This post has nothing to do with music teaching.
Nancy and I love travelling to Japan, and the big wish list items this time around included eating lots of tasty food and sightseeing.  On this trip, we made more of an effort to try more sweets and street food, as well as a greater variety of ramen.

Video (not from our trip) of the Octopus crackers being made:

This ramen has very little in common with instant ramen.  Many of the shops have several generations of experience, and there are often several local and regional differences.

In Shin-Yokohama, a quick train ride  away from Tokyo, there's a ramen museum theme park where one can try many kinds of ramen.  We miraculously made it through almost 3 bowls there. 

We hadn't been to Kanazawa before.  The food scene in Kanazawa was maybe more impressive than other cities. Large variety of sweets and street food, even the conveyor belt sushi was extremely high quality.

One of the highlights, always, is having a couple of Kaiseki meals, which are multi course meals with somewhat strict guidelines, often made with seasonal and local ingredients.  In this case, we had meal service in the room, and the courses came in intervals over a blazing fast 90 minutes.

Our first stop in Japan was Tokyo.  We only stayed for two days, mainly trying to recover from jetlag. 

Next stop was the resort town of Hakone, known for its active volcanos and  hot springs.
​We also had a chance to meet up with friends and go on a hike.

Nearby, a Cable Car to Owakudani, a volcanic valley with active sulphur vents.  Last time we made this trip, the cars were closed due to an eruption.

Also nearby, the Open Air Museum.

Kanazawa has been easier to access of the last few years due to new high speed rail lines.
We spent 5 days there, enjoying the gardens and Kanazawa Castle.  The "Higashi Chaya" district had a bunch of sweet shops and sake breweries.  For me, a highlight was visiting the phonograph museum, where I heard an old recording of Japanese violinist, Nejiko Suwa.   

We also returned to Kyoto on the final stage of the trip, hoping to see sights that we missed on our previous trip: The Silver Temple, and Philosopher's' walk.

I've been teaching private violin lessons in San Antonio for about 10 years now.  It's been fascinating for me to try and figure out the who/why/how of student-to-teacher matching in SA.

Possibly every private teacher in the city would benefit from a stronger teaching climate and stronger student base.   Certainly, every private teacher in the city would benefit from improved  student-to-teacher matching.  Marketing successfully goes a long way towards improving our teaching climate and matching process. 

I've had a number of coffee conversations with younger area private music teachers, as well as colleagues in SAS, and I wanted to share some brief thoughts on marketing to students in SA below.  

The Big Picture

The student-to-teacher matching process in San Antonio is still very underdeveloped.
There's no large centralized resource or non-profit school where students and teacher interact on a regular basis.  It's difficult for families to find and contact the most qualified private lesson teachers, and almost a black magic for dedicated families to meet several teachers in search of the best match.  It's no fun starting from scratch, trying to find a violin teacher. 
  
One way I've fought the lack of a developed matching process is to increase the variety of useful marketing tools that I use, while also trying to learn more about the student population that is seeking lessons.  Successful marketing seems to involve casting a wide net, and having a mechanism for filtering in well-matching students.

Word of Mouth from parents and students is always the strongest advertisement

How strong?  Almost every student that comes into my studio from a word of mouth recommendation has no interest in my credentials, experience, or track record with students.
I've actually heard: "Our friend/teacher recommended you, and that's enough! No need to sell it."  Amazing, right?!  I come away thinking: "Why did I bother getting a degree then?"

It seems that the most intense families, the most hard working students usually come from a word of mouth recommendation.  They have probably spoken with another family, or even heard a student play violin  in church or a public recital.

Sometimes, increasing word of mouth advertisement is a bit of a mystery. It's a social currency.  With current students, I'll sometimes mention:  "If you have some ambitious friends at school that might like to take lessons, be sure to take a business card."

Moo.com prints excellent business cards, and I keep in mind that I'm selling violin lessons, not tree trimming services.  Cards have to look nice.

Word of Mouth from private teachers and school teachers is also very strong
​
I'll mention to teacher friends occasionally: "please keep me in mind for student recommendations."  I suspect(hope!) that some recommendations are reciprocal. 

There are a handful of private teachers that teach up to about book 3 or 4 of the Suzuki rep, and then decide to move their students to teachers with conservatory credentials and professional performing experience.  In most other cities in TX and in the northeast U.S., those advancing student pipelines are much more solidified.

Some very good recommendations have also come out of middle school classrooms.  Those students tend to be a little bit more hit or miss in terms of adaptability.  Not having a private teacher until 7th or 8th grade means that there has been no existing practice structure or routine.  That's a tough thing (but not impossible) to start building  from scratch in adolescence.

I personally wish that private lessons were pushed hard in 5th grade strings or earlier.  Many parents just have no clue that private lessons are an option, or even useful for their beginning string player.  All of the best public school programs have a high percentage of students enrolled in private lessons.

Websites and Internet Marketing (matthewzerweck.com,  Youtube, Google adwords)

These days, it's easy enough to use a website template on Weebly or Wix, etc., but very few area teachers have website presences.  My weebly website, matthewzerweck.com,  has been a good tool for allowing students and families to make contact, and my youtube channel is a peek into the tone/approach I use for lessons.

Google adwords express is a tool I've been experimenting with for the last couple of years.
It's greatly increased the number of calls I've received around August and September when most students think about starting lessons or switching teachers.
It allows for a targeted radius (within X miles of anywhere in San Antonio) for about $50 per month.  So, my website comes up in certain areas when someone searches for "violin teacher." My google business listing shows up on Google Maps, and also includes a couple of shots of the violin studio.  It looks official.

