It’s winter, it’s dry, and… it’s the season for slipping pegs. Or it’s summer and humid, and pegs are stuck. You try to start class, and you are regularly interrupted by peg problems. It is such a time-waster! So … Read More
Have you been winding your strings properly on your violin, viola or cello? It’s not just about aesthetics or neatness. Properly wound strings create forces that can prevent pegs from slipping. If a string is not wound properly, the … Read More
Highschoolers…. They seem to live and sleep in their hoodies these days! But they get in the way of holding the violin and viola properly. Finally, tired of reminding my violin and viola students to remove their hoodies, I made … Read More
When I started to teach by finger pattern, one of the first activities I had my students do was to draw the fingering charts for each of the keys they were learning. This is a great way to give students … Read More
Wow, what a week! It started last Monday and Tuesday with my school’s two-day music retreat. Then on Wednesday, Halloween night, exhausted from teaching and from the retreat, I was offered a last-minute table for Friday and Saturday at the … Read More
Did you know about these very generous grants in Canada and Ontario to support instrumental music programmes in schools and in the community? Apply soon, because the deadlines are approaching fast! MusiCounts Band Aid Program MusiCounts provides up to … Read More
After the basics…. Once you’ve established the 6 Basic Finger Patterns for teaching strings, and how to name notes using the Note Circle, teaching students to play in different keys becomes easy. You don’t even have to teach them … Read More
Using just six finger patterns can greatly simplify how you teach violin, viola, cello and double bass and help you achieve more in less time. I first wrote about The Six Basic Finger Patterns back when I started this blog. Since … Read More
It took me a few years to streamline my system of signing out and collecting the many, many pieces of music that we go through every year. My first few years of teaching, I didn’t even even bother signing out … Read More
Time to get organized! It’s the beginning of the school year and it’s time to make up some new seating plans. I thought I’d tweak my seating plan and share it with those of you who don’t have one, … Read More
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