ASTA 2020

Hi Friends!
I am in the airport, heading home from the American String Teachers National Conference which was held in Orlando from March 4-7.  The conference was a huge success and, as always, included wonderful learning opportunities, renewal of old friendships, many new friendships, and a general spirit of community and love that many of us have grown to anticipate and appreciate on an annual basis at the conference.

I was thrilled to conduct the first National Conference Teacher Orchestra on Wednesday and want to thank all who participated.  It was so much fun and everyone seemed to really enjoy making music together. The performance at the opening reception was a blast! Special thanks to Jesus Florido for participating and soloing with us.  We learned so much from you in the rehearsal as well!

Congratulations to Jesus and all of the performers who brought the very first Electric Bowed String Concert to ASTA this year.  It was so much fun and we all appreciate the unbelievable musicianship that was on display on Thursday night.  I am so proud of my history in the electric violin community appreciate each of you!!  Jesus: your love and positive energy was the catalyst for this.  Thanks!!

I also wish to thank thank Brian Hellhake and the students of Freedom High School Orchestra for serving as a demonstration group for my session, along with Jim Palmer, on Sharing Our Secrets: Higher Order Thinking.  The students were magnificent and we really couldn't have asked for anything better.  Thanks, too, to Jim Palmer.  We have so much fun presenting together. We certainly missed Rebecca MacLeod this year.  She was judging the National Orchestra Festival this year, but I am sure our trio will reconvene soon!!

I want to extend a huge congratulations to the ASTA Staff for a magnificent conference.  Monika Schulz has really moved our organization to a new level of professionalism and prominence.  Susan Hoopes was invaluable in my preparation.  Tracey Kratt has been instrumental in forwarding our ASTA Connect social tool.   The whole staff is fantastic.  Also, the ASTA Ambassadors (volunteers from the profession) were such servant leaders. We all appreciate you so much!

I can't begin to name all the new friends and colleagues whom I connected with this week.  Please know that I value each and everyone of you.  The meals, coffee, and hallway conversations were all so valuable and perspective-changing.  Thank you all for your wisdom and encouragement!


And now we all go back our corner of the world to change string kids' lives one student at a time!! We are all filled up and ready to extend that energy to our individual communities.  I can't wait to hear the stories of success again next year!

Peace
Scott

Florida Orchestra Directors - Friday Presentations

This post if for the folks that attended my sessions today at Florida Orchestra Directors Association.

First, thanks so much for coming to my session!  It was great to meet so many of you and really appreciate all of the interest and positive feedback!

I promised you a few resources.  So, here goes:

Presentations:

If you were in my Pedagogy from the Podium, I didn't get through all of the examples. If you are interested in more, here is link to the presentation

Here is the presentation from my Habits session

More on Finger Patterns as a vehicle to upper positions:

Link to Youtube Playlists

Link to Google Drive with written resources for Finger Patterns

Look over the materials on Youtube and in the Google Drive.  Handout on the Google Drive has more information. Also, be sure to read the text in the Finger Pattern Introduction Video.  It has even more information.  You will find backtracks for all of the Cycles of Finger Patterns in 3rd positions and Backtracks for 1 and 2 octave major scales. If you have more questions, just ask. My e-mail is laird@ncssm.edu

I hope this is all useful!
Again, thanks for your wonderful hospitality today.
Until next time,
Scott

NCDPI ArtsR4Life Conference

Yesterday, I had the pleasure and honor of speaking at the 5th Annual ArtsR4Life Conference on behalf of the NC Chapter of ASTA and came home inspired and renewed.  So, just a few words today about the event.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction partnered with Meredith College, the NC Arts Education Leadership Coalition, and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources hosted the fifth annual “ARTS R4 Life” professional development conference for NC K-12 Arts Educators in Dance, Music, Theater Arts, and Visual Arts.

This was an opportunity for arts educators to develop personalized learning experiences and have cross-sector learning and collaboration around the 4R’s:

• Rekindle your artistic spirit by participating in hands’-on arts experiences
• Reflect on the profession through deepening your understanding of the standards to support student learning and growth
• Reconnect with colleagues and professional organizations
• Renew your body and mind through expressive, contemplative, and rejuvenating experiences designed to promote your well-being

The conference took place on Saturday, September 8, 2018, and was be preceded by Arts Education Think Tank, Arts Education Coordinators, and Arts Education Leadership Coalition meetings on Friday, September 7th, 2018.  Educators had a menu of options and selected a personalized learning plan for their time at the conference.

