Join us for all or part of this special day and find inspiration for the start of the new academic year. There will be a catered lunch and guest speakers will offer insightful workshops. There will be a gift bag for every attendee as well as assorted giveaway promotional items.
Presentations for the day:
10:30 Claire Stefani is a fitter for the Frisch & Denig chinrest line and she has helped more than 450 musicians discover their ultimate set-up over the past 4 years. Claire will give a 45 minute overview addressing how chin rest and shoulder rests can contribute to greater playing comfort.
After her morning presentation, she will be accepting appointments for 45 minute individual sessions which cost $80. These sessions are a diagnostic of what will help contribute to a tension-free playing posture by specifically addressing the chin and shoulder rest set-up. The aim is to consider the overall body balance as a foundation for maximizing comfort and balance. She will bring a variety of custom chinrests made by Gary Frisch (www.chinrests.com) which range in cost from $60-140 depending upon the level of customization. (Payments for chinrests are made directly to Frisch and Denig.)
To sign up for an individual session on August 27th, contact Claire directly at claire@voluteservice.com and specify that this is for the Potter Violin Teacher Appreciation Day event.
11:30 Jim Kelly will discuss the Potter Violin approach to helping clients (whether they are children or adults) with finding the best instrument to help them reach their highest level of artistry. Learn how to identify when an instrument or bow is holding a student back technically or musically. There will also be a showcase of new, innovative products!
12:30 Lunch
1:15 Why join? Representatives from the MD/DC chapter of the American String Teacher’s Association and the Suzuki Association of the Greater Washington Area will be on hand to answer your questions about these organizations.
1:30 Sherry Sinift on Practice and Process
A large part of the work of a pre-college string teacher is helping students learn how to practice and be organized in their approach to a new piece of music. Practicing well involves knowing and utilizing a variety of “practice techniques” as well as finding a time management balance between developing technique and cultivating musicianship. Approaching a new piece of music requires performer and student alike to lay some important groundwork before actually playing the new piece as well as building in good physical and mental habits from the very beginning. The perspective of Tadeusz Wronski, an important pedagogue well known in Eastern Europe, will provide the jumping off point for these two important aspects of string study.
2:30 ViolinPractice.com an online violin pedagogy reference library for teachers and a practicing resource for students. Learn about this useful website from the co-creators, Rebecca Henry and Phyllis Freeman. This site contains hundreds of videos on topics from vibrato to bow strokes.
3:30 Break
3:45 Sherry Sinift on Organizing Bow Strokes
Detaché, martelé and legato are the string player’s three ‘basic’ bow strokes. But why? What are the characteristics of healthy versions of the three ‘basic’ bow strokes? How do they relate to more advanced bow strokes? When and how should more advanced bow strokes be introduced? Bow strokes, articulation and bow arm motions will be at the center of this discussion.
Seating is limited for this exceptional FREE 1 day event. We ask that you RSVP so that we will not overflow our capacity!
Sherry Sinift is currently an Academic Professional Lecturer at the University of Wyoming Department of Music, specializing in violin and violin pedagogy. Ms. Sinift is a devoted violin and viola teacher and a strong advocate for string education for pre-college students as well. She is currently founder and Director of the String Academy of Wyoming and a supervising teacher for the UW String Project. The two programs serve more that one hundred young string players in southeast Wyoming. The UW String Project has additionally provided teacher training to UW students, many of whom have graduated and are impacting string education in the state and region. Former String Academy students have gone on to study at major music schools and have integrated music into their lives as professionals or as passionate amateurs. Ms. Sinift is a longstanding member of the faculty of the Indiana University Summer String Academy and Retreat for Professional Violinists and Violists and has served as masterclass teacher, presenter, adjudicator and guest conductor for various organizations nationally and internationally.
Sherry Sinift received her violin training from Tadeusz Wronski, Mimi Zweig and Gerald Fischbach. Her pedagogical influences include Shinichi Suzuki, Paul Rolland, Ivan Galamian, Tadeusz Wronski and Mimi Zweig. Ms. Sinift holds a Master of Music degree in violin performance from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Western Michigan University.
