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!
It was incredible to speak with musicians, professors, administrators, and teachers before and after the lecture. One band director introduced herself to me before the lecture and mentioned that she has been teaching band for 34 years. Of course, my immediate thought was, “my goodness, I’d love to listen to YOU here tonight too!”
One thing that brings us together as teachers (regardless of whether we teach middle-school brass, conservatory violin, or collegiate physics!) is that deepening our understanding of Growth Obstacles (musical, technical, or academic challenges that, given appropriately, spur development) and Hindrance Obstacles (matters of circumstance that stall progress and strike students unevenly) helps students reach their highest goals. Last week really lit a fire under me to continue collaborating with performers, educators, and administrators in support of students and their families!
There is the distinct feeling that Rochester is full of possibilities for becoming Ever Better. And yes, I’ll be carrying that spirit with me back to my Houston lessons! Together, we are persistent and resilient in our pursuit of self-betterment through collaboration, literature, music, theater, science, medicine, technology, and history.
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 for arranging this visit, and to the River Campus Libraries for hosting my trip.
PS — How fitting that on the day of the lecture, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performed for Rochester public school students! Note the school bus parked right by Eastman. 😉 When children see artistic paths and possibilities, it furthers their own voices and artistic potential. And yes, if you look closely, you’ll see that Eastman’s crosswalk features piano keys!
Tune in to 88.7 FM KUHF on Thursday, August 1st at 12 and 7 pm to hear Ms. Haley’s interview with Michael Hagerty for Houston Matters / Houston Public Media!
This masterclass and workshop is generously sponsored by Kawai Pianos and will be free and open to musical families (and teachers!) of all ages and instruments.
We are especially excited to welcome young musicians from Virtuosi of Houston to the masterclass for a special performance in collaboration with Baya Kakouberi! Many thanks to Karen Needham for facilitating Virtuosi’s performance.
We’re delighted to share our recent collaboration with Greg Childress and The Music Educator Podcast! Mobile users, click through to your browser to view links and listen to Episode 14: The Power of Parents! The Music Educator Podcast is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Find Ms. Haley’s latest article in the Spring 2019 issue of Primary Music Magazine! Read “Top Takeaways from the UK’s Spectacular Culture of Creativity: American Violinist Lauren Haley Reflects on her UK Musical Education” on pp. 46 – 47.
In other news, click HERE to check out a list of brilliant Eastman alumni who have been nominated for Grammy Awards! You can catch the Grammys this Sunday, February 10th.
“Time and time again, Eastman has availed itself as one of the top conservatories in the world. You don’t have to look too deeply into the school to see why. The faculty rate among the very best around the globe. You can take a look at any department and see what makes this school so incredibly amazing. . . . What we especially like about the school is its close-knit relationship to the University of Rochester, one of the premiere research universities in the country. Eastman is exceptionally difficult to get into . . . but for those who want the balance of an incredible education with musicians on par with those studying at schools such as Juilliard, you cannot beat the Eastman experience.“
We’re excited to let everyone know that Kids Aren’t Lazy: Developing Motivation & Talent Through Music will be available from all four Lisle Violin Shop locations! Lisle has stores in Houston, Pasadena, the Northwest, and Katy. Mobile users, please click through to view the details.
Hey Sugar Land Families! We’re excited to partner with Wu’s Fine Violins to make Kids Aren’t Lazy: Developing Motivation & Talent Through Music (PDP, 2018) available at his string shop on Lexington Blvd. Mobile users, click through to your browser to view the details.
We’re delighted to announce that Kids Aren’t Lazy: Developing Motivation & Talent Through Music is now available from Gold Violin Shop in Houston, Texas. It’s an honor to partner with Philip Gold, a highly respected luthier whose string instrument shop has been a Houston staple for decades. Read more about Mr. Gold and his shop in the Houston Chronicle, HERE.
LAUREN HALEY STUDIOS 
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