The Website and Adwords have yielded a couple of students, and also help give the impression to many potential students that I'm serious about playing and teaching (and not just some dude that happens to play the violin).  It's a huge weight off my shoulders when I can avoid giving a sales spiel about my experiences as a performer and educator.

Angie's List, Yelp, are pretty much worthless for private lesson matching.
Yelp, especially, is directed towards businesses with hundreds of clientele, so it's near impossible to achieve reviews from a small and steady client base. Those reviews often get flagged and deleted.  Advanced marketing on Yelp is prohibitively expensive for a private teaching studio (several hundred $$ per month).  Craigslist and Nextdoor Neighbor tend to attract bargain hunters.  I haven't had success using either.

One area teacher I know has found a lot of success reaching out to mommy Facebook groups and offering instrument demos at a local music store.  Then, onsite, the potential students can by signed up for instrument lessons and rentals.

Directories for Teachers

The best directories allow website links and information about the teachers.
The YOSA directory is a great growing resource.  
SA String Teachers is also an effort in that same vein.

Teacher Directories at public schools are inherently flawed

Literally, there is usually a name and a phone number, so there's no differentiation between BM+MM Eastman School, SA Symphony, and someone that simply calls themselves a violin teacher, but maybe their main instrument is ukulele.
 
Contacts from public school teachers' lists are hit or miss.  It's equivalent to opening a phone book and using it as a dating service.

I'm not saying that these lists are useless, just extremely random.
A normal cold-call conversation goes like this:

Parent: My son's orchestra teacher told him he needs a "violin tutor."
MZ:  Okay, how did you find my contact info?
Parent: Well I called 10 people on the list, and you are the only person that has called back.
MZ: Huh. Okay, do you know anything about me? Have you Googled me?
Parent: Nope, not at all, we don't Google, we're just starting to look for a tutor.
MZ: I'm happy to see students of all ages and ability levels. Why don't I send you some information about my availability, policies, and rate structure over email, and I'll also include some other recommendations. What Area of SA are you in?
Parent: We live in Pebble Oak.
MZ: Sounds great! I'll send you a detailed email in a few minutes.

I've found a number of very bright, hardworking students though these lists, but there have also been a lot of redirections.  I have to wonder what happens to the students that don't receive any call-backs.

Teaching at a for-profit music school
Teaching at a music school is a good way to gain a large number of students with very little additional effort in marketing.  I taught at a well-respected music school for one year, and decided that it wasn't a good fit, a personal decision.

Know your market:
Anecdotal information below may be slightly skewed due to my location, age, pricepoint, race, and gender.

In SA, there's been an exponential growth  within the last 10 years in the number of non-SAS teachers focusing on younger students and beginning students.  There's also tremendous growth in the city in upper and middle class areas on the north and west side of town.

I've taken care to not reveal any personal information below.

General Locations of Potential Students:
Student density indicated by yellow highlighter.  Over time, the driving distance for potential students has increased.  Several students have driven from Uvalde, Austin, and Victoria, TX.  There's still a segment of the population that's averse to driving 25+ minutes.  That's surprising considering the expression: "everything is bigger in TX" 

On the location map, dots are approximate.  However, the locations of MACSA I and II make sense as far as my anecdotal evidence dictates.  LJE probably sees a ton of students on the West side that want to avoid a long drive. Plus that's an area, like Stone Oak, that's seeing a lot of housing growth.
​​
Student beginnings:
In this chart, I break down the location and approaches that incoming students had when they joined my studio.  About 25% of all current students moved from another state to San Antonio, after previously having lessons.  

Student Ages:
Ages are now pretty evenly split in my studio, which is a big change from 2010, where most students were high schoolers from the YOSA Orchestras.

​Gender:
I suspect that I may actually have a larger than normal number of male students for a violin studio. 

School Choice:
The overall slow trend over time in my studio is an increase in home school students and charter schools students.  You may wonder why the number of public students is small.  Generally, it's because those students come in around 7th-10th grade, and there's a much higher rate of turnover.  Home schoolers and charter school students tend to start lessons very young and stay for 7+ years.

Now these charts only say so much in and of themselves.  But on an individual level, I see a variety of students with very different goal and commitment levels.  My viewpoint is: if you can find and create opportunities for success for a variety of student types, you potentially  attract a larger pool of students.

Success for some students means moving up a couple of seats in school orchestra or a youth orchestra.  Maybe it's learning a skill like vibrato or playing in 3rd position.  And for others, success is bringing a memorized etude and scale to each lesson and competing in local competitions.  

Having high student retention means that students generally like coming to weekly lessons, and ultimately find those lessons meaningful.  Younger students will enjoy praise and parental attention, while older students are drawn more to self-individuation, accolades, and self-expression.  The student population in SA is extremely diverse, and having a large studio that accepts many ages and abilities means that flexibility is going to be a useful strength.

Matt Zerweck

First, a disclaimer:
#NotAllTeachers!

No of course, this blog post is not intended to refer to all or any specific teachers in the area! Any claim to that effect is merely an unnecessary derailment of the issue at hand -excessively difficult music.

The post names and addresses a *systemic problem.* Private teachers deal with this issue frequently. The post is intended to put a voice to the constant frustration of seeing private students come in with egregiously poor choices in music selections. Selections that are completely unplayable because they are 3-5 (or more) years ahead of students' current private lesson material.

Most private teachers would love to support their students in all of their endeavors, but when students arrive with impossible music selections from Youth Orchestra and Public School Directors, private lessons are effectively sabotaged. ​

Let me state the obvious:  
San Antonio pre-college music students are often given the impossible task of playing music that is far beyond the realm of appropriate difficulty.

