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
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
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