The Academy values the importance of our teacher’s professional development. The Faculty Enrichment Fund annually provides partial and full reimbursement for teachers to attend conferences, workshops, and teacher training sessions. Academy Violin Jr. Instructor, Youngbin Ko, writes about her experience at the American String Teacher’s Association conference:
I am deeply grateful to Mason Community Arts Academy for supporting professional development opportunities for their teaching faculties. The Faculty Enrichment Fund Award allowed me to attend the American String Teachers Association and Suzuki Association of the Americas conference in San Francisco this February. As my first time attending the conference, it was a meaningful opportunity to connect with inspiring teachers and gain valuable insights from a variety of sessions. I also had the privilege of participating in a session titled “Getting to the Core of Bow Strokes,” presented by Professor June Huang and colleagues from George Mason University, which discussed effective ways to engage and develop the proper muscles for healthy practice.
Through this conference, I gained crucial perspectives on how I can build reliable relationships with both students and their parents as a teacher to support students’ musical and educational growth. I learned strategies for helping students approach practice as a form of deliberate play rather than a task, while fostering healthy musicianship through achievable goals, efficient learning activities, and celebrating their progress.
In technical sessions, I also learned more about the muscle movements involved in violin playing, particularly for holding the instrument and executing right-arm techniques such as string crossing. Participating in exercises during the sessions helped deepen my understanding of the instrument and the physical mechanism of my body while playing the violin.
Furthermore, through the concept of the one-point lesson, I gained ideas on how to focus on a single teaching objective within a lesson and structure teaching segments in a clear and accessible way to effectively deliver that point. This approach also helped me consider how to set specific goals that support students’ successful learning and understanding of that particular concept.
This experience allowed me to reflect on and refine my teaching philosophy and pedagogical strategies, helping me consider how to expand them moving forward. It reminded me that my role as a teacher goes beyond imparting musical knowledge and technique; it involves participating in a lifelong learning process where students learn within healthy, supportive connections and develop into well-rounded members of society.
I sincerely appreciate, once again, Mason Community Arts Academy for providing me with such invaluable experiences that allowed me to engage in meaningful learning and continue nurturing myself as a better educator.
Edited by Regina Schneider
