In a previous article, I briefly brought up the concept of being musically multilingual as an important goal for my students. Just as a multilingual person is able to communicate with people from a wider range of nationalities, a musician proficient in multiple cultural or musical traditions can perform with a wide variety of people,…
Why we need both a Suzuki and an O’Connor method….
… I was prepared to not make a comment on this at all, but recent discussions about violin pedagogy and which method books to buy have reached a level of passion and vitriol I usually associate only with religion and politics (and that usually sends me looking for the door.) For those of you too…
Maintaining a love for the violin even after the secret’s out on how hard it is…
I remember getting my first violin, and feeling enchanted from my 6 year-old eyes, the cloth covered, curved box made of wood stained with a dark orange hue. It seemed almost scary in its unapproachable fanciness, as if it possessed magical properties. So I just kind of looked at it with a sense of awe,…
Using the “core melody” technique to learn and solo on fiddle tunes
There are a lot of great books with sheet music of fiddle tunes out there – and I’ve been drowning in them for pretty much as long as I can remember. However, going to a jam session or fiddle contest, or even just listening to a recording will quickly reveal that, unlike with classical violin…
what I learned about violin teaching from a hamster…
A few days ago, my wife and I became the proud owners of a very adorable longhaired hamster, mostly not by choice. A neighbor knocked on our door and handed us a shoebox of the adorable but feisty creature, telling us she had too many animals and was looking for a nice home for…
Four musical approaches…
When I first walked down this path of using strings to create sound, I was unaware how versatile it could be, or how the same instrument could make me comfortable in a huge variety of settings. I have inserted my voice into all kinds of situations – sometimes projects involving many hours of rehearsal, and…
reflections on playing for a wedding
This weekend, I played for a wedding. While I normally don’t deal with a lot of pre-performance anxiety (most of the time, I can usually talk or gentle breathe myself into knowing I’ll do ok and then feel fine), I did wake up with just a small amount of fear, mostly because I knew it…
two fiddlers, many ways of music learning
My first exposure to how wonderful and exciting the sounds emulating from a box with four strings could be was with a bluegrass band at an amusement park. My four or five year old self was completely captivated, and that moment started a musical journey for me from which I’ve never looked back. In…
Why making music matters
As I write this, in the summer of 2014, it feels almost impossible to keep track of all the different places on earth in which hatred, cycles of violence, and poverty are causing so much suffering. Sometimes, the injustices of the world feel so big, I feel pushed to the limit wanting to do something….
How to play freely…as part of your daily practice
As I discussed briefly in my previous post, I believe spontaneous improvisation to be a vitally important part of reaching musical maturity. I further think that it’s possible to grow in and practice, and so should become a part of regular music practice. In this new video, I explain how I do it, and what…
play nice with others (and keep your [musical] hands to yourself)
In my development as a musician and violinist, I was deeply fortunate to be mentored and encouraged by a number of great teachers who nurtured creativity and encouraged improvisation. At violin/fiddle summer camps in particular, I interacted with several amazing teachers who were directing sessions intended to unleash our creativity, break rules, and one time,…
Violin Lessons with Michael Fox 