Exciting day at ERVS today! After working online with two fabulous students since nearly the start of the pandemic 2020, I got to meet them in person today for a face-to-face lesson. We’re preparing for our in-person Winter Recitals coming up this weekend. What an absolute joy to see their smiling (behind the mask) faces and hear their gorgeous tones! Below, are Toni and I - (I sadly forgot to snap a pic with Nikhil)! Also, here’s a first glimpse of my new studio-pooch, Churchill.
Brava!
I attended a wonderful performance of the American Youth Philharmonic yesterday at the new Capital One Hall. My senior student, Jaelyn, did a fabulous job serving as Associate Concertmaster of this very impressive youth orchestra. They performed Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 and the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with a previous concerto competition winner.
I highly encourage all students to participate in string-related extra-curricular activities such as youth orchestras, chamber music programs, and summer music opportunities. These programs are so incredibly enriching, fun, and a superb way for students to develop their musicianship outside of school and private lessons.
Violin Care & Repair with Dalton Potter
I attended an interesting and informative online workshop with Dalton Potter of Potter Violins this weekend, presented by the Maryland chapter of the American String Teachers Association. I picked up many helpful nuggets of info to share with my students and colleagues. Most importantly for this cold and dry winter season: Make sure they space where your instrument is kept is above 35% humidity to prevent instrument cracks and pegs slippage! (My humidifier is bubbling and vaporizing in the corner as I type this.) I’ve heard mixed opinions about Dampits, which are little spongey devices that are kept in the instruments during winter months, but Mr. Potter encouraged the use of them to help stabilize and maintain humidity for our precious instruments.
Another helpful tidbit - if you play for an average of 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week (which is probably pretty much everyone….), your bow should be rehaired every six months! My own bow is due for a rehair - I can tell by how much extra I need to tighten it every time I play, and because it no longer has the nice friction it used to have upon the string.
District Honors Orchestras
I was so proud of students Sophia and Claire for their acceptance and participation in the District X Honors Orchestras last weekend! Students in the Junior (Middle School) and Senior (High School) District X groups convened for 2 and a half days with their fabulous conductors to rehearse and prepare three pieces. The Junior District Orchestra shared a very moving performance of She Will Hang the Night with Stars, while the Senior District Orchestra wowed the audience with the challenging Egmont Overture by Beethoven. It was wonderful to attend a live student performance after years concert cancellations.
With student Claire (a graduating senior!)
Senior District X Honors Orchestra
Junior District X Honors Orchestra
Winter Recitals XII
Students performed in the 1st of 3 ERVS Winter Recitals this past weekend. This performance was presented over Zoom. This time I offered students the option of pre-recording their solos via video, with a live introduction from each student, or playing live via Zoom (complete with all the suspense, excitement, and jitters that come with live music). We had amazing performances with selections ranging from Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, to Dance of the Reed Flutes, to Vivaldi’s Winter. As always, I was immensely proud of the performers. We’ll look forward to our in-person Winter Recitals on February 26, when omicron will (hopefully!) have subsided!
Keeping up with ERVS Alums
I had a wonderful visit to my alma mater, University of Mary Washington, attending the UMW Philharmonic’s Holiday Concert. I couldn’t be prouder of my former student, Parris, as principal violist! They played selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite as well as movements from Duke Ellington’s jazz interpretation of The Nutcracker, which were amazing.
District Honors Orchestra participants
Congratulations to two of my students, Claire and Sophia, who were accepted into their Senior and Junior District Honors Orchestras! So proud of these gals for their hard work, and looking forward to seeing the performance in January.
Autumn Recitals 2021
Happy to report that the students delivered delightful performances a couple weeks ago at our Autumn Recitals 2021! Some highlights included the first movement of Summer by Vivaldi, a movement of the Bach Cello Suites (on viola), Scott Joplin’s Pineapple Rag, and Sarasate’s Ziguenerweisen. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture all students in my group Zoom photos below, but we will be sure to get them for the Winter Recitals in January! I welcomed a few first-time recitalists as well as some “old-timers” (i.e. 12th graders) for whom this was their 20th recital.
