Studio Recital

Dear Students, our studio recital is this Saturday, October 6 at 4:30PM. Isn't that exciting?
The program with the names of the students who will be playing and the order in which they will play has already been posted in the AMA bulletin board. Although I first programed it to have my students only playing, we will have a few cello and piano students from other teacher's studios.
Your presence is very important to all of us, teachers and students, so, come see your friends. Come meet more friends and other parents. I encourage all of you to attend, even if you are not playing. Let us support our colleagues as some of them are preparing for auditions and competitions.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you there.

Know Your Bow

Your instrument’s bow is deceptively simple: a stick of wood and a frog to hold the hair. The bow reached its final form much later than the violin; it was not until the beginning of the 19th century, in Paris, that François Tourte perfected the design (his bows, like the instruments of Stradivari, are still considered to be without equal). The stick, for anything better than the cheapest grade of bow, is almost always made from a tropical hardwood called pernambuco, so called because it comes from the valley of the Pernambuco River in Brazil. It is an extremely dense wood—like ebony, it sinks in water—but it combines flexibility with great strength and durability.

Posted September 26, 2012 By James N. McKean on String Notes
 <http://notes.allthingsstrings.com/More-Notes/Know-Your-Bow>

Make Stage Fright Work For You

“I encourage musicians to either play for a friend, a teacher, a colleague, or to simply put a tape recorder on or set up a video camera,” says Dr. Don Greene. “Having a person there or a camera or a tape recorder puts pressure on you, and you realize that, and that’s beautiful, because then you’re practicing performing.”
The whole idea is to apply as much stress as possible, so that it mimics, as closely as possible, the conditions of being in a performance.

By David Templeton
Posted August 28, 2012 on String Notes
http://notes.allthingsstrings.com/More-Notes/Make-Stage-Fright-Work-For-You

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

To:

Nicholas Chang (violin) and Michael Lee (viola) for making the audition to the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony.

Steven Kim for making the audition to the Kendal Orchestra.

Rachel Kim (viola), who made 3rd chair at Johns Creek HS orchestra.

Grace Kang, Lilian Guerreiro, Steven Kim (violins), Michael Lee, Austin and Alvin Kim (violas) for making the audition to the Honors Orchestra.


This is awesome folks, lets keep the hard work. For those who tried and didn't make this time, there will be always a second chance. 

Go practice even more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All State and Bach Competition are coming soon.

Develop a Natural Bow Hold

What Is a Natural Bow Hold?
Rest your right arm at your side. Notice how your fingers curl slightly. That’s your first clue. Keeping this relaxation in your fingers, and your wrist floppy, bend your elbow and bring your hand up to shoul­der height. Notice the spread of your top four fingers. That’s your second clue. Even if your thumb is already curling in toward the other fingers, turn your hand over so the palm faces up and let your thumb curl inward, most likely to touch the middle fin­ger at the joint closest to the middle finger’s tip (Fig. 4a).

Now turn your hand back over, but keep your thumb curling inward (Fig. 4b). That’s your natural bow hold!


By Laurel Thomsen

Article taken from the Stringsweek email sent on January 20, 2012. Too see it online click on the link below:
Stringsweek website