If violin students are told to learn music that is so difficult that they cannot possibly hope to master it in a reasonable amount of time (or even hope to find the approximate location of all of the notes!), several things will occur:

-Students will get discouraged.

-Students will have the impression that they should always be working on nearly-impossible music, without regard to actual quality or ease of playing.

-Students will be physically and mentally tied up in knots.

-Students will not have the time to consistently advance fundamental technique (Intonation, Rhythm, Tone, the Physical, and Physiological) because they will be stuck in a cycle of constantly preparing for the next difficult audition or orchestral program.

All of these negatives can be packaged into a disease called:
Paralyzation by notes.

If you're a private teacher (of ages 12-18) in San Antonio, I'm sure you've been put in the awkward position of having to coach your students through inappropriately difficult music.  Every year, I've seen students come in with scales, orchestral pieces, advanced etudes of the French school of violin playing, professional-level orchestral excerpts, and audition requirements that are 3-5 years beyond my students' current playing level.

When I first moved to San Antonio, I was completely caught off guard by the ridiculously high levels of difficulty in the School Orchestra, Region,  All-State, and Youth Orchestra Music.  I thought, "maybe it's just me!"  I hadn't been teaching for many years, and I was a newbie to the "San Antonio Tradition."

Well, fast forward 8 years, and I can promise you- No.  There is something seriously wrong with the San Antonio music education culture.  If you are one of the "good" guys (prioritizing real pedagogical goals over so-called "achievement goals"), then look, I'm sure you can understand my point of view, and you know what I'm talking about. However, if you don't actively discourage other area teachers and organizations from harming your (shared) students, that silence is tacit support.  You do not need to continue supporting a deeply flawed system that continues to be unhealthy for students.

From my experiences, the "San Antonio Tradition" of music education follows these principles:

1) Be polite to a fault, in regard to every aspect of music education. 
There's no point in letting your students know what you really think would be best for them.  It might lead to uncomfortable questions or confusion!

2) Be sure to schedule school orchestra and youth orchestra music that is as difficult as humanly possible.  After all, it's important that amateur-level conductors, without degrees in conducting, have a chance to challenge themselves.

-It's preferable for orchestra music to be several years of experience ahead of the Solo music students are assigned.

-After all, none of the violins will stand out if they have to Air BowTM (fake) a couple of pages.

-Aim for:  Mahler's 1st Symphony, Prokofiev's Classical Symphony,  (Insert your favorite here!) 

-Yes, it's for the bragging rights! 

3) Have as many auditions and seating tests as you can possibly schedule.
Encourage your students to take as many auditions as possible, even if the music is inappropriate.

One student of mine, an average middle schooler (just starting to approach the 3rd position on the violin), had:
-Bi-weekly Chair tests at School
-3 times per year youth orchestra chair tests
-Region orchestra, with 8 separate excerpts

Add UIL Solo and Ensemble in High School, and this very average student has over 60 auditions between 8th and 12 grade.  If you thought standardized tests in academics were bad, take a look at the sheer number of auditions students have.

4) Keep up a high-level of anxiety over events that are more important for teachers than for students (like the UIL Orchestra contest).

-This can be achieved by scheduling several extra hours a week of practice after school for such events.
-Preferably, the scheduling for extra rehearsals is done as late as possible, without regard for students' private lesson schedules.
-Be sure to threaten students with a demotion into a lower orchestra if they do not comply with extra after school rehearsals.

5) Make sure that students have at least 3-8 excerpts or pages, for each audition they take.  That way, they'll be sure to spend all of their lesson time on audition material, rather than learning to play their instrument well. 

6) When organizing contests, make sure the judging process is a little mysterious (just short of colored smoke signals), and that the audition day is grueling.  It would be too easy to post all of the contest dates, music requirements, rules, judges' names and qualifications, and judging procedures on a single website.

Regarding Judging:
At the local UIL solo and Ensemble contests, no one really knows what the difference is in the  distinctions of "1, 2, 3, 4."  
I had a very upset student and parent come to me after they performed the G minor Bach Presto from memory and received a 2.
What's the difference between a "1 and a 2," I asked?
Student and Parent: "I dunno, a 1 is better." 

When I judged UIL several years ago, I was told merely to give the students a number from 1-4.  No rubric.

I gave out very few 1s, and several 3s and 4s.  Those students sounded like they were sightreading poorly.  I was not asked back!  Apparently, I should have known that only 1s and 2s were acceptable grades.

At the Region Orchestra Competitions, students are put into several "cattle call" situations, where they're forced to hear 20-40 other students crash through the excerpts.

And how does the judging occur at the Region level? Are student ranked, or are random numbers from 1-1000 used to place students? You might be surprised! 

The Region Orchestra judging processes (in every region in San Antonio) is totally unacceptable and produces very approximate results.

Some teachers require all of their students to participate in this competition, and even threaten to demote them to less-advanced school ensembles if they do not participate.
I can't imagine how that can possibly be healthy for students that are not experienced, or do not have the time and support for such an activity.

7) Assign high-position 3 octave major and minor scales to students that cannot play 1st position, one octave scales in tune.
Because every high school student needs an F melodic minor scale in 3-octaves! Duh.

8) Pretend that paralyzing students with notes is normal, and have a stock email ready:

"Thanks for reaching out to us.  I always appreciate it when private teachers are pro-active in communication." 

Sure you are!  This is standard code for "Buzz-off! We've been doing things this way for 40 years,"  and we're content with the regularity of our planning, if not the actual results of sloppy teaching.

