I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! The end of the semester is coming up very quickly here, two more weeks of lessons, coachings, concerts, and classes, and then it will be time for finals. Looking back, the start of the semester in Aug. seems so long ago, and the fall break seemed a […]
Heston McCranie, ’09, B.M. Music Performance, Cello, currently lives in Atlanta, Ga., and is working on her Ph.D. in Music Education at Georgia State University. Heston teaches string techniques for the university as well as working on research projects on improvisation and creativity. In the fall, she began a position as the primary orchestra director […]
“Mastering music is more than learning technical skills. Practicing is about quality, not quantity. Some days I practice for hours; other days it will be just a few minutes.” ~ Yo Yo Ma We are approaching that stage of the semester where the urgency of practice time takes on a whole new meaning. There are […]
The Classical Convergence Series at Colorado State University continues with a concert collaboration featuring The Lysander Piano Trio – comprised of Itamar Zorman, violin; Liza Stepanova, piano; and Michael Katz cello – with special guest Mischa Bouvier, baritone. The acclaimed artists perform on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. in the Organ Recital Hall of University […]
Today’s post begins with a quote from Yogi Berra: “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical”. Berra, who played for the New York Yankees, died recently at the age of 90. He was known for his humorous quotes; check out brainyquote.com for more. Why this quote? Because as musicians, we can […]
My recital went pretty well – thanks to my colleague Tim Burns for such a wonderful collaboration. I’m already thinking about next year’s program. Stay tuned! So what do you do in the week following a recital or concert? Do you take some time off, do you get caught up on other projects? I’d […]
Down to the wire… Translation: my recital is on Sept. 28, and I am still in tinkering mode. I always try to be in “performance mode” several weeks ahead of a concert, but occasionally I discover that something needs to be changed. It might be a fingering, it might be a bowing, it might be […]
Thanks to those who sent comments on the first post – much appreciated! As you might imagine, the first few weeks of a new school year can be quite overwhelming. As I mentioned last time, how we manage our time is critical to our success as musicians. For me, that means having my planner handy […]
For a second year, the music faculty at Colorado State University brings you All-State Instructional Videos to help prepare your High School student instrumentalists for their upcoming auditions. Dedicated to its land-grant heritage, the music faculty at CSU are committed to promoting music and pedagogy of the highest quality, serving music education through actions that […]
Hello, everyone! Welcome to the String Area blog from the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Colorado State University.These bi-monthly postings will focus on a variety of topics, from preparing for auditions, being in music school, to having a career as a musician. There will be postings from string faculty – Dr. Ron Francois, […]
