Teaching

If you have come to my classes or been around for a while, you already know that I love my metronome! What you might not know are the many reasons why I’m so dedicated to using one. We all vary our speeds without realizing it. Practicing with my metronomes keeps me honest! We all like […]

I started playing the violin when I was 6 years old and used the Suzuki books throughout my initial years. During the first year of lessons we learned music by ear, but soon after started learning to read sheet music.  It wasn’t until I moved to Ireland that I got back into learning by ear. […]

So I finished up my residency last Friday.  The past two weeks were long, hard, wet, cold, and very productive!  I wrote 30 new fiddle tunes and put together 15 medleys for the new recording.  The recording will likely be about 12 tracks long, but I always like having a few extras when I go […]

Did you know that there are several stages to learning something new? This can be with driving a car, starting a new job, or learning an instrument. The process of learning is a constant work in progress and that progress has quite a few steps before you get to where you want to be, feeling […]

I think that all of us feel stuck at times.  You’ve been working on a piece, and it just doesn’t seem to be getting better even though you have been putting in the time and working on it.  It is so frustrating!   So, what next?  Well, here is what I do and you can try […]

So often people wonder why they are not progressing. I have been thinking about what it is that leads to success, and here are three key items: Patience – I can’t tell you how many times I have had students come to me and say “I am still struggling with ____” after only a week […]

I can’t tell you how many of my students through the years have come to me to ask if their progress is “normal”.  “How far along should I be by now?”  “Should my child already be finished this book?”  Many of my students have also said to me “I should be able to play faster […]

Have you ever taken our your violin (or other instrument), started practicing, and realized that you just really aren’t feeling it? I had that feeling just the other day getting ready for Symphony NB rehearsals.  I was waiting for contractors to come to my house to finish up some work, so I was trying to […]