​
My breakthroughs in dealing with excessive auditions and inappropriate music:

Communication
Over the years, I've written a good 20 to 40+ emails to various teachers and organizations, and for the most part, nothing has changed.  I know of other private teachers that have done the same or more. 

More inexperienced private teachers tend not to speak out as much.  Blacklisting by schools and youth orchestras is real.  It's true, if you speak out against poor teaching practices, you probably will be blacklisted.  The teaching community in San Antonio is small and overly self-protective to a fault.  This is especially true when organizations prioritize their own public image above integrity-based pedagogical considerations.

Really, what is the advantage to having students suffer from music that is much too difficult? Who benefits, really?  I can't possibly begin to wrap my head around it.

However, private teachers have something extremely important:

The overwhelming trust and respect of our private students.  That's one side effect of spending 30-60 minutes a week, one-on-one, with students.

Your private students will listen to you.  It's that simple.  One of the best things I've done in my private studio is to strongly recommend that specific students stop participating in "opportunities" that are poorly designed and/or harmful for them.

-School Orchestra is too hard? Join the lower orchestra group and be a star. Or, take an art class.

-Youth Orchestra takes up too much time? Take a break!

-Audition material is inappropriate? Don't do it! Find something else. 

There's no reason to give in to an unhealthy culture of inappropriate music selections and excessive audition testing. Resist!

The result has been a happier, more productive, more enthusiastic studio of students.
This season, auditions have been very pleasant for me as a teacher (5 of 30 students taking local auditions),  and the students withdrawing from youth orchestras have found more appropriate and more beneficial uses for their time: string quartets, group playing, group recitals. They've grown more and had more success without the audition/testing/faking regime.

I wish you all a happy and healthy year, free from inappropriate music and excessive auditions.
​
​-Matt

Notes from the Simon Fischer Baylor Classes (October 17th, 2016)

If you missed the recent Simon Fischer Masterclasses and open lessons, here are my organized notes with comments.  Rather than write anything down during the class, I found it more useful to pay attention and organize my thoughts the day after.

I stayed for several open lessons and the early masterclass.  Several of my students stayed for the second masterclass and discussed their notes with me later on.

I've admired Simon Fischer's publications (Basics, Scales, Double Stops, Practice, Violin Lesson) and DVD projects (Tone Production, Warmups) for several years.  It's clear that his work is the most up-to-date, organized, generally accepted body of work of violin knowledge.  Basics, Practice, the Violin Lesson, contain much of the same information, but geared towards different readers.
​
For my high school students, Practice and the Violin Lesson are the most approachable as resources.

I was looking forward to his classes at Baylor for several months, and I was so pleased that four of my own students and a couple of other San Antonio students were able to make the drive up to see the classes.


I'm paraphrasing everything, but the first comments Simon Fischer made at his classes were:

-I studied with some of the greatest teachers of the 20th century, but I consider myself self-taught.
-I like to borrow all of the great ideas from all of the violin schools.
-Question Authority!
-What is improvement? A (willingness) to change for the better.
-What is music?  It's Rhythm, Tone, Intonation.  You don't work on Rhythm, Tone, Intonation, and then somehow add music to it.

-Mr. Fischer also made a comment that as a young man, he was tied up in physical and mental knots, regarding excess tension and intonation issues.
He left the impression that there were several great teachers that spent very little time teaching the violin, even if they were very good music teachers.

A Lesson Conversation starter:

Every great teacher tends to create a very specific atmosphere and tone when talking with students. Simon Fischer's rapport was both jovial and laser-focused on problems at hand.

"You have such a beautiful tone, and sense of style in (insert piece here), and I bet you NEVER, EVER think about (insert topic here) while you're practicing."

(Topic) could be the angle of the finger, testing intonation with open strings, etc.

I really liked this approach to opening conversations with students, because the "I bet you NEVER, EVER think of such and such," assumes that students actually are thinking in the first place, and also places an expectation of additional critical thought and experimenting.


Setup issues:

One student, performing the Khachaturian Concerto, had some significant setup issues.  It was clear that beyond Fischer's dislike of the Khachaturian Concerto, there was worthwhile time to be spent on experimenting with the shoulder rest and chinrest.

The particular student had a very high set shoulder rest, which was throwing her bowing planes out of whack, and making G-String tone production quite difficult.  Hardly a giraffe, the student looked much more comfortable with a lower shoulder rest, allowing the violin to rest on her collarbone.

Fischer also advocated for the use of chinrests with lips, over flat chinrests.  He seemed allergic to one student's expensive Kreddle chinrest, as it had no lip at the end.

When I attended ASU's Paul Rolland Seminar last summer, there were some very similar comments made by presenters there.
The overall sentiment seemed to be:  Find a great chinrest first, try to find a tall chinrest, if need be, and then find the shortest shoulder rest or other device possible.

Recently, I've been playing with a Sure Tone shoulder rest, and it's been a wonderful change from the Mach One, from anything Kun, from sponges and makeup pads.  It doesn't squeeze or touch the back of the violin. Awesome. 
www.suretone-rest.com

Violin Playing School of the Void:  There is no bow hold.  There is no shift.

"There is no Bow Hold."

I remember reading Miyamoto Musashi's "Book of 5 Spheres," a book on the art of war as a rational and scientific pursuit.
Musashi writes:  "There is no such thing as a man−cutting grip. Generally, I dislike fixedness in both long swords and hands. Fixedness means a dead hand. Pliability is a living hand. You must bear this in mind."

"There is no bow hold," is the understanding that all bow holds need to move and balance as one travels from frog to tip.

Fischer asserted that the "Carl Flesch" bow hold (what Flesch called the "new" Russian hold) is unfortunate because of the placement of the right thumb between fingers 1 and 2 (causing unnecessary tension) and an over-reliance on the the 1st finger as a pressure center.

