Does it Matter If a Conductor Has a String-Playing Background?

Many conductors are former or current string players. But when a conductor has stringed-instrument experience, is he or she more disposed to nurturing the art of string playing?

Effective Teaching Strategies for a Music Student With Alzheimer’s Disease

By Scott Flavin | From the May-June 2022 issue of Strings magazine Some years ago, I taught a private violin student, an adult amateur who was a highly resp... Read More...

Violinist Rebecca Fischer Reflects on a Life Saturated in Music in New Book

Untethered from musical scores in "The Sound of Memory: Themes from a Violinist's Life," Rebecca Fischer tells her story in a graceful, loose-knit narrative that sifts through drifting memories.

Using Musical Context to Approach Viola Scale Work

Most viola methods and fingerings for scales are based on violin playing, but why are there so few dedicated scale or study materials for the viola?

Jazz Bassist Ron Carter Will Lay Down the Grooves at His Own Carnegie Hall Tribute

Bassist Ron Carter's contributions to the jazz world will be feted May 10, when Carnegie Hall presents For the Love of Ron Carter and Friends: 85th Birthday Celebration.

Meadowmount’s New Artistic Director Janet Sung Reflects on Her Time as a Student at the Renowned Music School

Artistic Director Janet Sung looks forward to the chance to help influence a new generation of young musicians’ lives in the same way that her time at Meadowmount impacted her.

Prophets of Possibility: Bang on a Can Is Building a Musical Cadre of American Experimentalists

Founded in 1987 as a response to the absence of new music in American concert halls, Bang on a Can is now a major force in the new-music movement.

David William Hearn Discusses the Development the Staffpad Music Composition App

The Staffpad music composition app allows you to write music notation on a staff using an iPad or Windows tablet, pen-and-paper style.

Sheet Music Review: Grazyna Bacewicz’s ‘Easy Pieces for Violin & Piano’ is Ideal for Beginners

Grazyna Bacewicz's "Easy Pieces for Violin & Piano," penned in 1945—five in each of two books—is ideal for the beginning years of lessons.

The ‘Celebrating Women Luthiers’ Exhibit Reveals a More Diverse Violin Trade Than Existed in the Past

The Celebrating Women Luthiers exhibit isn’t about antiquity. It is a testament to the creativity and skill of multiple generations of more modern makers.