I gave my session, "Finding and Maintaining Fulfillment in your Career in Arts Education" during the morning.  In this session, participants consider their level of fulfillment with their work and career in arts education and related factors. I provide a variety of focus areas for consideration and models for identifying and assessing career fulfillment.  Attendees are asked to consider (and perhaps share) their roles as  artists/educators, motivations for embarking on a career in arts education, sense of mission in the school and community, complexity of their work, perspective on workload, busy schedules, and a balanced life. Participants (hopefully) walk away with strategies to find fulfillment in their careers while balancing their personal and professional life.

I gave the session during two different time slots and was thrilled to have over 30 attendees between the two sessions.  Feedback was excellent and I feel my message was well-received.  Some other highlights of the day, for me included connecting with friends, new and old; the Keynote interview with Lauren Kennedy Brady, Producing Artistic Director for Theater Raleigh; A fun kinesthetic opening exercise led by Shannon Gravelle, Director of Choral Activities and Music Education Coordinator for Meredith College; and an inspiring dance performance by the Rainbow Dance Company to open the day.  In addition, it was great to spend some time with my friend and NC ASTA colleague, Bill Slechta, who has been instrumental in establishing NC ASTA's involvement in this conference for the past 5 years.  I was also happy to spend some time with my friend and colleague, Pat Hall from NCMEA offices.

In all, this was a great event and I am so happy that I was able to attend and participate at such a deep level and represent NC ASTA.

Sharing Our Secrets: Phrasing and Expression, ASTA 2019

I am really pleased to have the opportunity to present today at ASTA 2019 with my dear friends Dr. Rebecca Macleod and Jim Palmer.  We will be in the Sandia/Santa Ana Room at 1:00 PM on Thursday, March 7. In our session, Sharing Our Secrets: Phrasing and Expression, we will share tips and secrets that promote musical expression and nuance with your school orchestra. Topics will include a variety of approaches to identifying phrase structure, playing with different tone colors, grouping notes with speech patterns, executing rubato, and engaging students in functional listening.  Exercises that promote musical sensitivity and student independence will be demonstrated. Attendees are certain to enjoy and gain from the panel interaction with students and each other.  We are pleased to be working with Rebecca Simons and the La Cueva High School Camerata from Albuquerque, New Mexico as our demo group.  There is nothing like working with kids to demonstrate the skills of working with kids!

As for my part of the session, I will be utilizing the string orchestra arrangement of Slane (Be Thou My Vision), arranged by Percy Hall.  It is not a super-difficult arrangement, but there are many opportunities for interesting phrasing and expression embedded within the piece.  I will be focusing some of the best tips and strategies for phrasing and expression that I have developed over the years.

These will include:

Approach Arrive Depart

Note Grouping and Speech Patterns

The Importance of a Unified Downbeat

Pick up your instrument and play

Standing rehearsal

Concepts growing from the word "Dynamic"

The Roller Coaster

Finding Your Unique Voice and Perspective as a Director: Push/Pull

Whisper

The Chorale and Breathing

and others

I will expand on these more in coming days. For now, I look forward to seeing you this afternoon!
Peace.
Scott

Artist/Educator

Back in May, I had an outdoor gig at local sports bar/restaurant, Devines in Durham. It was a Saturday night and happened to be prom night for my school, the North Carolina School of Science and Math.  Throughout the evening, I was delighted to notice lots of my students coming out of other area restaurants, on their way to the prom following dinner.  Many of them stopped in order to hear me play a bit and take photos of me and my fellow musicians.  The crowd that was at the bar to hear me play could see the joy and fun in the students eyes of seeing their music teacher in a performing setting, outside of school.  What a fun experience for all!

Today I am thinking about the importance of maintaining a life as a performing artist while pursuing a career as a music educator. In the weeks around that performance, I was involved in a series of interviews, seeking a new visual arts instructor at NCSSM. One of our stated priorities for the candidate was that they, in addition to being an exceptional experienced teacher, had a vibrant life as a working artist. We believe that there is true value for students in having a role model that is a working artist. (By the way, we certainly found that person and are thrilled to have her on Faculty today at NCSSM!!)

I have worked hard over the past 30 years to maintain an active performing life. Many of you know that I still perform as a violinist both in the classical and in a variety of improvisatory arenas. I perform regularly in churches, as part of a string quartet, as a solo artist, as a recording artist, and as part of numerous pop and rock bands around Durham & the Triangle region of North Carolina. I also frequently pick up my violin and perform as part of conducting appearances.

