Think Storm Troopers playing the violin is a bit “out of this world”? Not according to Violin Teaching Artist Claire Allen, who recently coordinated a full-costumed performance of the well-known Star Wars theme music by some of her students. And that’s just one example of how Ms. Allen is exploring new galaxies of violin instruction.
This past semester, a group of devoted Star Wars fans from Ms. Claire’s violin studio performed “The Imperial March” from The Empire Strikes Back at one of her studio recitals. Students worked with special practice videos to learn and memorize their parts, and even organized a fun movie night to watch the movie together before the performance! One parent did video editing for the performance and another arranged and made most of the costumes. “The level of enthusiasm and involvement from both students and parents was phenomenal,” said Claire.
Claire Allen has been on faculty at Potomac Arts Academy since August 2013. In the last three years, she has built a thriving violin studio with over 20 students, helped to design the Violin Beginnings classes and curriculum for ages 4-7, co-created and co-directed the summer Violin Bootcamp for ages 8-18, and has recently taken on the role of Faculty Coordinator. She is a frequent contributor to the Academy’s blog, as well as on her own website’s blog, where she writes about various topics related to violin and the life of a professional musician. Many of her pieces have been featured on Violinist.com. She performs regularly with the McLean Orchestra and the Academy’s Faculty String Quartet.
“My goal is to instill a love of music in the hearts of all my students along with a sound technical foundation free from tension, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to sharing music with the world through performance,” stated Ms. Allen. She achieves this through a mix of traditional methods and more avant garde ways. Aside from popular theme-based projects such as the Star Wars piece, she has also experimented with using YouTube as a means to connect with both her students and a larger audience, both through practice vlogs on her own YouTube channel and as part of the Argonath Duo with Piano Teaching Artist Wade Meyers.
Along with the upcoming Academy’s Spring Recital Weekend (May 21st & 22nd), Ms. Claire’s students have also been preparing for a very special studio recital on June 4th, entitled “Women Write Music”. The idea evolved after one of Claire’s young female students inquisitively asked “Why are all the composers old men?” “I believe that young 21st century musicians should grow up learning and performing the music of both male and female composers, and so I use the Violin Music By Women anthologies in my studio to add stylistic diversity and gender equality to my students’ repertoire,” explained Ms. Allen, who will also be performing alongside her students at the June 4th recital. Adding to the excitement, the VMBW Anthologies editor Cora Cooper will be traveling from Kansas to attend the event and even perform a special piece with Ms. Allen. “I was stunned, elated, and terrified when Cora contacted me and said she not only wanted to come to the recital, but to perform with me!” exclaimed Claire.
To find out more about taking violin lessons with Ms. Claire, who will have several spots opening up in our Summer 2016 semester (end of June through end of August), email our Private Lesson Coordinator at potomac@gmu.edu and/or submit the online form.