An age old question when it comes to learning the violin, viola, or cello, if we already know the letter names, perhaps from previous piano study or school music classes, do we need to bother with learning the violin fingering/numbering system?

Letter ...

Vibrato is particularly strange in that it seems to require a lot of work, but in the end we all seem to find that the best sound comes when we relax and just let go. Unfortunately, hardly anyone can develop a vibrato without a lot of effort, but many ...

Even if we've developed a functional bow hold and good bowing arm mechanics, our bow can still slide around sometimes, creating airy and scratchy tones when we're simply trying to get through our piece. If this sounds familiar you've come to the right ...

I've noticed many music teachers starting to market themselves with the word "coach" instead of "teacher." The change seems to have become particularly prevalent since the Covid-19 pandemic forced the world's music teachers online, ...

Adult students have typically comprised about a third of my teaching studio and I've always enjoyed my connection with them. While some are semi-professionals or teachers looking to brush up on their technical skills, many are beginners who always ...

The relationship between music teacher and student is a connection which goes far beyond the notes and often lasts years, if not a lifetime. It can not be replicated by watching a video or reading a book, although video courses, YouTube videos, and ...

Today, any budding violinist can type “learn violin” into Google or YouTube and come back with countless hours of videos, blogs, and courses, many free or for a nominal cost. At the same time, in most every interview, a professional player will talk ...

This time next month it will be six years since I started offering violin, viola, fiddle, and cello lessons via Skype, FaceTime, and Zoom, and shortly thereafter realizing the world, quite literally, was opening up to me. I’ve since toured all over ...

As the holidays approach it may be time to take advantage of seasonal sales and surprise the budding string player in your life (maybe even yourself) with a new instrument. First things first though. What size? A string teacher can size students best, ...