Category: Music

Four aspiring string players received merit scholarships for their stellar accomplishment in the Summer Arts at Mason 2021 strings programs. Reflecting on their experience, the scholarship recipients shared their excitement of performing together in person and their most memorable experience in the summer.

The merit scholarship is sponsored by the Associated Chamber Music Players (ACMP) in support of our summer music programs, Mason Strings Camp and Mason Chamber Music Intensive.

 

 

Isaiah Garrett, Halyn (Chloe) Kim, Avery Lee, and Abby Poppe received this year’s ACMP scholarships after a comprehensive review of their applications, essays, program participation, and feedback from the program director and string faculty.

Garrett, a first-time program participant assigned as the First Violinist, said that attending the Mason Chamber Music Intensive program “was like a breath of fresh air,” and the diverse group of instrumentalists reminded him of the joy of creating music and learning from one another along the way.

“I learned how to lead an ensemble without a conductor and how to communicate with the pianist,” said Garrett. “Additionally, I enjoyed playing with the second violin soloist and learned both of our parts well to understand how they fit together.”

 

 

Poppe said that working with other committed musicians motivated her to be a better violist and taught her valuable lessons of being a collaborative artist. “When we finished playing, I was proud of what our hard work could accomplish,” said Poppe. “The challenge of this camp expanded my range of abilities and showed my potential. I was proud when I learned a more difficult song.”

 

“There is no better way to emerge from the isolation of the pandemic than by playing chamber music!” said Professor June Huang, assistant professor of violin and director of strings at George Mason University, who directed both of our strings and chamber ensemble as summer programs. “This past summer, the participants at the Mason Strings Camp and Mason Chamber Music Intensive came together determined to create music. Their positivity, resilience, and musicianship made the world a celebratory place to be and reminded us all that every note counts.”

Mason Strings Camp and Mason Chamber Music Intensive are summer music programs designed for serious young musicians who wish to gain ensemble experience in their music learning. Directed and coached by Mason Dewberry School of Music string and piano faculty, programs include small ensemble and chamber music performance opportunities, and students work directly with esteemed musicians and orchestra directors in all aspects of music enrichment.

In addition to challenging repertoires and talented faculty, Lee, who was selected as a Concertmaster, shared that the close-knit community made playing music enjoyable. “It has been a pleasure to make new friends in both my orchestra and quartet who enjoy playing an instrument as much as I do.”

Although the programs have ended in the summer, our young musicians found new opportunities to apply their recently developed skills and continued collaborating with other young musicians.

 

 

“I really enjoy how the viola sounds with other instruments,” said Poppe, who decided to try out another orchestra program and auditioned for The Capitol Symphonic Youth Orchestras.

“Through the Mason Strings Camp, I learned the importance of being able to cue to start performing at the right time,” said Lee. Shortly after the program, Lee auditioned for the American Youth Debut Orchestra, the beginner-level orchestra of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (AYPO). She was selected as the concertmaster and started her very first full-year orchestra experience.

Congratulations on our ACMP scholarship recipients and program participants. We wish all the best to our young musicians as they embark on the next chapter of their musical journey.

 

We are excited to welcome our new Violin Teaching Artist, Hannah Price, joining us to provide private lessons and groups class instructions to our Academy families. Ms. Price is an active soloist and collaborative artist who has performed nationally and internationally. In addition, she has numerous years of teaching experience as a private teacher, lecturer, and guest artist, offering private lessons, group classes, and masterclasses for students of all levels. This fall, Ms. Price will teach the Violin Beginnings, an introductory class for beginners ages 4-6, and Violin Adventures, an elementary level technique class open for all private lesson students ages 5-13. Please join us to welcome Ms. Price for a quick Q&A and learn more about her music story.

What excites you the most about joining the Mason Community Arts Academy?
I’m most excited to get to know the community and the chance to work with so many fabulous people. The faculty is full of energetic, dedicated musicians and teachers, and I’m thrilled that I get to join them!