From my experience, most teachers today advocate a "ring" between the 2nd finger's 1st joint and the thumb (the so-called Galamian bow hold, really from Capet), which I've always thought was the most natural, balanced way of holding the bow.  

In Monday's class, Fischer advocated for a slightly different adjustment:  Allowing the second finger to drift just slightly to the left side of the thumb.
(The thumb has only one place on the modern bow, and it's not the U-shaped parking spot where chewing gum is stored).

It was also interesting to hear him quote Lucien Capet in terms of the role each finger plays.  The 3rd finger is the "Spiritual Guide" of the bow according to Capet.

In my own experiments with students this week, I noticed a couple of interesting occurrences. Students having difficulties forming round, arched 4th fingers at the frog, were much more flexible when their 3rd fingers were more active in a stabilizing role (pulling towards the body).

The slight change in leverage that occurs with the second finger ring moving slightly to the left brought about a clear increase in healthy tone production.
I personally didn't find it to be flexible enough for intricate spiccato and articulation work, but it's only been a couple of days.

​

​
"There is no Shift."

With at least one student playing Saint-Saens (B minor concerto and Introduction and Rondo), the subject of shifting came up.  In many student's minds, there is a starting note, a shift, and then a goal note.   So, in effect, 3 locations.  

Fischer made the case that we should really only think about 2 loci.  The starting note as one, and the shift and goal as the next.
Where does the time for the shift come from? Obviously from the 1st note.  

The recently publication by David Jacobson, "Lost Secrets of Master Musicians: A Window Into Genius,"  also espouses a near identical viewpoint regarding shifts.  

There is no shift.  And then he went on to mention that he also had 50 shifting exercises and studies that could be very helpful as well.

"There is no Vibrato."

Simon Fischer didn't say this at his classes.   However, it's a great addition to this conversation.  Kato Havas wrote this in her violin approach, 
and I imagine that it would be a fine addition the "School of the Void" violin school.  
For Havas, there is no vibrato is like saying "there is no baby."  Do you ever see a baby by itself, without its mother?  

A baby has no independence from its mother.  Vibrato is the same.  There is no vibrato without a well-functioning left hand mechanism.
And, she asserted, a vibrato can and will spontaneously develop alongside a well-functioning, well-balanced hand.

Overall, it seems useful as practicing violinists and teachers to focus on very specific techniques.  This language of "There is no _________" tends to put things in perspective.  Of course, we don't want to be thinking about 100 different technique when we're playing, we want to feel like all of the little things are part of a cohesive whole.

Intonation:

This one, I've heard before somewhere.  I suspect it's handed down from Dorothy Delay or Raphael Bronstein. I could be wrong.
"What is your concept of a D?" 

Cue a look of consternation from any student you say this to.  And that's what happened in the classes. 
What a good way to phrase it though.  It gets students thinking that there might be more than one right answer, and that intonation isn't so straightforward.

Really it means: How do you know, how do you really know if you're playing the note in tune or not?

My takeaway was that, at least in melodic terms (and the violin is usually a melodic instrument),
There's a somewhat simple starting point that students can use to guide their intonation choices.

1) 
Does it ring with an open string, and can it be tested with an open string?
G, D, A, E, Okay, no problem.  

In Simon Fischer's book, "Scales," and in his classes, he notes that C can be found with perfect interval relationships to G, B in relation to C, F in relation to E.  

However, even easier than that: B does resonate with open G and E strings.  You can test it with a sympathetic touch tone, as
Barry Ross, in "A Violinist's Guide to Exquisite Intonation," points out.

2)
The sharps and flats are trickier, and Fischer advocated against an Equal Temperament approach in favor of something that resembles a modified "Pythagorean" tuning. I say modified, because we're somewhat stuck on the violin with whatever tuning exists on the open string level: the G, D, A, E, and all corresponding ringing/tap tones.

As a general rule regarding half steps (semitones), if the note names are the same (C and C#, B and Bb), the half steps are wide, like magnetic repulsion.

Opposites attract, and half steps with different note names can generally be closer half steps. (C and Db, for example).

This line of thought leads to some thought about the ordering of pitches. The order of the pitches from low to high is really:
G, Ab, G#, A, Bb, A#, B, etc, but not G, G#, Ab, A, A#, Bb, B, etc., and also not equal temperament.

3)  In many cases, thinking about intonation along these lines is extremely helpful and sensitizing, and I'm sure that there are many exceptions, especially when it comes to playing with a piano, with a string quartet, and in arpeggios and various double and triple stops (where Just intonation may be more helpful).  How one tunes their open strings in the first place (5ths perfect or slightly narrower), is going to affect the whole system.

In many ways, this starting point is an entryway to thinking about expressive subtleties in intonation.
I also like Kurt Sassmanshaus' explanation of the way intonation works on the violin.

Movement:

During the 1st masterclass class setting, Fischer told the first student:
"Stop moving! The violin is a moving target."

When the next student played, he said the opposite: "You need to move!"  With that student he did both a swaying and bowing exercise, and also a twisting exercise.  Both of those exercises kept the Right and Left hands in the same relation to each other.

The clarification was that movement itself isn't good or bad.  Bad movement tends to be unnecessary movement, like dipping the violin.  

Good movement tends to be efficient, and/or helps prevent excess tension.
Body parts that don't move at all, or move very inefficiently, tend to hurt violin playing.

String Crossings - Jagged versus Legato String Crossings

One student was playing Chausson's Poeme, a piece written for Eugene Ysaye.
It's the closest thing we have to a violin concerto from Chausson.

