MY GOALS AS YOUR TEACHER ARE TO HELP YOU:
Hear – listen to yourself – if you can’t hear it you can’t fix it!
Take criticism well – if you shrink from the truth, you won’t be able to grow as quickly
Do not fear mistakes. There are none. – Miles Davis
Identify technical problems and fix them– I can give you tools
Develop musical ideas – study scores – analyze and create appropriate characters
Practice regularly and joyfully – tone your willpower – remember, this is FOR YOU
Strategize – set up specific goals – knock them down one by one
Identify strengths and weaknesses – form programs featuring both
Stay in harmony with your body – learn when to take breaks, when not to push
Set your own goals – demanding yet not overwhelming
Tap the wellsprings of your creativity
Teach and inspire yourself in all the years to come
YOUR GOALS AS MY STUDENT ARE TO:
Practice regularly, 4-6 hours a day
Listen to yourself with absolute concentration
Record practicing, lessons, and concerts
Demand the highest possible standard in your playing
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. –Aristotle
Recognize and appreciate your own progress
Study more advanced violinists with openness and curiosity
Care for your body and nurture your soul
Take responsibility for your own progress and musical development
Immerse yourself in music and the violin for this very short time we have together
Find the joy in every aspect of your life!
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS IN LIFE?
Orchestra musician? Chamber musician? Soloist? Freelance musician? College teacher? High school teacher? Private studio teacher? Rock ‘n’ roll star? Country fiddler? Studio musician? Composer of violin etudes? Writer of articles about violin? Competition winner? Competition judge? Violin shop? Conductor? Chamber music coach? Panelist? Start a music school? Start a band? Start an orchestra? Start a magazine? Become a manager? Become an accountant? Write cadenzas? Start a festival? Tour? …..
The world is your oyster, and you have no idea what you are going to do! What you can be certain of is that the practice and exploration you do now will set you up for your entry into the world of music. The more solid your technical foundation, the easier it will be to obtain a standard job. The more solid your musical foundation, the more likely it is you will rise to the top of your profession. The more initiative you develop, the more flexible you will be in finding and creating your own opportunities in life.
A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be
ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be.
– Abraham Maslow