I believe strongly that modeling a performing life is a vital part of the educational process. Students want and need to see their teacher actively engaged in the art that they themselves are working so hard to master.

That Friday night was a really cool experience along these lines. I couldn't help but think that this was actually another important part of the educational process for my students. It is not often the students get to see me as my alter ego, improvising violinist. They're used to seeing me in rehearsal, conducting the orchestra, and running the various programs at NCSSM.  In the end, we all have a responsibility to maintain our life as an artist and practitioner in our chosen field. That's how students really learn. They see their mentors doing the thing they love. Students learn by example. And, they find an interest and passion in that same area as their mentors. For those of you that are young music teachers or perhaps even pre-service teachers, I encourage you to set concrete goals for both your teaching life and you're performing life. 

Don't ever let your chops deteriorate to the point that  you won't play for the public. Find time to practice. Find time to perform. And find ways to model your passion and expertise in performance for your students. Build advancing your performing skills into your professional development plans and time.  Use some of your summer time and other breaks for practice, lessons, or other performing opportunities.  You owe it to yourself and you owe it to your students!

Peace.

Scott

Pedagogy from the podium

This weekend, I have been conducting an Honors String Orchestra Festival at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. My thanks to Emily Crane and all at Austin Peay for inviting me.  It's been a wonderful event and, as a result of my rehearsals here, throughout the weekend I have been giving a great deal of thought to my upcoming educational sessions at a couple of different conferences. A session that all be presenting in coming months, including at the National ASTA Conference in Tampa, is "Pedagogy From the Podium." This is a session that I began giving many years ago while I was still teaching in Palmyra, PA, based on some of the "best" practices that I had discovered in my daily teaching life. But, as you can imagine, over the years the content and the approach have changed a great deal. 

 Those of you that pay attention to this blog know that last year I was strongly considering the anatomy of any strong pedagogy. I presented a model where there were four components of any pedagogical concept that needed to be addressed. Those components are as follows: 

1. A SYSTEM is developed 

2. The system is SEQUENTIAL

3. There must be strong NOMENCLATURE introduced to clarify the system

4. The instructor provides a HARMONIC UNDERPINNING to any skill that is introduced modified . 

So, my task over the last several months has been to consider the systems that I have developed over the past several years. As this has been in the front of my mind, I've become more and more aware of the myriad of systems that I've developed or utilized over the years. Last year, I spent a good deal of time discussing, creating resources for, and teaching about the system of Finger Patterns that I had acquired from other great pedagogues and modified to suit my particular needs. Continuing on that theme, I have become more and more aware of other systems that have become an integral part of my teaching over the years.  Some of these were developed by others, some I have modified, and others I have developed.

Those of you that attend Pedagogy From the Podium, will get a strong dose of my belief in the model for these systems, and a number of specific systems that you can use in your classroom which utilize the model. I am still weeding out the final content of these sessions, but right now these are the areas that I will potentially be addressing. 

• Ensemble Tuning
• Ensemble Playing Position
• Finger patterns as a vehicle to ensemble intonation
• Rhythmic stability and Inner Rhythm
• Watching the conductor and general ensemble awareness
• Movement and breathing into phrase
• Dynamics and the dynamic nature of ensemble playing
• Spiccato and other intermediate to advanced bow techniques
• Bow speed/placement
• Pizzicato accuracy and technique
• Musical "essence" and the art of self editing difficult passages
• Precepts of bow direction
• Bow weight as it relates to bow placement
• Bow style as it relates to historic era of composition

Obviously, this won't all be addressed in a one-hour session. So, as you can see, some of this will be "weeded out" in coming weeks and months. I hope that you find some of these topics interesting and truly hope to see you at one of the sessions. Please let me know if any of these areas particularly resonate with you, or if there is something missing here that you would like to see.  Here's what I can promise: I will certainly be thinking about these systems and my approach to the ensemble development in the coming weeks and months. I will do my best to offer specific and pertinent content for everybody who attends.

For those of you on the East Coast: stay dry and safe this weekend. To those of you here in Clarksville TN, thanks for an awesome weekend of music making, sharing, and collaborating. You all have been wonderful to work with and I know our concert today is going to be magnificent!

Peace.

Scott 

D'Addario at ASTA

This week, I have been at the National Conference of the American String Teachers Association. It has been a magnificent conference with something for everyone. I have participated in educational sessions, learned a ton, given a few sessions, met new friends, and connected with old friends from around the country in the string education community.

