​I’ve recently started following a fellow violin teacher in Utah who goes by the catchy moniker “The Plucky Violin Teacher”. 

​Her name is Brecklyn Ferrin  (You can check her out at  www.pluckyviolinteacher.com/!!) and I have found her blog posts and teaching tips to be both helpful and inspirational.  In addition to sharing weekly pointers she and her sister started a book club for violin teachers! 

In my 37 years of life I have never been a so-called “book nerd” and I have never been a member of a book club (nor would I have considered such a thing and definitely not admitted to it).  But a lot has changed in my life in the past year.     A lot.  And I am here to say that I am not only a proud member of a book club but I have found that sharing this experience with other like-minded people is very fulfilling.

The book-of-the-month for January 2016 is titled “The Savvy Music Teacher – Blueprint for Maximizing Income & Impact” by David Cutler.  I’ll admit that I was skeptical at first.  I didn't think that this particular choice of reading material would have anything to offer me personally.  I mean, maximizing income seemed like a no-brainer (teach more students, make more money) and maximizing impact is something that I already strive to do on a daily basis.  I had no idea what was in store for me.  My life has been forever changed by this book and I’m just talking about the very first chapter!

The first topic that is addressed is the “very, very, very important work of savvy music teachers”.  I rolled my eyes when I read this because while I think my work is very, very, very important, I'm pretty sure that I am not held in such high regard by anybody other than myself.  I continued curiously to read that I, a savvy music teacher, am a “unique character in the lives of students, particularly children”.  Well, they got that right.  I am definitely unique and have been called a character on more than one occasion.  

With one-on-one weekly lessons that (often) span years, I have a front-row seat for many of my students' important milestones: learning to read, pursuing hobbies and relationships, graduating from elementary to middle to high school, and the hunt for college or career. Aside from their parents, what other adult figure has this kind of continuous access and influence?  Playing this role is a privilege and an honor, accompanied by significant responsibility.  Wow.  I do not take this lightly, and as I continued to read about how important I am in my students' lives, I began to look inside myself and became very aware of what this means to me.

As I thought about the opportunities and challenges that my role presents, I naturally started thinking of innovative ways to better my approach and amplify the impact I have on my students.  How do I enhance their engagement, enjoyment, and achievement all while “simply” teaching them how to play the violin and love music?  That seemed easy enough at first thought.  Perhaps I just need to put more time into my lesson planning and make my teaching more fun.  Or maybe I should be more assertive and serious when I express the importance of practicing their instrument at home.  Is there a happy medium between the two?  My mind went on an adventure as I pondered this goal and continued to read. 

And then it happened.  A question much bigger than the ones I had been exploring was presented to me.  There it was.  THE question.  Why do you teach music? 

My initial reaction was to quickly "spout off" what I thought were the correct answers.  Everything from “it pays the bills” to “it’s what I studied in college” to “I love kids” crossed my mind without hesitation.  But it was suggested in my reading that these surface-level answers are not at all what is being asked.  The question of why is much, much bigger than that. 

I was challenged to dig deeper into myself and define the driving force behind my instruction.  To define this so-called “essential question” of why, I was told, is imperative to being successful.  “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

So my journey began.  To answer my essential question, I had to explore quite a few preliminary questions of my own.  What is the driving force behind my instruction?  Twenty years from now, when current students reflect back on our time together, which benefits do I hope they cite above all others?  How can I help students experience a well-rounded musical existence?  How can I help them develop confidence in life? And not just as violinists but as people?  The answers to these questions far outweigh any methodology, stylistic emphasis, or trick of the trade.  Once I started to define my reasons for teaching music, the answers to every question I’ve ever had about the how were answered with my why.

I put down this amazing book for an entire week as I worked diligently to define my essential question, my reason for teaching music.  What are my desires as a teacher of music?  I was able to narrow it down to 5 questions that are (in no particular order) so important to me:

1. How can I help develop self-esteem through music and creative exploration?
2. Can I guide my students to find joy and happiness through the music-making process?
3. What influence can I have that will help them to become life-long music patrons and lovers?
4. How can I help my students to find more meaning in life?
5. Can I teach my students to develop excellence in all of their life pursuits?

These are huge.  My true essence lies in guiding these human beings in their journey to become amazing people.  My role is not simply to show them the correct way to hold a violin, to learn how to count dotted rhythms, to read music, or to graduate to the next song in the book.  My role is much more impactful and meaningful than that.  Teaching a student to play the violin is just a small part of what I want to do and why I do it.

Of these 5 questions I couldn’t help but be drawn to the fourth one…the most difficult one, I believe.  How can I help my students to find more meaning in life?  It figures that I would end up defining my essential question with one that seems impossible to answer… but that is what I feel is my purpose even though I haven’t (or hadn’t) the slightest idea how to go about it.  So I did what I have learned to do with everything in life that I don’t know how to go about and that is to let it go.  I handed this question, this desire, over to the universe and its almighty power that is much greater than myself.  What happened next is truly out of this world.

Over the course of this past week I have been shown and told by a number of my students that their time with me each week is necessary.  Not just for learning how to play the violin and make music, but necessary for their well-being.  I know this may sound crazy but trust me when I tell you I hardly believed my own ears as these feelings were shared with me by my students (and, in some cases, by their parents).  Each student expressed to me in their own way the impact that I have had and continue to have on their lives.  A-6-year-old girl showed me by giving me an unexpected (and out of her nature) hug, an 11-year-old girl from a broken family 'snuck' an “I love you” note on my chalkboard, and a parent brought in a homework assignment that her 8-year-old completed for his school project about somebody in his life who is a role model...he wrote about me, his violin teacher.
 
