Photo credit: Dr. Lisa Caravan. Shared with permission.
Last week was so full of teaching inspiration! It was a dream come true to speak about pedagogy with string performance students at the Eastman School of Music (mobile users, click through to your browser to view the photos). Eastman’s performance majors (both graduate and undergrad students) already had so much insight into teaching and it was such a privilege to spend time with them! Many thanks to Dr. Lisa Caravan and Eastman’s Music Teaching & Learning Department for sponsoring my visit. It was especially exciting to hear that Dr. Caravan and her students headed to ROCMusic to teach immediately following our class together! If you haven’t heard of ROCMusic, click this link and check it out!
Dr. Kathleen Baynes, Lauren Haley, and Herbert Smith at WXXI Photo credit: Robert J. Braden
As you’ll hear in our conversation, Herb’s enthusiasm for music bubbles over into literally EVERYTHING he says. Listening to Herb, you’ll definitely have an extra spring in your step when you head into the practice room! I would totally have been a trumpet player had Herb been my teacher. Come to think of it, maybe it’s not too late!
Dr. Kathleen Baynes’ warmth and her emphasis on helping families develop self-esteem and soft skills in young musicians made we want to reach across the table to give her a high-five every time she spoke. Y’all, I learned so much and just KNOW I’ll be quoting Dr. Baynes going forward! PS — She has two young musicians (ages 8 and 10) at home!
Many thanks to Dean Mary Ann Mavrinac (Vice Provost and Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean of the University of Rochester Libraries), Ashlee Huff, and Matt Cook at the UR, to Evan Dawson and Megan Mack at WXXI, and to Hebert Smith and Dr. Kathleen Baynes. Photo credit: Robert J. Braden
The Rochester Cello Society and the Hochstein School of Music and Dance announce Strategies for Parents of Instrumentalists, a special event with Lauren Haley on Saturday, October 5th from 1:15 – 2:45 pm at the Hochstein School in Rochester, NY. All are welcome to attend this free workshop, which will include an intermission.
From Sandra Halleran, Founder of the Rochester Cello Society:
“The Rochester Cello Society and the Hochstein School of Music and Dance welcome Lauren Haley, renown author of Kids Aren’t Lazy: Developing Motivation and Talent through Music. Lauren will give a session to Rochester’s parents of instrumentalists. Any parent who wants to learn strategies for supporting their young musician is welcome. Topics will include: the power of parents (and effective communication), developing practice routines that *really* stick, and helping young musicians and their families prepare for peak performance (competitions, auditions, etc!)
This workshop is FREE and will take place in the Hochstein Recital Hall.”
All are invited to live stream Evelyn Lam’s DMA recital this Thursday, March 21st at 8 pm CST (9 pm EST). Mobile users, click through in your browser to view the live stream link, program, and invitation. Join us in celebrating Evelyn’s amazing musical achievements!
Our latest article for @SugarLandMoms is full of tips for attending orchestra concerts with the whole family. Click through to find must-see local performances, too!
We’re thrilled to announce an upcoming collaboration in San Antonio with violinist Matthew Zerweck. It’s a delight to work with Mr. Zerweck, an exceptionally well-respected performer and teacher, to bring principles from Kids Aren’t Lazy: Developing Motivation & Talent Through Music to San Antonio through our upcoming workshop and masterclass! Save the date for Saturday, March 9th from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Steinway Piano Gallery. All are welcome to attend this free event. Mobile readers, click through to your browser find the details below.
Violinist Matthew Zerweck
From Mr. Zerweck:
“In San Antonio, one of the greatest challenges I’ve faced as a private teacher is effective parent education and culture building. Until now, there hasn’t been an effective resource for parents seeking the very best for their children.
If we had a giant pre-college program where students took lessons and chamber music classes, or a prestigious non-profit music school, parents would get together and chat more about musical plans for their children, and best practices for motivation and development. I’ve been recommending Lauren’s book highly, because I think it has the potential to help fill that gap in parent education (and it expresses current best-practices, staying far away from the shame-based approach many of us grew up with).
How do we deal with potential failures at recitals and competitions? How can I best support my child in their musical journey? Why am I supporting my child in their musical journey? How can we better plan for the pitfalls of balancing a busy schedule?
These are topics that are important for any serious family investing time and energy into music lessons.”
Lauren Haley Masterclass and Q & A Session
Saturday, March 9th, 2019
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Steinway Piano Gallery
1201 North Loop 1604 West, Suite 107, San Antonio, Texas 78258
We’re thrilled for everyone’s amazing performances this past Saturday at the LHS Evening of Chamber Music at the Virtuosi of Houston Studio! From Seitz to Lalo to Brahms (with a little bit of Twinkle!), LHS musicians performed both solo works and ensemble favorites.
