Category Musical Passion
Music and Wellness
I often write for my organization’s e-newsletter. One of our features is “Violence Prevention Field Notes” – the issue we’re releasing next Friday will contain this: Last month, I was co-teaching a wellness workshop with a colleague for a group of pre and neo-natal service providers from Ounce of Prevention, a local non-profit organization. One of our […]
Son of His Environment
I will admit to allowing availability on the Kindle to sway which books I read, especially as it pertains to beginning an exploration. Not only are the books cheaper, but I don’t have to wait at all to start reading. I’ve just started the Kindle download of Dr Shinichi Suzuki: Son of His Environment, by […]
On Leveling up and Fingers
The last lesson was a whirlwind – our typical pattern is I play all my old material, from Twinkle Twinkle through my newest song, and Teacher corrects me on finer points as we go along. The finest of the finer points is often my bow hold. That still holds, but last week as I played, […]
I’d Rather Be Playing the Violin
I miss a day or two practicing per week. Even so, I’ve never missed the day before a lesson, but yesterday was a very long one and by the time I got home dinner and the couch were all I could handle. We’ll see how today’s lesson goes as a result. I’ve determined already that […]
Some Things Old Are Some Things New
One of the first CDs I purchased as a teenager featured Paganini’s 1st Violin Concerto. I don’t remember the soloist, but I think she or he played alongside the Hungarian Philharmonic. The Concerto remains a favorite and an inspiration – I’ve watched several YouTube performances of the piece, and am enamored of Sarah Chang’s simultaneous boldness and grace. […]
Riding the Kreisler Highway
My quest for proper violin hold, bow hold, finger and arm positioning, and bow placement on the strings continues. Weekly, Teacher makes minor corrections to my configuration, and, weekly, I’m able to absorb ever so slightly more detail about doing it all correctly. Yesterday, I was tickled when she made me aware of a new […]
YouTube Is No Teacher
YouTube has never really been my thing. I have seen my share, of course, as a passionate, 21st century consumer of information, but I prefer reading – in fact I will often skip a news story if it’s only available on video. But since I started playing the violin, I’ve started watching YouTube videos about […]
Fifths and Starts
I don’t really know what “The Consonance of The Fifth” means; I’m working on it. I realized yesterday that I know very little about why the Western seven-note scale exists, so I started to explore it via Wikipedia and other online sources, and learned that fifths and eighths – the octave – are especially consonant, […]
Pulling the Voice Box out of Storage
I used to sing. I was never the best vocal talent, but I could carry a tune – in some ways it was what I was supposed to do, so I did. Mostly I loved it. I sang in more church musicals than I can remember, often with a leading role. I sang in church […]
Daily Bread
Three days in and I have a perfect track record – just over 30 minutes a day practicing. While I didn’t ask Teacher how much to practice, nor did she say, I think that’s a fine place to start. As I stand at my huge window that looks out over Lake Michigan, playing my violin […]
Ryan Libel 