How did you first fall in love with music?
My journey with the violin was a slow but lasting burn. It was full of hundreds of small moments that added to my passion for it, the first of which happened when I was a little tot driving in the car with my parents. They had a CD in the car that always began with the Tchaikowsky piano concerto No. 1, and we listened to it almost every day. One day, I noticed the little soda bubbles of excitement that would build in my chest in anticipation of every big musical moment. Since then, my goal has been to experience those bubbles with my playing and teaching.

 

 

Tell us about a teaching experience you have had that was especially memorable.
I had an older adult student once tell me that the thing he valued most from our lessons was that he learned not to give up on himself and that once he learned how to acknowledge his achievements, he was able to do even more than he thought he could. It was, and is, such an honor to be a part of such valuable personal growth and to know that it can happen at any stage of life, regardless of circumstance. I experienced two human beings being inspired by one another that day, and it is one of the moments that ignited my journey as a teacher.

 

 

What are some unique things you do when you teach?
Music is all about storytelling, so I look for every opportunity to incorporate that into my teaching. I explore form and structure using animals and colors that my students get to pick before learning a new song, which helps with memory. Honest self-assessment is also significant for me, so I have some tactics in each lesson that help my students (even the little ones) apply objective self-assessment and set goals for the next time.

Do you have any pets?
None right now, but I love dogs and hope that I’ll be settled enough to get one soon!

 

 

What else would you like us to know about you?
As a musician, I have performed in eight different countries across two continents and feel so lucky that music has taken me to cool places with such contrasting cultures. I have a quickly-growing bucket list of places to visit and love to exchange travel stories with people!

 

CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE A PRIVATE LESSON WITH MS. HANNAH PRICE.

Seven piano students received recognition for their high-level performance and skillsets in national standard examinations created by the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM). Three students received Gold Medals for earning the highest score in the Southeast Region, and seven students achieved the highest marks among all Virginia contestants.

“This is a great honor and a huge congratulation to our RCM winners this year,” said Piano Teaching Artist Faith Zúñiga, who teaches private lessons and coaches the students in preparing for their exams. “It’s because of my students’ hard work and their parents’ support.”

The seven students who received the recognition are:

Gold Medalists:
Annabelle Yeh, Preparatory A
Madison Do, Level 1
Keira Konson, Level 8

State Certificates:
Annabelle Yeh, Preparatory A
Emerie Wonnum, Preparatory B
Madison Do, Level 1
Grace Amartuvshin, Level 5
Chloe Tan, Level 6
Jayden Nguyen, Level 7
Keira Konson, Level 8

RCM provides national standard examinations for numerous instruments guiding young musicians for a holistic music study. The examination assesses students’ musicianship through several testing components such as performance, sight-reading, aural skills, and technical tests. Students progress through levels of difficulty from Preparatory A to Level 10.

Congratulations again to all our RCM winners. We are so proud of all your accomplishments. Check out our RCM winners’ pieces of advice for our young musicians who are preparing for a music exam or competition:

 

---

 

Grace Amartuvshin
Years of Piano Study: 7 Years

“Exams and competitions aren’t everything, and if you don’t do as well as you wanted to, it doesn’t define who you are as a performer. Don’t compare yourself to others- focus on being better than you were yesterday.”

 

---

 

Madison Do
Years of Piano Study: 5 Years

“Practice a lot without burning yourself out, and then play with confidence and have fun.”

 

 

---

 

Keira Konson
Years of Piano Study: 13 Years

“When you are preparing for a recital or competition, practice in as many ways as you can! Once you feel confident that you have the piece ready and can play it from memory, get creative: making recordings is a great way to test yourself and prepare for a performance. Or play in front of your family or friends exactly how you are going to for the performance. You will feel more confident when you get up on stage to perform for a broader audience if you have already played in front of different groups of people you know and trust. The last thing is to have fun with it! Performing is an incredible opportunity, so don’t lose sight of that!”