Crunchtime: Autumn Recital Edition
Final preparations are in full swing for my online Autumn Recital on Saturday! Last year, in the thick of the pandemic and quarantine-times, I added a 3rd recital to my usual offering of 2 recitals per year. I enjoyed getting the students prepped for an additional performance to kick off their school year, as it gave everyone some nice momentum. I decided to continue the new Autumn performance tradition this year, and will look forward to in-person and online performances in Winter and Spring of 2022! My student Jaelyn, below is fortunate to have a pianist brother to provide a built-in live accompaniment for her!
A sad goodbye
My husband and I said a sad farewell to our best friend last week: our beloved greyhound, Luke. Luke was a fixture in my violin and viola lessons and practice sessions over the years. Many students remember him howling along with the music (a charming habit he developed in his later years). He was a warm and calming presence and had a knack for lightening the mood and setting students at ease. Even folks who didn’t fancy themselves “dog people” would turn to me after he laid his head upon their feet and say, “I LIKE this dog!” We will miss him tremendously and we are thankful that he lived a long, healthy life, and always brightened the mood of those around him.
Chamber Music in the Mountains
I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend my favorite Chamber Music Conference in Vermont a couple of weeks ago. The Conference is an amazing community of music lovers who gather each summer to work on and perform prepared chamber music works and sight-read our way through as much music as we desire. This year the Board of the Conference valiantly organized a smaller, all-vaccinated gathering, and we all felt so fortunate that things went smoothly, especially as Covid cases are started to tick upwards again. This was my fourth year attending the Conference. As a participant, I was placed in four chamber groups and received coaching from their renowned faculty. I’m always excited to receive feedback and inspiration from the coaches, and it gives me a sense of being in my own students’ shoes during our lessons back home! Below, the big finish of the Scherzo movement from The Trout Quintet by Schubert at one of the casual afternoon “musicale” recitals.
The hills were alive!
The Spring Recitals came off wonderfully on June 8! Mother Nature went easy(ish) on us and I was able to host one in-person outdoor recital at the Lee District Park Amphitheatre, as well as an online recital via Zoom. It was a mere 90 degrees (but a dry heat!) that evening, and cicadas harmonized beautifully with us. Some highlights included a fun two violin & piano trio, my 5-year-old student’s very first performance, and longtime student Parris returning from college for the summer to play some Bach for usl!
I was so proud of all of the students for their hard work and amazing positive attitudes.
The Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre
I just heard this amazing piece last night on everyone’s favorite classical station, WETA 90.9, and had to look it up again this morning to give it another listen. The string and piano arrangement was the version played on the radio, with such a warm and gorgeous sound. The Seal Lullaby was originally written as a vocal piece, and the text was so lovely so I’m sharing the sheet music link as well. It brought a tear to my eye this morning! I highly recommend taking eight minutes out of your day to savor both of these arrangements. It’s always a treat to stumble upon a beautiful new piece of music, by a living composer, no less. Thanks to Mr. Whitacre for this beauty, and the Kanneh-Masons and The Eric Whitacre Singers for these performances.
Winter Recitals XI !
Students brought their A-games to our 3rd virtual recital of the pandemic on January 23. We had some super-fun performances including some ERVS recital premiere pieces, such as Elgar’s Chanson de Matin and the 1st movement of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. As always, I was super-proud of my students for their confidence, hard work, and poise! Enjoy their smiling faces below!
Miles to go before we sleep
In 2020, we’ve all had to be creative in how we perform our daily activities. One hobby of mine to which I’ve had the pleasure of devoting more time lately has been running. A gentle run or walk is so therapeutic as we observe the slow changing of the seasons, fill our lungs with fresh air, and take in the scenery outside of the four walls of our home. I’ve engaged in a friendly physically-distant competition with a musician friend and fellow runner this year to see who could cover the most distance. I’m nearly at my goal for 2020 of 625 miles, or around 1000 kilometers!
I’ve been running for about ten years, and before the pandemic hit, I loved signing up for races. The planning, training, and goal-setting required to prepare for a race shares a lot in common with learning and preparing music for performances. When I’m in the midst of a track workout or interval training run, a lot of mental focus and drive are required, quite similar to the discipline required for an effective practice session. I encourage my students to cultivate a swath of hobbies, especially physical ones, because playing the violin and viola involves a lot of physicality and coordination. I firmly believe there’s much to be learned about ourselves and our unique learning processes when we train ourselves to accomplish new things.
