Musicians of all types encouraged to observe, especially string players and jazz musicians.

How often is it that young string students lose interest in playing simply because the musical options that are given have little relevance to their lives? The chance to improvise can be pure gold for such students. Turtle Island is fiercely dedicated to spreading the word that the bowed string instrument is one of the most versatile on the planet, and there should be no limit to what is possible to play and play well, be it Bach or the Beatles.

To that end, the quartet offers masterclasses that fit every need, from one-hour sessions for beginners to week-long intensive jazz string seminars at educational institutions worldwide. Much of Turtle Island’s music is available in sheet music form for both string quartet and string orchestra, and Turtle Island also has study aids that they bring especially for teaching. However, because the printed page can distract students from using their ears and intuition in creating these new sounds, TI avoids relying too heavily on written materials. Ultimately, this experience can leave the student with a much deeper appreciation of the storehouse of European classical literature that we all treasure and wish to preserve.

There will be time at the end of the session for questions. For more information about the master clcass, Turtle Island Master Class.

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