Interestingly, Fischer chose this piece to discuss legato string crossings, something that Ysaye himself focused on in daily scale practice.  If you search for Ysaye's Exercises et Gammes (Scales) (https://www.amazon.com/Partitions-classique-SCHOTT-YSAYE-EUGENE/dp/0543504433), the 1st two pages are dedicated to smooth string crossings.

Ysaye's basic exercise is:
Play the 4th finger D on the G string, start rolling the bow closer to the open D, play the double stop, keep rolling to open D, and so on.

It's an exercise that requires  a fluid string change rather than a jagged one.

Simon Fischer had the Chausson student do something very similar to the Ysaye exercise.  He also discussed several ways teachers and students think about string changes.  The average student probably sees 4 levels of string changes:

Fischer was promoting at least the addition of double stop levels to this system, so that we have 7 levels of string changes:

He also took the time to demonstrate a system of 15 possible String levels, which he attributed to Brian Lewis.  In this system, there are G,D, A, E levels, double stop levels, and also levels that are "very close to" but not producing double stops:

​More?

The whole day was extremely inspiring.  It was great to see the eyes of Baylor students light up, and to see my own students so engaged in an academic setting.  In many ways, Fischer's approach seemed to have a lot in common with Paul Rolland and Kato Havas' approaches.
​
After prioritizing the physical and physiological, the next reasonable step was to address the science of violin playing in its relation to the music being made.  All of the students that performed had at least one very explainable, improvable weakness, and it was clear that each student came away with at least one meaningful problem to mull over.

It looks like Simon Fischer does a conference in Michigan during the summer.  Sign up for it!  
https://phoenixensemble.com/phoenixphest-grande/simon-fischer/

All best,
Matt

compiled by Matthew Zerweck
​
Young students can be extremely inspired by hearing and seeing great music performed live.

It's sometimes difficult for parents to determine which upcoming concerts would be most meaningful and interesting to attend.   Below is a list I've made for my own violin students.  Feel free to add addtional opportunities in the comments, or, if you're an area teacher, write your own post.  I'll publish it here or include a link. 


1)  Camerata San Antonio.

Camerata San Antonio performs concerts nearly once per month from September through April.  San Antonio, Boerne, Kerrville.  

As I perform frequently with this amazingly fun, tight-knit group, of course, I'll have to put us 1st on the list. :-)

Our "Salon" concert tends to be a favorite, where each member of the group performs eclectic and fun solo pieces in addition to crowd-pleasing string quartet bonbons. 

I'm especially looking forward to playing my favorite Dvorak String Quartet (#10 in Eb) at our season opener.   Dates and programs available at CamerataSA.org

2)  GIL SHAHAM,  March 4, 2017

Gil Shaham is one of the few really big violinist stars to come to San Antonio.   A must see if you can score tickets.

"The San Antonio Symphony’s spring gala next season will feature Gil Shaham, one of the foremost violinists of our time. With flawless technique and inimitable warmth, he will display his astonishing command of the violin for this performance with the San Antonio Symphony led by Associate Conductor Akiko Fujimoto."
​
Tickets on Sale August 22nd.

3)  MOZART & MENDELSSOHN - Kolja Bacher performs the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto,  January 13 & 14, 2017, 8:00 p.m.

The Mendelssohn concerto may be perhaps the most well-known romantic violin concerto of all time.

H-E-B Performance Hall at The Tobin Center
Kolja Blacher, conductor and violin

Mozart                        Symphony No. 36 in C major
Mendelssohn              Violin Concerto in E minor
Mozart                        Symphony No. 38 in D major

4)  MASKS - Eric Gratz performs with SAS, 
March 17 & 18, 2017

Bartok, the first great ethnomusicologist,  traveled on a horse-drawn cart with an Edison phonograph,  collecting (Hungarian/Roumanian) folk tunes.  His expansive Concerto No. 1 was essentially a love letter to violinist, Stefi Geyer, a student of Jeno Hubay.
​
Eric Gratz, Concertmaster of San Antonio Symphony has set the bar high with last year's sensitive and virtuosic performance of Barber's Violin concerto.

H-E-B Performance Hall at The Tobin Center
Sebastian Lang-Lessing, conductor
Eric Gratz, violin

Khachaturian          Masquerade Suite
Bartók                         Violin Concerto No. 1
Stravinsky                The Firebird


5) Black Violin, April 10th, 2017

From the Tobin Website:
"Black Violin returns to the Tobin Center with its blend of classical, hip-hop, rock, R&B, and bluegrass music. Live, they are accompanied by their incredible band, featuring ace turntable whiz DJ SPS and a drummer. Named one of the hottest bands at SXSW in 2013, Black Violin was invited to perform at Bonnaroo and returned to SXSW this year to SRO crowds.

​Tickets

6)  Scheherazade
Sept. 20, 22, 2016, 9:45 am & 11:10 am | Sept. 27, 2016, 9:45 am

Scheherazade is the musical setting of the 1001 Arabian Nights. The concertmaster solos alone are worth the trip to see a live performance.

Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
Akiko Fujimoto, conductor

 7)   Simone Porter, violin, at the Tuesday Music Club.
January 31, 2017 at 2 p.m.
How often do we get to hear astounding, young, rising stars in San Antonio?