One of the most informative sessions that I attended was "Demystifying Your Strings," presented by my friends and colleagues at D'Addario Strings, Lyris Hung and Fan Tau. In the session, they discussed and explained the differences between the various string cores, wrappings, tensions, and other issues surrounding string technology. Fan is simply one of the most knowledgeable engineers in the world of acoustics and designs D'Addario's strings from beginning to end.

The session was really well attended and incredibly interesting. Lyris and Fan are tremendous colleagues and did a great job with this one. In the video, Fan explains the concept of harmonics and how that relates to a "false" string.

Enjoy.
Scott

Job Opportunity for String Teacher

Employment Opportunity in Durham, NC

Position Summary

KidZNotes is seeking a qualified strings teacher for its program at Y.E. Smith Elementary School, to support a rich general music curriculum focused on cultivating a caring, cooperative and fun community.

Expectations

*3 days/week afterschool (3:15-4:15): teach group violin class of 20 students (Pre-K, K, and 3rd grade)
*1 Saturday/month (9:00-11:00): assist full orchestra rehearsals of 60 students (tuning violins, playing in the sections, helping students with posture/note reading, 10-minute pull-out lessons)
*Be available for occasional professional development, concerts, and meetings with KidZNotes General Music Teachers, Orchestra Conductor, and Executive Director
Qualifications
*Excellent musicianship and artistry as a teacher/performer
*Strong commitment to El Sistema’s philosophy of social change through music and KidZNotes mission
*Experience teaching beginning strings, preferably in the Suzuki Method
*Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a diverse community
*Ability to be a mentor and role model for students, parents, and peers as an artist, teacher and citizen
*Ability to work under frequent observation
Preferred, but not Required
*Experience working with children from diverse ethnic backgrounds
*Experience working in underserved communities
*Bilingual in English and Spanish a plus

Interested applicants should contact Executive Director Katie Wyatt at kwyatt@kidznotes.org or 919.451.0077 to schedule an interview. Applications close April 1, 2011.

KidZNotes

The mission of KidZNotes is to provide under-served children, “beginning in the pre-school years, free-of-charge classical, orchestral music training to combat poverty, strengthen inner-city education, and foster positive decision-making to unlock the world.” KidZNotes is based on the model of “El Sistema,” the world-renowned National System of Children and Youth Orchestras of Venezuela, which since 1974 has transformed the lives of over 800,000 Venezuelan children from impoverished circumstances. KidZNotes rehearsals are 4 days/week after-school at each of our three schools, and on Saturday mornings at the Holton Career and Resource Center. KidZNotes provides free, classical, orchestral instruction and trains our teachers in the El Sistema methodology. Children and their families benefit from field trips to concerts, visits by performing artists, and other arts activities. Graduates leave with a sense of capability, endurance and resilience — becoming active and empowered citizens of their communities.

Where Does Your Hypocricy Reside?

I heard a profound statement this morning. It goes like this: "The gap between belief and behavior is the space where hypocrisy resides." I can't get it out of my mind. It is so true and so applicable to many facets of our lives. I just had to take a minute to explore it in a bit of detail and the many applications to my life, my colleagues lives, and my students' lives.

First, it calls us to do some serious self-exploration. What do you believe? What do I believe? Of course, I could be referring to spiritual beliefs. But, let's go past that for now. How do believe you should treat others? How do you believe you should react to adversity? How do you believe your should spend your free time? Your money? Your talents? How do you believe that teachers should approach their students? How do you believe students should approach their studies? What are your beliefs on morality, right vs. wrong, forgiveness, love, service, politics, and certainly your spiritual beliefs?

Second, it calls us to examine our behavior. Do my actions line up with my beliefs? Are my actions consistent with the the statements that I want to be making? Self examination is tough. Mirrors don't lie. Photographs don't lie. Audio recordings don't lie. It is tough to see myself as I really am, to hear myself as I really am.

Finally, we must consider the concept of hypocrisy. I can't imagine that anyone wants to be labeled as a hypocrite. And yet, I'll bet all of us can find some gap between our beliefs and our behavior. I know that I can. The truth hurts. I can't think of anything that I would less like to be called than "hypocrite."

