and I think he captures the mood of this song perfectly. Enjoy!
Super-speedster
One of my graduating seniors this year, Brandon, has been honing his running skills for nearly his whole life. I remember us talking about running the local Turkey Trot when he was only in 5th grade or so. I finally got the chance to see him race a few weeks ago at a local high school track meet. He busted out a 4:38 mile! Aside from being a delightful, kind, and positive person who has always had the most enthusiastic attitude in his violin lessons, Brandon’s also the fastest runner I know. His hard work is an inspiration.
Viola duets!
Student Kate and I were playing some duets at the end of her book a couple weeks ago and they sounded so great that I decided to hit record. She’s been taking lessons for about nine months and is doing beautifully! One of my very favorite things about being a musician is experiencing the joy of chamber music (i.e., small ensembles). Duets like these give even young students the chance to take part in the absolute joy of playing with others.
Today is a cold and rainy day in this area, but the spring weather will be here to stay soon. Until then, I give you the appropriately titled, “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
ASTA Con!
I had a wonderful and inspiring experience at the American String Teachers Association National Conference a couple of weeks ago! I attended some fascinating educational sessions and heard awesome performances by fiddler Jeremy Kittel (Kittel & Co.) and the Air Force Strings. It’s always invigorating to trade ideas with string teachers from around the country. One of the foci of this Conference was music from under-represented composers, and I was delighted to hear great new and old music that is being more widely publicized!
Book rec: The Violin Conspiracy
Just finished this great book, which I think all musicians, actually, everyone, will love! The great detail it provides into the string world is so accurate and interesting. The insight it provides into a Black man’s experience in the world of classical music is must-read material. The author, Brendan Slocumb, is a local musician! Go read it, now!
Proud teacher moment!
Tango Time: Sounds from our lessons
One of my lovely students was recently learning “El Choclo” as a light and fun post-recital piece. I hit record during a run-through of it with the piano accompaniment. Enjoy!
Winter Recitals XII
All the ERVS students performed splendidly at the 12th Annual Winter Recitals on February 26th! I was fortunate to have some parents join us as piano accompanists for their kids’ solos. Selections ranged from Taylor Swift to Lalo, and we opened the first recital with the Star-Spangled Banner. We were graciously hosted at the Commonwealth Baptist Church in Del Ray, a beautiful airy space. Looking forward to the Spring Recitals on June 4.