"Violinist Simone Porter has been recognized as an emerging artist of impassioned energy, musical integrity, and vibrant sound. The Los Angeles Times, after referring to her as a “future star,” wrote, “Let’s strike the word ‘future.’ She sounds ready. Now.” Her performances have been described as "bold" (The Seattle Times), "virtuosic" (The Times, London), and Ms. Porter herself has been praised as "a consummate chamber musician" (The Telegraph). At 19 years of age, she has already appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and with many renowned conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nicolas McGegan, Ludovic Morlot, David Robertson, and Donald Runnicles. Ms. Porter made her professional solo debut at age 10 with the Seattle Symphony and her international debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at age 13. In March 2015, Simone Porter was named a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant."

8)   A String Quartet at a San Antonio Chamber Music Society Concert.

Aeolus String Quartet
January 22nd.

Danish String Quartet
October 23rd.



9) Any Soli Chamber Ensemble Concert featuring Ertan Torgul, former Concertmaster of San Antonio Symphony


​
Season Opener on: 
Monday, October 10, 2016, 7:30PM *Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

Tuesday, October 11, 2016, 7:30PM * Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, Trinity University
7:00PM Pre-Concert Talks
http://www.solichamberensemble.com/#!together-again/

10) 
Any Olmos Ensemble Concert featuring Eric Gratz.

My pick for  violin students is: 

"L'HISTOIRE DU SOLDAT" (Soldier's Tale)

With Timothy Jones, baritone
Monday, May 15th, 2017 at 7:30 pm

(Wikipedia) "The libretto relates the parable of a soldier who trades his fiddle to the devil in return for unlimited economic gain. The music is scored for a septet of violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, cornet (often played on trumpet), trombone, and percussion, and the story is told by three actors: the soldier, the devil, and a narrator, who also takes on the roles of minor characters. A dancer plays the non-speaking role of the princess, and there may also be additional ensemble dancers."



11)    THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS

While not really a violin-centric program (tell that to the first violins playing perilous scales in "Hedwig's Theme")  Williams' scores connect  well with serious students of classical music.
Think Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Starwars, Superman, etc.

May 26 & 27, 2017, 8:00 p.m.
H-E-B Performance Hall at The Tobin Center
Troy Peters, conductor


12)  Lindsey Stirling

This one's a drive out to Austin,  but Lindsey Stirling is extremely popular among my young girl students, especially.  She's a well known  entertainer/violinist/dancer of Youtube and America's Got Talent fame. 

November 7th. Austin

As I look towards coaching groups of students and preparing my own private students for the TMEA All-State orchestra this year, I thought it might be enlightening to take a real accounting of where most accepted TMEA All-State students are coming from.

Every year, I discuss with my teacher friends the extremely uneven distribution of students by area, but as students are grouped by school district, rather than area, it's difficult to have an accurate picture of reality. The data I used is publicly available, and accurate to the best of my knowledge.   

I think it's common knowledge that Houston and Dallas perform much better than San Antonio.  I don't think it's common knowledge that Houston performs better by more than a factor of 10, or that El Paso produces nearly as many All-State students as San Antonio.

One could argue that the areas that do best (Fort Bend, Plano, Round Rock) are the most affluent and developed in Texas, or that those areas also have more prominent non-profit music schools and symphony orchestras.  

However, this massively uneven distribution should begin a serious conversation about the whole point of an All-State Orchestra.  What can be done to increase student acceptance in San Antonio and across the state?   Why does this competition favor wealthy, well-developed areas, that obviously have no lack of music opportunities?

When I participated in PMEA (Pennsylvania's equivalent) All State, students were drawn in nearly equal numbers by region.  The entire state was represented.  Students from out of the way counties had an equal shot.  Something's amiss here in Texas.

Matt

Edit:
Might as well include the breakdown by ISD.  It was sometimes difficult to group ISDs to a metro area.  My line of thinking was: Where are these kids driving to lessons? If they were within an hour of a major city center, they got grouped there. It's impossible to separate Dallas and Fort Worth, or Dallas from Plano.
San Antonio and Austin are 90 minutes apart in ideal conditions, so I don't see the point in grouping them together.

San Antonio only had students from Northside, Northeast, and Judson.
I certainly could have include students from Boerne or surrounding suburbs of San Antonio, had there been any All-Staters from those areas.

Breakdown by ISD:

Violin
112 violinists total.

Houston: 46 Accepted Students
Fort Bend 17, Humble 1, Clear Creek 5, Katy 7, Houston 6, St. Agnes 1, Spring Branch 1
Alief 1, Cypress Fairbanks 2, Conroe 1, Klein 1, “Non-ISD #23” 2, “Non-ISD #27” 1
Dallas/Fort Worth: 32 Accepted Students
Arlington 3, Plano 12, Frisco 7, Richardson 1, Allen 2, Lewisville 1, Dallas 2, Northwest 1, Hurst Euless Bedford 2, “Non-ISD 7” 1
Austin: 18 Accepted Students
Austin 2, Round Rock 15, Leander 1
San Antonio: 3 Accepted Students
Northeast 1, Northside 2
College Station: 3 Accepted Students
College Station 2, CSISD 1
McAllen TX: 2 Accepted Students
South TX 2
Lubbock: 2 Accepted Students
Lubbock 2
El Paso: 2 Accepted Students
El Paso 2
Tyler: 2 Accepted Students
Tyler 2
Beaumont: 1 Accepted student
Beaumont 1
Home School, location unidentifiable: 1

I want to share something that my Eastman buddy, Aaron Yarmel, has created.

Many violinists begin their music lives with the gift of a toy violin, or cardboard box violin.   In most cases, those objects serve a very limited purpose.   They don't feel like real violins.  They don't look at all like real violins.  And in most cases, the thought that you might be able to teach effective basic bowing technique on a box violin is laughable.

Aaron has been collaborating with experienced engineers and business people to produce a first violin that serves as a low-stress testing ground for basic "pre-twinkle" technique.