 

---

 

Jayden Nguyen
Years of Piano Study: 7 Years

“Participate in as many piano recitals or festivals as possible that give you the opportunities to perform in front of many people and to help build the confidence.”

 

---

 

Chloe Tan
Years of Piano Study: 7 Years

“Persistence makes a long way. The closer you are to the events, the more tiring it will feel. But persistence will help you get closer to your best.”

 

---

 

Emerie Wonnum
Years of Piano Study: 6 Years

“Always keep practicing and focus a lot on your technique; it will help you a lot.”

 

 

---

 

Annabelle Yeh
Years of Piano Study: 6 Years

“Practice with helpful things like the metronome and counting out loud to help you learn rhythms.”

 

 

---

 

This post is written by Claire Allen, Director of Patriot Violins.

Last Summer, when it came time to design the curriculum for Patriot Violins for the 2020-2021 school year, no vaccine was in sight. We still didn’t know how the virus spread – all we knew was that we were sad, lonely, exhausted, and scared to do the one thing we wanted to do the most – make music together.

The mission of Patriot Violins is to bring together committed young violinists with a shared love of music and community and to bring that music to as many parts of our community as we can. In the 2019-2020 inaugural season, the Patriot Violins performed at Academy recitals, University events such as Arts By George, the Mason Arts Research Conference, and, most memorably, a Mason Men’s Basketball Game where they performed the National Anthem standing center court, and then performed pop songs side by side with the Green Machine.

 

 

How, then, to follow up that experience with something wholly online, during a pandemic? There were some of our students who weren’t willing to consider any additional online activities and declined to audition for our second season altogether. Others were hesitant, and afraid that the experience wouldn’t be worth it, but decided to try it anyway. As any teacher out there knows, engaging and connecting with teen musicians can be a challenge under the best of circumstances, which this was far from.

Ultimately, I realized that one of the most important parts of my role as a teacher is to give my students a taste of what the larger musical world is like, and that is where I sought inspiration. I saw masked chamber groups from orchestras playing for health care workers and giving neighborhood concerts in their driveways. I saw collaborations from all over the world creating virtual chamber music on apps like A Cappella, or split-screen videos where one performer played multiple parts. I saw musicians raising awareness for important issues like voting registration, racial justice, homelessness, hunger, education, and health care. Musicians were playing outside glass windows for residents of retirement communities and nursing homes, who were isolated during the pandemic. And, I saw musicians of the highest caliber offering online masterclasses, workshops, and demonstrations. Geography was no longer a limit, and that really excited me.

 

 

And so, I put together a curriculum. For the fall semester, we focused on building violin technique using Simon Fischer’s excellent book, Warming Up. We invited Laurie Niles, creator and editor of Violinist.com to teach a workshop on writing about music and the creation of online communities in the music world. I created a project called “The 21st Century Violinist Project,” where students picked one performing violinist to follow via website and social media to observe how *they* were handling the pandemic. Students researched these violinists, listened to their albums, and in some cases, were able to observe live concerts and masterclasses with them. Each class, students would share what they’d learned with their classmates, with the idea of getting inspiration to spark the second half of our year. And finally, we had a video editor join us via Zoom to teach the class how to make split-screen duet videos. The assignment was for each student to learn both parts of a duet and to edit themselves together.

This turned out to be an intriguing project – the students observed so much about their own playing as they recorded themselves and then tried to play together! One student noticed that they were very hard to follow and needed to use more body motions to cue. Another student noticed that they tended to change tempos quite frequently and had to become much steadier to make the duet work. As a teacher, I observed a lot of musical growth in each of the students as a result of having to study their own playing so intently.  