Bright spots in the darkness
As this very difficult 2020 continues, I find comfort that in my tiny pocket of the world, students are continuing to make beautiful progress. They are even flourishing at times in the world of online music-making. Of course, the sense of unity, harmony (pun intended), and vivacity in playing music live together is unmatched. But, over the course of the pandemic, I’ve found many benefits and bright spots that we never would have encountered had we all not been forced to step back and change gears.
Improved Listening
In the before-times when my students were learning new solos, I sat down at the piano to accompany them. Now, I send them a recording of an accompaniment to practice along with. Students really must listen to the accompaniment recording many times to hear how their part fits in with the piano. They are gaining an improved understanding of rhythmic dialogues between solo and accompaniment. And they’re learning new practice techniques that are bolstering their listening skills and understanding the benefits of ear-training that go hand-in-hand with music reading.
Improved Verbal Communication
Our communication, particularly in learning how to verbalize changes in rhythm and pitch, is improving vastly. In that past, it might have been sufficient for me to grab my fiddle and play along with a student at a certain spot so they could match my rhythm or pitch. Now, the students are developing a better musical vocabulary with which we can talk through the changes we might like to make in their music.
Resourcefulness
Where do I begin with all the amazing tools available to us online? There is just so much sheet music and so many recordings available to us as musicians! One of my students is a huge fan of the musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” and requested that she play one of the DEH songs in the upcoming online recital. We found a piano arrangement of the particular song, and she learned how to use free online music notation software (MuseScore) to write out her violin part. She’s also going to record herself playing the accompaniment on ukulele and play along with it for performance. Had we not been seated in front of a computer for our lessons, we might not have previously considered these options.
All of my students are learning so many new techniques to develop their toolbox of musical skills. I’m delighted that when we are able to return to in-person learning, their competencies will have been bolstered, and they will come out of this in many ways as stronger and more thoughtful musicians.
Fall Studio Update
My teaching schedule is full, and many of my newer students have been added to my schedule just during the covid-19 crisis. Though we all miss in-person music-making, it’s been wonderful to meet and work with new students across the region who otherwise might not have crossed my path. It’s strange to think I haven’t officially “met” 6 or 7 of my students, considering I “see” them every week! It’s been a pleasure to get to know each new student’s learning style, understand their motivations, and develop a unique rapport with them. Some of them will soon have their first performing experience in our upcoming Zoom recital!
Saying goodbye and good luck!
Two of my students are graduating this year. Jared and Parris are both viola players who have studied with me for many years. Now, they are heading off to start their freshman years of college! Jared and his family joined me in our backyard in early August to say farewell. We played a duo for violin and viola. It was lots of fun and I’m glad that Jared’s dad, Andrew suggested we make a recording of it! Jared will study engineering at Temple University.
UPDATE: I finally uploaded photos of Parris’s final lesson as well, where we sightread a Beethoven duo outside. One of Parris’s awesome gifts was a homemade candle depicting a child playing viola while his dog howls along…eerily similar to many past lessons that feature my “singing” greyhound!
I’m so sad to see both of these students go, but I know they’ll do wonderful things for this world.
(Virtual) Spring Recitals
My Spring Recitals for my school-age students took place on Zoom this month! I recorded accompaniment parts for their solos, and they each recorded a video playing their prepared solo along with the accompaniment part. Then we all got together with family and friends on Zoom, where each student introduced their piece and I shared their video. It was a fun and unique way for students to “perform” during this difficult time!
Fun with new recording apps!
In this new age of teaching remotely, my students and I are exploring all kinds of recording techniques so that they can share with me how their practice is going throughout the week. It’s been a wonderful way for them to make even more progress. Likewise, I am sharing recordings of the corresponding accompaniments to their solos so that they can practice alongside (since we can’t play together in person). I discovered a fun phone app that allows me to layer recorded tracks. I was recording a quick piano accompaniment for a student who is working on this piece, and I was having so much fun that I took a minute to record myself playing all three parts of it (violin, viola and piano). Enjoy the Carmen Intermezzo by Bizet, featuring me, myself, and I. :)