In the Bleak Midwinter

February in DC: It is a bleak time of year. As I write this, the weather outside 20 degrees and cloudy. In the spirit of one of my favorite winter songs (okay, "In the Bleak Midwinter" is actually a Christmas Carol), I'd like to offer some suggestions for concerts which might lift your spirit. You can listen to this lovely rendition of "In the Bleak Midwinter"  (by Gustav Holst) as you read! Attending concerts is a great way to stay inspired while you are taking violin or viola lessons. I recommend checking out different genres of music. These days, you'll see the violin performed in so many styles: classical, folk, Irish, rock, bluegrass, jazz. It's such a versatile instrument, and who knows, you may find yourself inspired to learn a new style! My top five picks of DC and Northern Virginia concerts coming up this month:

1) Claremont Trio at the Library of Congress (FREE)

2) Beijing Chamber Players at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage (FREE)

3) Alexandria Symphony at the George Washington Masonic Memorial ($5 - $60)

4) Fairfax Symphony Orchestra at GMU's Center for the Arts ($25-50)

5) A Tour of Norwegian and Swedish Fiddle Styles at the Library of Congress (FREE)

Winter Recital 2014

Mission accomplished! I'm proud of all of my students who performed in my recent Winter Recital. This time I invited a few of my musical parents to perform alongside their sons and daughters. It was a fun, interesting, and unique experience for the audience and the performers! The final performance of the afternoon was the first movement of the Bach Double Violin Concerto. It was performed in a string quartet format: my students Duke and Nozomi played the violin parts while I accompanied on viola, and Ralph Brooker played the cello part.

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The Recital's A-Comin!

Many of my young students are prepping for the upcoming Winter Recital. It's a very exciting (and sometimes nerve-wracking!) time, but the end result is always hugely satisfying. Tonight I held a rehearsal with two of my students who will be performing the Bach Double Violin Concerto. I'll accompany on viola and another student's dad will play the cello part. The recital will be on Sunday, December 14 at 1:30 pm at Convergence. All are welcome!

Bach Double Rehearsal

Magnificent Intentions Music Festival

This weekend, one of my favorite Arlington, VA haunts, IOTA Club & Cafe, will host the Magnificent Intentions Music Festival. This 3-day festival features more than 20 DC-based bands, including Vandaveer, Justin Jones, The Cowards Choir, Derek Every & his Band of Misanthropes, and...well, I'll just let you read the rest on the poster below. Advance tickets are available for purchase online via the festival website. You'll save yourself a few bucks if you purchase them there. I guarantee you'll hear some excellent music and discover some artists you may not have heard of before. Check it out!

Hello, Mando

I've recently been working up my chops on the mandolin. Since the mandolin shares the same string intervals as the violin (G, D, A, E) the transition from violin isn't totally outrageous. However, there are some obvious differences: picking vs. bowing, frets, double strings, etc. I always love trying out different instruments because I find it helps me in my teaching studio. I get to experience exactly what my students experience in terms of trying to train your mind and body to do something totally new. I have to remind myself of the same things I tell many students: "Practice more slowly!" "Start simple!"  Chris Thile's mandolin video Essential Techniques for Mandolin has been a big help. It's also such a joy to see my technique improving day by day, even in very small ways.  Learning the mando is turning out to be a very rewarding challenge. The most difficult part for me? My left hand fingertips are sore! Turns out violin finger callouses aren't nearly tough enough to withstand mandolin strings. :)Mandolin

The Beanstalk Library welcomes Spring 2014...

...with a little outdoor music festival in the District on what's setting up to be a perfect Saturday. We'll be at the Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival on April 26, 2014. Ryan, Brian and I will perform on the Gypsy Sally's Stage at 2pm.  Be there!  

...And, post-Festival, here's a picture of us playing! It was an amazing day and the event reached capacity within the first 3 hours! Can't wait to play for it next year!

The Beanstalk Library

 

Learning Together

Last weekend I held a group studio class for some of my students. It was a nice opportunity for some of my younger, less-experienced students to play along some of my more experienced pupils. We worked on a couple of pieces together (in parts) and then practiced performing solos for each other.  Every little performance helps calm nerves and ease stage fright for the next time, so I know all attendees will feel a little more confident at my next student recital.

Group Lesson 3.22.14

Winter Recital 2013

On December 14, I hosted my 3rd Annual Winter Recital for twenty-five of my private students at the Sanctuary at Convergence. Everyone did a beautiful job performing a mix of holiday and classical solos. I love recitals so much because they provide an opportunity for students to set performance goals and feel a real sense of accomplishment at the end of it all. And Convergence provides a beautiful space not only for the students to perform, but also for everyone to convene in the Gallery for refreshments after it's all over! IMG_0717 IMG_0723 IMG_0728

Playing for Spielberg!

Every year for the past 5 years or so, my string quartet, the Cherry Blossom String Quartet, has been invited to perform at the Annual Gala for the National Archives. This year, they presented their 2013 Records of Achievement Award to the one and only Mr. Steven Spielberg. The quartet was delighted to be a part of the big event! The Archives requested that we feature music from some of Spielberg's most famous movies. So we set about learning and rehearsing the themes from Jaws, Jurassic Park, E.T., Schindler's List, and Poltergeist, to name a few. Our performance was even featured on WTOP radio the following morning. Take a listen! Aside from Mr. Spielberg, some other well-known folks were also in attendance at the event, including Ken Burns, Nancy Pelosi, and Cokie Roberts. It was a wonderful and exciting opportunity that I definitely will not forget!

Rehearsing!

Performing during the cocktail hour

Back to School!

I absolutely love this time of year. My continuing students are rejuvenated and excited about starting a new grade in school. Many of them are outgrowing their original violins and violas and trading them in for larger and better-sounding instruments. Some students who have been studying with me for several years enjoy looking back on all of the progress they have made. And of course, brand-new students sign on for lessons. I always love getting to know new students: learning their stories and background, understanding their learning styles, and helping them discover why playing music is so much fun.

This is also the time of year when I get to start planning for recitals and group lessons. Stay tuned for dates on both of those events. Happy September!

Rolland Workshop

Last week I attended a one-day session of a Paul Rolland String Pedagogy Workshop.  Paul Rolland was violist and violin teacher who emphasized the importance of freedom of movement in string playing.  He created a series of films that demonstrate various techniques in string playing. The films are particularly helpful for string teachers because Rolland used actual developing violin students to show teaching strategies. The workshop I attended was a one-week program at George Mason University. Since I hadn't heard about or attended the program before, I elected to go to the program's "sampler" day. The sessions included helpful information on teaching students about bow control and bowing techniques. It was wonderful to get a little teaching refresher and trade ideas with other string teachers.  Below is a picture of violin teacher Lucy Manning demonstrating how to teach bow bouncing (spiccato) to even very young students - our guinea pigs for the afternoon!

Paul Rolland Workshop

Spring Recital, 2013!

I presented my annual Spring Recital on June 1 at the Sanctuary at Convergence. Twenty-seven of my students performed solos while I accompanied them on piano. All of the students did a really lovely job. It takes a lot of courage to stand up in front of a crowd and perform, and I was very proud of them! The Sanctuary at Convergence

Enjoying some post-performance refreshments.

With one of my littlest students, post-recital!