 

 

Going into the spring semester, with vaccines on the horizon and the hope of better weather, I asked the students to vote on a selection of pieces to learn and perform – to really think about the type of music they wanted to play and audiences wanted to hear, to think about who the composers were writing these pieces, and in what format they would deliver the performances. After considering the students’ input, I selected six pieces, all by American composers who lived during the 20th and 21st centuries, and called the program “American Voices.” Below is the program:

• “…what story down there awaits its end” by Reena Esmail (b. 1983)
• “Tango Ad Astra” by Julia Klumpkey (1870 – 1961)
• “Emily’s Reel” by Mark O’Connor (b. 1961)
• “Adoration” by Florence Price (1887-1953)
• “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) and John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954)
• “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin (1868-1917)

 

 

We lined up several physically distanced in-person performances and crossed our fingers for favorable weather conditions. Students created videos of themselves playing each of the pieces so their classmates could play “with” them and prepare as best as possible for in-person performances with no in-person rehearsals! We also were fortunate enough to have Rebecca Henry from the Peabody Preparatory and Dr. Cora Cooper from Kansas State University give Zoom masterclasses for the students as part of their preparation. 

 

 

All in all, the students performed four times – in one of their driveways for a distanced crowd of neighbors, for an intimate audience in the lobby of the Center for the Arts, in the Veteran’s Amphitheater as part of Fairfax City’s Spotlight on the Arts festival, and outdoors at Sunrise Senior Living in Vienna, where the aunt of a student’s parent resides. The students also created online content as part of a social media takeover where they shared clips of their playing, practicing, and talked about the pieces they were performing. You can access these via the #PatriotViolinsIGTakeover.

Within all of this, we prioritized connection, support, and showing up authentically in our online meetings. Every class started with a check-in, giving the students an opportunity to share how things were going, to express how they felt about life at that point, and opportunities to reflect on how we were still connected, even while apart. It’s this that sets Patriot Violins apart from other ensemble opportunities – the interpersonal connections are prioritized and nurtured alongside their violin playing. These connections have continued out of both the Zoom and virtual classrooms via text group chats, birthday parties, and more. I could not be more proud as a teacher to see how these students have shown up for each other as human beings and fellow musicians this year. One of the most rewarding moments for me was seeing them absolutely light up the first time they saw each other in-person after so long apart.

 

 

One parent shared, “Patriot Violins is so much more than a violin experience for these kids. My daughter learned about video editing, music history, how to support and encourage other musicians, and on and on. She not only improved her playing and performance skills through this group but also increased her confidence and gained friends along the way. I can’t imagine a better group for my daughter to have weathered the pandemic with online (and in-person this Spring) than Claire Allen and these kids. Kuddos to the entire Mason Community Arts Academy for this all-around amazing program!” 

Another wrote, “I have loved watching musical friendships form during Patriot Violins.  Claire has a great way of guiding positive interaction among the students.  She assigns projects that not only grow the kids musically but also provide purposeful interaction with others in the group.  Their project meetings outside of class often turn to other shared interests once the work is done and lasts for hours.  Great group for teens!” 

 

 

For the very last session of the year, we received permission to hold our class in-person at the Academy, masked and distanced. We played duets together, and each student had four minutes to share what had been the most meaningful to them throughout the year. As a group, we then affirmed each other – going around the room and sharing what we admired about each student, what inspired us, and how we’d seen them grow. There were several damp eyes in the room (my own included!) as students shared how much they loved each other’s sound, how much they enjoyed being around each other, and how much they meant to each other. These affirmations were a powerful experience for them and, I hope, gave them a boost as we continue into the next phase of pandemic music-making.

 

 

What will Patriot Violins look like for the 2021-2022 school year? That’s still being decided, but the core values that held us together through the pandemic will remain the same: commitment to high-level music-making, a willingness to self-reflect and share about personal growth, and dedication to sharing music within our community and outside of it.  

 

Audition information for the 2021-2022 Patriot Violins will be released in mid to late July and auditions will be due by August 16.