String Orchestra Seating Plan Lesson

The set-up of a string orchestra can be a bit bewildering to beginners. One of the first things I do in September is use this handout with my beginning students to illustrate how a string orchestra is seated.  Through this … Read More

Smart Ideas for Teaching Strings in September

  It’s Back to School! The new school year is upon us and it’s back to classes and lessons!  Do you need some new ideas for teaching strings?  Here are four great strategies you can use to accelerate student learning.  … Read More

SmartMusicTeacher at the OSA Spring String Conference!

Notice the new tab on the website?  Yes, it says Workshops!  Yours truly is doing her first clinic at the Ontario String Association’s Spring String Conference, coming up soon on Saturday, April 21st, 2018 at North Toronto Collegiate in Toronto.  … Read More

The Ontario Strings Association

Did you know that Ontario has an association for string teachers?  Sometimes teaching strings can be a lonely pursuit.  Well, no longer!  Join your fellow string teachers by becoming a member of the Ontario Strings Association. The association has a … Read More

What Music Students Learn in Just Four Months

When people, as they often do, ask music teachers about how learning music benefits students, it is sometimes difficult to articulate. I often find myself tongue-tied because of the sheer magnitude of the subject. There are so many aspects to … Read More

Why Should String Players Practice Scales?

Why do we practice scales? Have you ever given more than a moment’s thought to this? Sure, we practice scales to learn fingering, some rhythms, and to practice shifting. But there must be more to it, or the most elite … Read More

Establishing a Routine for the String Classroom

As I posted at the beginning of the year, one of my New Year’s Resolutions was to work on honing my classroom management skills. String students are generally great students and tend to do whatever you ask them to, but … Read More

A New Year in the String Classroom

It’s a fresh new year and I am so excited to be back at school! The holidays actually dragged on for me this year, not only because it was an unusual -20C out almost every day so we were stuck … Read More

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