Aaron has communicated to me that there are several markets that might be interested in this training instrument:

At least in San Antonio, TX, many of my students are late-starters. They've started in the 5th or 6th grade, usually without a private teacher carefully developing their individual progress until the 7th or 8th grade.  Without exception,  there are deeply ingrained misconceptions and anxieties about tension, posture, and bow holds.  I can definitely see that the availability of a full-sized Show Bow could aid in the serious reprogramming some of those students must go through.

"Can I buy one?"  You might be thinking.  Soon, Aaron will be taking preorders for the show bow.  In the meantime, be sure to check out http://www.theshowbow.com  for more info.

Join the Show Bow Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/theshowbow

My friend and colleague, Aimee Toomes, was nice enough to be featured in a masterclass last December for my students.  Aimee had a great way of explaining the way that the weight of the violin bow is transferred into the strings.

"Imagine a beam of light, emanating from the frog.  Where does that light shine?  That's where the weight of the bow should be aimed!"

Aimee told me the credit for this delightful image probably comes from her mentor, esteemed Suzuki pedagogue, Ronda Cole, and may originate even further than that! 
I really liked this explanation of the way bow weight is directed, and it occurred to me that it might be fun to make a laser bow.

Maybe making a working prototype would yield unexpected results? 
At the very least, my cat, Sub-Zero, would be entertained.

I started with a throwaway bow that came with a violin, case, and strings, for under $40.
The cheap plastic frog is hollow, and allows the laser to fit snugly after drilling.

I found the lasers on Ebay: 
"5PCS 650nm Laser Diode Module Copper Head Diode Red Laser Circuit 3-5V 5mW" (less than $3)
And found a battery pack for less that $5 on Amazon.
Speaker wire.  

For a first try, proof of concept, this didn't have to be pretty, or expensive.
Ultimately, that big battery pack will have to be switched out with a couple of 3V coin-sized batteries.
The wire and wire connectors are too big for comfort.  

Results:

I've tested the laser bow out on students this week.  It's been an excellent tool to show that the weight of the bow never goes straight down to the floor.  Rather, bow weight travels from left of your heart, down your right leg.   I've had varying success directing students to pull closer to the bridge, to use arm weight, etc.
Students reading this: Yes, I mean you.

There are a myriad of methods to get a student pulling weight rather than pressing.  
However, the laser bow has been the most direct, easy to understand method of showing directional weight.
It's been much more memorable than any purely verbal explanation I've attempted.  
And who will be able to forget playing a laser bow?

One of the more surprising discoveries I noticed, occurred when playing three octave scales.  In a 24-note per bow, 3-octave scale,  the laser travels in nearly a straight line down my shirt buttons.

I also tried Paganini Caprice number 14, which involves a lot of playing in the lower half of the bow.  I was able to much more efficiently achieve a full, focused tone when I thought of pulling the weight of the bow towards the laser dot.  It's easy to forget that at the frog, the weight of the bow should be directed just left of your heart, rather than the abyss of the floor underneath the violin.
 

I'm very much looking forward to Andrew Small's masterclass on Saturday, in hopes that I'll continue to be inspired by creative and thoughtful teaching technique.

More info on Andrew's class here.

Dear Students and Teachers in San Antonio,  
Please consider attending or participating in the free masterclasses that I've scheduled during 2013-2014.  Open to the general public.  Steinway Gallery San Antonio  has generously allocated space for these classes to occur.  

Please feel free to share this info with any young string players and teachers in the San Antonio area.

DATES:

Saturday, Dec 14th Saturday 4:30-6pm
Guest Teacher: Aimee Toomes, Violin, SA Symphony.
Guest Collaborative Pianist: Dr. Mark Alexander, SAC and OLLU Faculty
Repertoire covered:  Allegro by Fiocco, Bach A minor Concerto (1st mov.), Witches' Dance. 


Saturday, January 25th Saturday  4:30-6pm 
Guest Teacher:  Andrew Small, Violin, SA Symphony, Montevista Strings
Repertoire: Mozart Concerto #3 (3rd mov.), Bruch Concerto in G minor, Bach Praeludium in E

Saturday, March 15th 4:30-6pm
Guest Teacher: Bonnie Terry, Violin, Associate Concertmaster, SA Symphony. 
Repertoire:  Allegro Brilliante, Mozart Concerto no. 3 (1st or 2nd movement), TBA

Saturday, April 12th 4:30-6pm  
Guest Teacher: Matthew Zerweck, Violin,  Camerata San Antonio
Repertoire: TBA

All classes will take place at the Steinway Gallery San Antonio.


What is a masterclass?

A masterclass is like a public lesson.  Select students of varying ages and ability levels will perform a prepared piece of music, and then receive feedback from one of San Antonio's highly trained, star musicians.  A masterclass setting is a common occurrence in prestigious music schools and preparatory programs.   A masterclass is an opportunity to elevate both teachers and students in a supportive, relaxed setting.

Topics like performance anxiety, bow control, intonation, rhythm, physicality, and musicianship will be addressed.

Who can participate?

Anyone is free to come and observe the classes.  Students participating in the classes will be selected by organizer and violinist, Matthew Zerweck.  Please contact at zerweckviolin@gmail.com  if you are interested in participating in a masterclass or have questions/concerns.  

There is limited space.   If demand is high, it may be possible to add additional opportunities in the future.

Why would I want to be in the audience?
Any violin student in San Antonio would benefit from watching these classes.  It a tremendous opportunity to see talented teachers and students in action.  It's an opportunity to become a more active part of San Antonio's growing tribe of violinists.


All best,
Matt Zerweck