To me, this concept is a strong call to consciousness. It forces us to think about this gap between belief and behavior and to do some serious reflecting on where we are in this continuum. And, it is hard to be conscious. So often, we walk through our lives, caught up in our business. We forget to actually think about our actions, the way we are treating others, the way we forgive, love, and interact. So often, I remind my musicians to be "conscious" in rehearsal and not just go through the motions. Here, I challenge them (you, myself) to be conscious in life and not just go through the motions. For my students, you are away from home and on your own for the first time. How does the ratio of your beliefs to behavior stack up after a month or two of school? Trust me, it will be a lifelong struggle. I have been considering it as it applies to my marriage, parenting, teaching, friendships, relationships with those that I encounter on the street, and many other facets of my life.

It was also suggested that the longer we permit the gap to exist between our beliefs and our behavior, one of them has to give out. And many times (most times), it is the belief that fades away, not the behavior. The fact is, that it takes real courage to change our behavior. It is hard. It takes effort. It takes consciousness. I also think that it requires accountability. And believe me, I am as bad at that as anyone. I want to be accountable to myself and rarely permit others to fill that role in my life. Definitely something for me to work on.

I am sure that I will ponder this concept more in the coming days and weeks. I may write more at a later date. But for now, I know that I will be working to narrow the gap between my beliefs and my behavior. I want to strive for honesty and integrity. The last thing I want is for hypocrisy to be part of the definition of me. I encourage you to do the same. Let's walk this path together and narrow the gap between our beliefs and our behavior. I know that I will be the better for it.

Peace.
Scott

A Bit of Friday Fun!

End of school year

Hi all -
I have to admit, I have been feeling pretty guilty lately about not posting much to the my blog. It's not that I don't want to post. Or that I don't think about it. Really, I just haven't had much to say. So, I have been thinking about it a fair amount and I have come to the conclusion that this is natural and I shouldn't fight it.

Let's look at the facts. We have been pushing hard all school-year. we have opened up school, met a whole new slew of students, put on a variety of performances, prepared a ton of music, dealt with the standard issues that come with every school year, seen budgets cut, seen a state employee furlough enacted, watched health care costs rise, sat on boards and task forces, and more. The fact is - teachers are all tired at this time of year. I, for the time being, am out of stuff. My philosophical edge is a little dull at this point of the year.

Realistically, I still have a little way to go. We still have a concerto concert to present on May 31 and my orchestra and soloists are nothing short of fantastic. The strings will be performing at our Annual Sr. Awards Ceremony in early June. And then, of course, there is commencement. We still have a ton of music to prepare and to perform. And we will. With joy and energy. After all, that is what we do.

But, if the blog is a little dull for the next few weeks, please be patient. I will get my mojo back. It just might take 2 or 3 weeks of summer, cycling, camping, family, and life outside of academia for me to get back into the philosophical groove. I am a little spent right now. Spent, but happy. It has been a great year. One that I will never forget. And, always, I am so psyched for the next one!!

Hang in there gang!!

Peace.
Scott

ASTA in Atlanta

On March 18-22, The American String Teachers Association (ASTA) held their annual National Conference in Atlanta. I was pleased to attend the conference and present several educational sessions to both teachers and students that were involved with the conference and the National Orchestra Festival. I am happy to report that NS Design had a strong presence at the event and folks from all over the country are now aware of the Wav Violin and the buzz around the product is very strong!

First, The Electric Violin Shop (www.electricviolinshop.com) had a booth that was prominently positioned right at the entrance to the exhibit hall for the conference. Every attendee had to walk right by their booth to enter the exhibits. They had the Wav, in all three colors, displayed front and center and everyone from students to teachers could try the instruments on fantastic amps and with cool effects processing. Additionally, all that checked out the instrument in the booth could register for a raffle at the end of the show where one person would receive a free wav. I know that generated a great deal of interest as well.

One of my sessions was entitled "Effective Effects." In this session, I really give a mini science lesson and discuss exactly what various common effects do and how the parameters work. I broke down the function of EQ, reverb, time based effects (chorus, flanger, and delay), filter effects (phase shifting, wah wah), distortion, and pitch shifters. The session was really well attended and I received super-positive feedback from many that attended. Throughout the session, I demonstrated all of the effects with my Wav violin. The instrument sounded fantastic and many remarked about it afterwards. Folks were amazed at the fantastic look as well as the economical price. All feedback was extremely positive. You can see more information on the effects processing seminar at www.electricstringed.com.

All in all, it was a fantastic conference and the Wav received some fantastic publicity. The instrument certainly speaks for itself. I couldn't be happier with the results and the response from the conference.

Peace,

Scott