As this semester comes to an end, we’re so excited to reflect on the leadership we’ve seen from LHS young musicians. From concertmaster solos (Jessica, Lizzie!) to principal viola solos (Jordan, Anika!), from coaching younger orchestras (Olivia, Jordan!) to leading ensemble performances in the community (Sugar Strings!), from being first chair (Morgan, Jessica, Jordan, Anika, Lizzie, Amanda, Christian…we’re surely missing a few young musicians in this list, let us know!), to performing in the Houston Youth Symphony (Christian, Archana, Catherine, Elizabeth!) from making region (LHS violinists/violists in ALL FOUR region orchestras!) to teaching lessons themselves (Molly, Lauren!), we have seen everyone grow tremendously.
This week, we send lots of luck to Seline (violin) and Dhruv (viola). Both are traveling to Chicago this week as members of the top orchestra at Austin HS. Dhruv and Seline will be performing in their orchestra at the Midwest Clinic. Have fun, guys!
Smile, everyone! Photo by Karen Needham
Amber (left) and Emily (Photo by Karen Needham)
Cheers! Photo by Karen Yang. Catherine (left) and Lizzie with Ms. Haley and Ms. Lam
Congratulations to LHS Collaborative Pianist Evelyn Lam for being selected as one of six 2016 Music Inspire Africa artists! Evelyn will travel to South Africa from May 23rd – June 13th to perform, present, and teach.
In more Evelyn news, enjoy these pictures from her DMA Collaborative Recital earlier this month at Hatch Recital Hall! Watch this page for information about Evelyn’s upcoming coaching and performance dates in Houston with LHS.
I’m so happy to be back in town after an absolutely brilliant week at Juilliard’s Starling-Delay Symposium on Violin Studies. It’ll certainly take more than one post to pass along the wisdom shared by so many great violinists and colleagues, so let’s start off with one of my favorite events — Sarah Chang’s master class.
To begin the week, world-renowned soloist Sarah Chang offered not just her expert violinistic advice on major repertoire, but a prime example of positive teaching at the highest possible level. She frequently used questions to help students identify their individual musical intentions for each phrase, thereby giving students the confidence to present their own artistic interpretations with conviction. Meanwhile, her upbeat encouragement, quick humor, intelligent teaching process, and warm smile made her master class both a tutorial on technique and musicality as well as one on how to inspire your audience!
In talking about her own legendary teacher, the incomparable Dorothy Delay, Sarah Chang mentioned the importance of making disciplined learning fun. As one of the most skilled child prodigies in musical history, Sarah Chang still confessed to having watched an hour of TV after school every day — “Saved By the Bell!”
As we approach spring break, finding ways to include musical development in well-deserved vacation time is essential. Here are some tips on how to keep kids learning!
1.) Seek out musical destinations for each trip. Homes of the great composers, legendary conservatories, museums with instrument collections, grand concert halls –there’s fun to be had everywhere! Bonus points for taking pictures and creating a scrapbook of your musical adventures. Ask your teacher for recommendations specific to your travel plans.
You’re never too young to start learning about the great composers! Pictured: The home where Antonín Dvořák spent the summer of 1893.
2.) Set your trip to music. Put a new CD in the car and enjoy. Encourage everyone to sing along to favorite songs and feel the power of symphonies. Return home humming Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty!
3.) Find new inspiration. Whether it’s the New York Philharmonic, a touring production of Wicked, a pianist playing jazz standards in a beautiful restaurant, or a cousin demonstrating their own musical skills, students can take inspiration from any musical event!
4.) Let theory help you get through those long flights! Bring along a Theory Time book and make a pact to surprise your teacher with how much you’ve learned! Parents, if you’re worried about getting stuck mid-flight, bring along the Theory Time Teacher’s Edition and work as a team.
5.) Practice those bow holds when you can’t bring along your violin! Make a Bow Bunny on a pen and have the bunny share in your adventures.
6.) Let a musical story transport you on long car rides. My absolute favorite is the Classical Kids series. Tchaikovsky Discovers America, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, and Mr. Bach Comes to Call…all on the way to your destination! You can find these CDs on Amazon.com and through your local library.
7.) Invite your violin or viola along for the ride! Check airline-specific guidelines on bringing instruments on flights. Be sure to bring a printed copy of the airline policy with you to show the agent working at the gate desk. Board as soon as possible to make room for your instrument in the overhead compartment, and be especially kind to flight attendants who can help your violin have a safe flight.
8.) Remember, grandparents make the best audience anyone can ask for, so encourage your child to prepare a special performance for family and friends on visits!
The music of Antonín Dvořák grew to mean so much to our family that we visited his former home (in Iowa) on two separate occasions!
All opinions are by Lauren Haley and all original content is copyright 2015 Lauren Haley Studios.
LAUREN HALEY STUDIOS 
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