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I received this message from a fellow string teacher recently. It’s the BIG question isn’t it!?
In my experience, it’s worth taking some time to ask questions about the student’s day to day schedule and practice set-up at home. Sometimes it’s ...
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 ...
Thanks to the help of 72 Kickstarter supporters who pledged their support in December, the first shipment of my latest album with Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Frechette arrived in the mail ahead of us as ...
It’s September again and with an influx of new violin, viola, and fiddle students as well as many longterm students getting back into the swing of lessons after vacations and time off over the summer, there’s been a lot of talk about practice lately ...
While all of us have experienced the dreaded memory slip, some people seem to have the easiest time memorizing their pieces and tunes, others can't have the hardest time making the parts stick. If the latter sounds like you, in this episode Laurel ...
Join Laurel Thomsen and special guest Janet Horvath, cellist, musician's health advocate, and author of the book "Playing Less Hurt" as they explore topics of injury prevention for musicians.
Visit Janet online, order her book, and ...
Join host Laurel Thomsen and author/career consultant Angela Myles Beeching as they cover topics from Beeching's book "Beyond Talent", including tips for writing an engaging bio, negotiating bookings and asking for what you're worth, and ...
Please email me 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 me, in-person or online via Skype, FaceTime, or Zoom.
The Violin Geek Blog is a free resource and always will be. We also don't sell advertising, meaning that everything you read has been a labor of love. If you'd like to support my efforts and help ensure they continue, please consider making a donation. Thanks for your support!
Laurel ThomsenViolin, Viola, Vocals
Performance, Instruction, Recording
Based in Santa Cruz, California
"After the Fire" - released January 21, 2022!
Each song portrays a facet of the journey from setback to reclaimed hope - finding faith in the possibility of LOVE in “Make Me Come Alive,” HOME in “Beale Street,” COMMUNITY in “Together Again” and “Money Shouldn’t Talk That Strong,” and one’s own STRENGTH and FORTITUDE in “If A Wave” and “Hey, It’ll Be OK.”