Hello, Internet! Today, we’ll attempt to demystify the mutes used for violin, viola, cello, and double bass. These simple tools of the trade are essential string instrument accessories, and they're easy enough to use, but they also come with many…
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Finding Your Voice: The Franz Hoffmann Koe Violin
Wednesday, July 29, 2015Sometimes, a name is just a name. But with our new Franz Hoffman Koe violin, we wanted a name that would capture the feeling of first learning to play—really play—the violin. “Koe” means “voice” in Japanese. Its Japanese character can also be…
Suzuki Teacher Training Journal, 2014
Monday, August 11, 2014Alexandra Ostroff, one our Customer Service Leads, talks about her experience this past week at the Phoenix Phest Suzuki Teacher Training seminar. Alexandra is clearly developing into a talented teacher; what I love most about her blog post is how…
Summer Suzuki Institutes Are Just Around the Corner
Thursday, May 02, 2013I have plenty to regret from my high school days, but strangely enough one of my biggest regrets isn't one of the usual suspects: a train-wreck romance, a misguided teenage prank, or an angst-ridden poem I stupidly shared with friends. No, it's…
In Defense of Karl Lagerfeld's Violin Shaped Dress
Thursday, April 11, 2013In today's blog, SHAR Apprentice, violinist, and fashionista Jospehine Llorente confronts one of the timeless questions: is all that glitters cheaply made? Can't we have both quality craftsmanship and our brightly-lit, irresponsible, neon-colored…
Inching Through Twinkle Variations with Nonpareils
Thursday, October 25, 2012Our latest blog is from Nerissa Nields, a Suzuki mom of two and folk singer in the band The Nields. Nerissa confronts an important question in this post: How do family dynamics show up in her son's Suzuki lessons? Her response is refreshingly honest:…
Suzuki from a Pop Musician’s Perspective
Friday, October 19, 2012Our latest blog is from Nerissa Nields, a Suzuki mom of two and folk singer in the band The Nields. Nerissa discusses the importance of process in the Suzuki method: her kids' teacher, Emily Greene, considers the violin almost a "by-product" of the…
Easy Violin Sheet Music
Tuesday, October 09, 2012After you’ve been playing the violin for a couple of years, it starts to get tiresome when you feel limited to the scales, etudes, and few solos that your teacher gives you. If you’re a beginning to intermediate player who’s looking to build up a…
Student Violins for Sale: A Guide
Tuesday, October 02, 2012If you or your child is just starting out on the violin: congratulations! Welcome to the string community! If you’re looking for your first instrument, though, things can be confusing. Trying to find the best violin can be a bewildering path to take.…
Suzuki Teacher Training at Stevens Point: Part 3
Thursday, September 27, 2012We're grateful to have Lucy Lewis, a trained Suzuki teacher and doctoral student in musical arts at the University of Iowa, share a series of blogs about her experiences at American Suzuki Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Every…