This kept happening over and over again, unprompted by myself of course, and clearly coming to me as some type of affirmation that I am fulfilling my desire simply by being aware of it.  To be told by a 13-year-old girl that missing her lesson the previous week was “the worst thing ever” and that she was “so happy to see me” was just another piece of evidence for me to rest assured that my “unanswerable” essential question was being and continues to be answered simply because I found within myself the number one reason why I do what I do. 

I am humbled and grateful to be on this journey of life and want nothing more than for my students to feel the same.  My goal is not to create the most disciplined and studious violinists, although that would be a nice achievement...not every student I encounter has that desire.  But for one reason or another we have been put on life’s path together, even if just for a brief moment in time, and what I do with that precious time is what is important to me.  Together we can find more meaning in life, through music.  

Music is one of the most important components of your ceremony because it sets the mood for your special day. If walking down the aisle to “Here Comes the Bride” isn’t your style, choosing something more contemporary or personal is perfectly appropriate.

Personalizing your music selections is one of the ways you can make your ceremony your own.

Choosing your music:
The typical wedding ceremony has 5 main pieces for which music should be selected.

• Prelude: Played for 15-30 minutes before the ceremony, this music welcomes the guests and is the background by which they’re seated.  The length of prelude music is generally determined by the number of guests you are expecting and how early you anticipate that they will arrive.
• Procession: This music sets the pace for attendants walking down the aisle and typically begins after the parents and grandparents are seated for the ceremony.  Once the wedding party is in place there is a pause before the musicians play a fanfare (to alert the audience to stand) and segue into the music selection for the bride’s entrance.
• Interlude: Couples might designate music to be played at some point(s) in the ceremony, like before a reading or during the lighting of a unity candle.
• Recession: This music at the end of the ceremony should be powerful and joyous. It’s usually louder and quicker than the processional.
• Postlude: A continuation of upbeat and celebratory music that keeps the guests feeling they’re a part of the wedding until they have all filed out of the ceremony space.

If you’re having a nonreligious ceremony, your music options are open. You can add personal touches through your music selections to create a memorable wedding. If you’re having a religious ceremony in a house of worship, be sure to clear your music selections with your officiant; some houses of worship don’t allow secular music and have limited options for what can be played.
Give it some thoughtA few other things to keep in mind while choosing music:

• Try to keep the music within the framework of the style and formality of the wedding. Although a church wedding doesn’t dictate that all music must be religious, you want to be respectful of the location and the event taking place. Don’t forget to mention the titles of the songs and music on your program.
• Check with your music coordinator or musician(s) to discuss your vision and ideas for your wedding music.  Not all songs that you love will sound the same when they are converted to different instrumentation.  Your favorite rock band sounds amazing on a recording with layers of guitars, drums, and vocals but how will that translate to a string trio or a soloist?  Be sure to use the musicians’ expertise to guide you in your decision-making process.

Hello world of blogger-people!  How are you?  What are you?  I am a baby blogger (new to blogging, not a blogger about babies).

I’ve decided to join your world and see what this blogging business is all about.  It seems easy enough.  You do stuff.  You write about what you did, how it felt, what it looked like, how it smelled, how it tasted, what it sounded like, and who was there with you.  Something like that, eh?

I am learning what blogging is all about.  For now and for me, it is going to be about rambling on.  Sharing my thoughts and experiences and attempting to organize my ideas and goals.  I have so many.  And they are big.  So very big.

I am a professional violinist, violin teacher, business owner, recovering alcoholic, student of the cello and viola, lover of all things with four legs (and some things with more or less), wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and…now a blogger.  I think that covers everything in a nutshell.

I am working diligently on branding my music business.  A little ditty I call “String Theory Music”.  My primary focus is booking myself as a violin soloist or alongside my best friend (and amazing cellist) Beth as a violin & cello duet to perform for weddings.  Our network of professional musicians is so large and expanding to offer a string trio and string quartet is something we have recently harnessed.  

We’ve been doing this for almost 20 years but I have decided to make this business my priority and my career.  My secondary career is that of sharing my gift and passion for music with those who want to learn.  I am a violin teacher at the Jacksonville School of Music where I spend 3 days a week teaching my (currently 25) students. There is nothing more fulfilling in life than watching another human soul feel music.  It is a gift that I love to give.  I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

I’ve always done well in the corporate world but there is nothing that I hate more than sitting in a cubicle under florescent lights for exactly 8 hours every Monday through Friday and being told what to do (usually something very uninspiring).  I prefer to sit in my home studio at my beat-up-side-of-the-road-find wooden desk, in my rickety early American style wooden chair, windows open, no lights other than that provided by the sun (or, if it’s rainy and dark, my Back to the Future inspired floor lamp that looks to be straight out of Doc Brown’s home from 1955), surrounded closely by my instruments, my music, and my loyal doggy companion, Apple.

I’ve always been told that “if you can dream it, you can have it”.  And here it is.
I am in my happy place.  This is where I am inspired.  This is where I make music and money.  This is where I learn and grow.  This is where I do yoga in the mornings, where I make lesson plans for my students, where I play my instruments, where I answer e-mails and book gigs,  and where I write in my journal and talk on the phone.  This is where I get stuff done.

All of that being said just for me to tell you that I am here to share my work and ideas.  To blog.
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From this little room I call my studio in Jacksonville Beach, Florida to you.