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This question came from the violin teacher of an intermediate student struggling to memorize her first more complex and lengthy solo piece. Trying and failing to memorize the piece was causing the young teen a lot of stress and the parents were starting ...
This is a very good question, and a tough one! Though it might seem obvious at first - yes, of course we want to play with good technique, the answer is actually much more nuanced. This question was posed by the mother of a very young child, who, although ...
I'll be sharing tips for setting up a successful online studio in this upcoming free virtual event presented by FAR-West and hosted by award-winning recording artist Susie Glaze. This June marks my violin-viola teaching studio's 26th year, the last ...
I often receive emails and calls from parents and grandparents, wondering if their child is ready to start lessons or looking for advice about how to encourage their child to take more of an interest in music. First, I gather more information about ...
When people learn for the first time that I teach violin, viola, and fiddle via Skype, many ask whether or not I think it’s really possible to correct a student’s posture, intonation, rhythm, vibrato, etc. without being able to reach out and adjust ...
About once a year I do a search of other string teachers’ policies and rates in similar socio-economic areas. From the information I gather through these searches and through talking with other teachers, it’s clear that despite their policies, all ...
Please email Laurel at laurel@laurelthomsen.com if you have a violin, viola, fiddle, music biz, or practice related question you’d like answered in the blog or on a podcast, have a story or insight to share, or if you’d like to inquire about violin, viola, or fiddle lessons with Laurel, in-person or via Skype, FaceTime, or Zoom.
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Laurel Thomsen Violin, Viola, Vocals Performance, Instruction, Recording Based in Santa Cruz, California
