Teaching & Clinics
Education and Inspiration
Teaching
The 21st century is a great time for string players who want to learn to improvise and play different styles of music. So many of the boundaries which separated classical, jazz, fiddle, and world music in the past have been broken down, and the opportunities for learning and playing are increasing every day.
My goal in teaching jazz improvisation is to help individuals use what they already know, to acquire the skills, resources and confidence to improvise with other musicians in a jazz combo or other settings.
In my private studio, I teach improvisation, jazz theory and ear training to students of all ages. I have spent more than ten years teaching at Wellesley College and the Rivers School Conservatory, institutions where string students can study both classical and jazz. I retired from Rivers in 2011 to devote time to other projects, but had a great time with my classical and jazz colleagues, and many wonderful students and parents.
As Senior Music Performance Faculty in Jazz Violin/Viola at Wellesley College, I give private lessons and also coach small jazz combos. In January 2000, I started Synergy (now BlueJazz Strings) an improvising string ensemble that is still going strong today. My private students also play in the Wellesley BlueJazz big band and combos, as well as other groups on and off campus.
* * *
Clinics & Workshops
Since 1994, I have been a clinician for public school orchestras and jazz bands, summer chamber music and jazz camps, Suzuki string festivals, and the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. I have presented at the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) and the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) national conferences, and was co-coordinator of the ASTA Alternative Styles new music reading session for six years.
Topics range from improvisation, jazz theory, jazz string history, jazz techniques for string players, ensemble development, jazz and rock string repertoire and performance practice, and strings in the big band.
External Links: