Category: Music

Unlike other musicians, pianists don’t often get the opportunity to be surrounded by fellow pianists and to learn alongside them. A pianist often finds himself/ herself alone at the keyboard for years, as it takes time and training to become proficient enough to accompany singers or instrumentalists, or even to play as part of an orchestra. Our new Summer Piano Camp, created by Teaching Artists Michelle Richardson, Wade Meyers, and Faith Zuñiga, aims to give young pianists a group of peers to learn alongside as they strengthen music fundamentals such as sight-reading, music theory, and piano technique.

Each student will receive private lessons with our Teaching Artist Faculty and have the opportunity to perform informally for their peers. Masterclasses will give the students an opportunity to try their repertoire for a friendly audience in an educational setting where they receive feedback from the faculty. There will be a performance open to the public at the end of the week!

The camp will be held at George Mason University’s School of Music, which is an All-Steinway School. Steinway pianos have the best tone quality and action, and are used by the majority of the top pianists in the world. Students attending this camp will be able to learn, practice, and perform on Steinway pianos, which will help them develop their technique and give them a first-class experience.

Pianists who attend will be able to share their experiences and musical ideas with each other, as well as make friends with other musicians their own age. Having supportive musical friends can be one of the most encouraging and motivational things for a young musician!

Summer Piano Camp is for students who have taken at least 1 or 2 years of private lessons and who are ages 8 – 18. The camp only accepts 20 students, which will ensure a small faculty to student ratio and ensure an individualized experience for every pianist. Young intermediate pianists will benefit just as much as older advanced pianists. The most important thing is that all students are willing to work hard, be open to new ideas and concepts, and want to share their music with others.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SUMMER PIANO CAMP AT MASON

Younger students who have no prior piano experience should make sure to sign up for our Summer Piano Adventures camp to start their journey!

In August 2015, our violin faculty pioneered a new summer program: Violin Bootcamp. Read on for violin teacher Claire Allen’s reflection on the experience, originally published in the newsletter of the Virginia American String Teachers’ Association, and enjoy a slideshow of photos from last year’s camp!

Violin Bootcamp was created, directed, and taught by Rachel McAleer, Matthew Richardson, Erynn Spencer, and myself, Claire Allen.
Our goal was simple: to create an environment where violinists could learn concepts and skills that would improve their playing at a fundamental level.

Twenty violinists ages 8 to 16 attended Bootcamp. Each day began with a series of warm-up exercises that included stretching, left hand basics and exercises, right hand basics and bow games, and practice strategies. Our faculty took turns leading various parts of the warm-ups, while the other three walked among the students to shape their left hands, fix bow holds, and give hands-on reinforcement of the concepts being taught. Students received four 30-
minute private lessons over the course of the week. We paired the students for lessons, so one student would have a lesson while the other took notes for them, and then they switched. While the violin faculty taught lessons, the other students had individual practice time. A practice monitor moved through all the practice spaces to make sure the students were practicing. She would ask to see their practice plans, and serve as a sample “audience,” which was especially useful for those students preparing for auditions.

After lunch came a Technique/Violin Culture class, where students were in the same groups they had for scales. The four teachers rotated among these classes, so the students had a different teacher for this class each day – it was important to us that each student got to experience each teacher. Topics included shifting, vibrato, rhythm and tone production. The “Violin Culture” part of the class was designed to introduce the students to different aspects of the violin world, such as current artists, old masters such as Heifetz, and contemporary classical music. Each day concluded with a masterclass taught by one of our faculty members. The students were able to perform for each other and observe their colleagues learn. For some of our students, this week was the first time they had ever had private lessons – and then the first time they had ever performed in public. Our regular private students at Potomac benefited from being able to work with a different teacher. For the teachers, it was an incredible opportunity to witness each other’s teaching and to learn from each other.

Bootcamp has had a tremendous effect on our violin community at Potomac Arts Academy, both students and the teachers. We as a violin department have always approached teaching from a collaborative mindset, but this was the first pedagogical project we had embarked on as a team. Being able to share teaching ideas, tricks, and perspectives on each other’s students was amazing.

The atmosphere of learning and respect for each violinist’s individual journey was truly remarkable. Our students learned together, played together at lunch and supported each other. By halfway through the week, a group of girls in our youngest group was hugging each other hello and goodbye every day. While preparing for my masterclass, I noticed one of my regular private students giving advice to her friend who was about to play for me in the masterclass. The support crossed the age lines. Naturally, our youngest students looked up to the older ones, but our older students also respected the younger ones and treated them as fellow violinists, rather than as little kids. They all truly enjoyed each other, and we teachers adored working with all of them.

The final performance was an unexpectedly emotional experience for all of us. Every single student made leaps and bounds of progress in just five days. We saw true, lasting technical change created throughout Bootcamp. I can report that each of my private students who attended Bootcamp has retained all of the progress they made during that week, and that the changes and growth have stuck.

Violin Bootcamp is returning for 2016, and we look forward to welcoming new and returning students!

Limited Spots Remain: Secure your place now!

 LEARN MORE ABOUT VIOLIN BOOTCAMP 2016

Albert Einstein stated, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” Each summer at Mason, we give music teachers valuable tools to hone their skills, upgrade their credentials and inspire their students.

Here is our Summer 2016 line-up of Teacher Education programs:

• Piano Pedagogy Workshop for Piano Teachers, June 6-10
• Rolland String Pedagogy Workshop for String Teachers, June 24-26
• Orff Schulwerk Certification Program for Music Educators Grades K-8, July 18-29
  (Special Supplemental courses also run July 11-15)
• Kodaly Teacher Training for Music/ Choral Educators K-12, July 18-29

Carl Orff, creator of the Orff Schulwerk methodology, once famously said, “Tell me, I forget; Show me, I remember; Involve me, I understand.” Fully interactive involvement is exactly what music teachers will find at the Orff Schulwerk Certification Program! Experienced Orff faculty lead participants through lectures, discussions, hands-on activities, and performances during the two-week courses, introducing Orff’s unique mix of music, movement, rhythm and speech techniques. Starting at Level One, participants can take a Level course each summer, culminating with Level Three, after which upon successful completion earns them official Certification in Orff Schulwerk, as prescribed by the American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA) and recognized nationwide by many school systems.

Kodaly Teacher Training, created by another famous composer Zoltan Kodaly (pronounced “ko-DI”), is also highly interactive, focusing on singing, folk song, and movement techniques. Similar to Orff, Kodaly participants start at Level One and may choose to complete all Three Levels to earn a Certificate in Kodaly training, awarded by the Organization of American Kodaly Educators (OAKE).

Piano instructors from across the region get a boost of inspiration – plus wonderful pedagogical insights – at the Piano Pedagogy Workshop, led by Mason School of Music Director Dr. Linda Monson and the Mason Piano faculty. Participants enjoy a variety of “hot topics” in piano education each day, are able to network and socialize with their peers, and if they attend the full week earn a Certificate of Completion from George Mason University’s School of Music.

The legacy of iconic string professor Paul Rolland – who emphasized efficient, effective movement patterns and playing that is free from excessive tension – is explored and analyzed in the Rolland String Pedagogy Workshop. Participants will learn from former students of the late Paul Rolland and can take advantage of the convenient 3-day weekend format.

Furthermore, many of these workshops can be taken for GMU college credit. If you are a music educator who is looking to boost your “street cred”, gain insights that will help you re-shape your studio/ classroom curriculum, and get connected to the thriving Mason arts community, then you have found your home!

SEE ALL TEACHER TRAINING WORKSHOPS