As string educators, we are always looking for ideas to help our students find success on their instruments. From workshops and clinics to collaboration with other professionals, there are many opportunities for teachers to discover innovative educational strategies. There is also a plethora of online resources available for string teachers providing creative ideas that can be implemented in orchestra classes.
Two major online sources are the NAfME (nafme.org) and ASTA (astaweb.com) sites which both offer a wide variety of help for string education. In addition to those two excellent sources, here are a few more that have been suggested by colleagues. The following list is by no means exhaustive.
This site has been created by Dr. Charles Laux, Assistant Professor of Music Education at Kennesaw State University. From his experience as a school orchestra teacher, Dr. Laux provides a broad variety of resources and creative ideas. This site also integrates traditional string pedagogy with technology.
The goal of this site is “to share a career’s worth of experience and understanding by making available original teaching materials designed to elevate the technical and musical skills of young string players and the pedagogical potential of string music educators” (“Mission Statement of This Website,” Stringskills.com). Stringskills.com has been developed by Gabriel A. Villasurda, a recently retired string educator. He has gleaned a variety of helpful ideas from a host of string educators throughout the United States. The topics cover all string instruments, from beginning to advanced levels, and include many free downloads.
This is the Phillips Family Fiddlers website. Bob and Pam Phillips provide great resources for string teachers. Bob is a pedagogue, composer, and an innovator in string education. His wife Pam has a broad background in arts management and production. Together they have assembled a wide variety of support for string education. On this site, click the “Clinics and Handouts” button for helpful information on a wide range of ideas and tips.
Orchestrateacher.blogspot.com is a blog where orchestra teachers have posted all sorts of creative ideas. There are entries regarding almost every aspect of string teaching, including some forms, exercises, and printable diagrams.
Dr. Michael Hopkins created this site where string teachers can access quality information about string pedagogy. Dr. Hopkins is Associate Professor and Chair of Music Education at the University of Michigan School of Music. This website is organized according to string instrument and technique with links to pages of pedagogical content. Many of Dr. Hopkins resources come from ideas in lectures by Dr. Bob Culver, Professor Emeritus of Music Education at the University of Michigan School of Music.
The Strad publication is full of information regarding string performance and education. This site is the online version of the magazine and has hundreds of valuable articles and videos related to string instrument teaching. Included on the homepage are links to masterclass videos, teaching tips, performers, and performances, as well as other topics.
Symbaloo.com/mix/stringorchestra?searched=true
Created by string educator Abby Korfmann, this site is full of great string resources. Here one will find exercises, games, note-reading tutorials, music programs, and many other categories for string students.
Efficient Rehearsal Strategies for String Orchestra
This online site is organized by Sergio Rodriguez. The topics on this site are aimed primarily at middle and high school string teachers. They include the importance of routine, lesson planning, and guidelines for rehearsal strategies.
There are also several individual school orchestra websites that contain lots of resources. As an example, kinardorchestras.wikispaces.com is a great resource for any middle school orchestra teacher.
This is just a sample of online resources for string teachers. Whether new to teaching or a seasoned educator, there are many helpful online resources to discover and explore. If you have found a website that is particularly beneficial to your teaching, be sure to share it with other string teachers.
