NEW YEARS RESOLUTION: FOCUS ON THE BUILDING BLOCKS

...This year, I am concentrating on building blocks. What’s the difference? Building blocks are small bits of behavior in our day to day lives that might lead to meeting a big goal later. Building blocks are small, achievable, and habitual. In short, they are what constitutes the journey, not the destination...

Violinist.com Blog Post, January 2019.  Great practice is not about the time we put in, but the discoveries we make on our journey.

When the men's basketball team at Virginia Commonwealth University made it's grand Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2011, I found myself talking basketball in many of my lessons. The process of becoming an excellent musician, like that of becoming an excellent athlete......

As string teachers we are keenly aware of the importance of quality, goal-oriented practice, but we often struggle to motivate our students to develop this focus in their own work.  Practicing between the lessons requires....

Learning to play in tune may seem like the never-ending quest for the holy grail.  Read about some new ways to work on old problems.....