Music and Much More
Music has played a significant role in my life since before I can remember, weaving its melodies into the fabric of my identity. My mother, a violinist and singer by trade, began to teach me violin at the age of two. She taught my four younger sisters to play the instrument at a young age as well.… Read More...
A little late on the draw, but I had to jump on the internet bandwagon and create a tier list, this one based on my favorite (and a couple of not-so-favorite) composers.
Who would you put at the top? And at the bottom? Check out this tier list for my answers!… Read More...
“Chamber Music— a conversation between friends.” –Catherine Drinker Bowen
One of the advantages to being a professional violinist is its variety! I love to learn new material, explore multiple genres, and uncover old gems from centuries past. I enjoy playing in a variety of capacities, whether as a soloist or as a member of small ensembles.… Read More...
Freshman bassoonist Adam Heckel faces hazing in the music fraternity at Belton University while organist Miguel Guzmán struggles to overcome the pain of his past while preparing music for All Saints Day. When the two friends cross paths in an eerie locale Halloween night, will they finally find the brotherhood they both desperately need?… Read More...
“Everything living has a rhythm. Do you feel your music? ”-Michael Jackson
As a violin instructor of many young children, I believe it is important to use resources that appeal to the age demographic I teach. In addition to the resources I mentioned in my previous post, I use The Rhythm Train books with my young protégés.… Read More...
Before kicking off fall lessons, I spent a couple of weeks taking two wonderful seminars about practice motivation. We all need it about now, both students and professionals alike. I would highly recommend Christine Goodner’s courses, as well as Dr. Renée-Paule Gauthier’s masterclasses for a deep dive into this subject!
While most people find it daunting to motivate even one child to practice regularly, my mother Allison managed to motivate all four of my sisters and me to practice nearly every day from the age of 3 until we went to college, all of us with violin scholarships in hand.… Read More...
In this post, I’m thrilled to feature my uncle and aunt, fellow music educators Philip and Kim Parker! Visit their site at philipparkercomposer.com.
Phil, as a professor of music, what is the best advice you offer to students who want to pursue a career in music?… Read More...
Build your own little violin! This craft works great for teachers as well as parents of young students. It can also just be a fun introduction to musical instruments.
Prospective students are usually anxious to get started on the real violin, but often they’re not ready.… Read More...
Like many of my fellow music teachers, I’m looking for new ways to connect with students and help them connect with each other. When I found Victoria Kimble’s new Young Adult release The Main Dish with a violin featured on the front, I had to check it out.
As it turns out, Victoria must be my long-lost twin, considering we share a love of music, fiction, faith, and sisters.… Read More...
To kick off the semester, I’m recommending my favorite beginning violin books! My primary method is the Suzuki Method, which emphasizes aural training and imitates language learning. In graduate school, I took a couple of linguistics classes on Second Language Acquisition, which further reminded me of Suzuki’s genius to combine these principles with music education.… Read More...