I have been thinking a lot about how back to school, fall colors and the sense of renewal that create a time of hope and new beginnings. I am thinking about our students and all of the wonderful opportunities they will experience this school year. And I can’t wait to see the progress of our newest enrolled students and those who continue to take lessons. Some often think of this time of year as magical because it offers such possibilities.
Starting with this time of year, I encourage all of our students to identify several simple goals they wish to achieve for themselves in their music journey. Goals should be a stretch but achievable. They can be as simple as completing a specific piece their music book or learning 2-3 new scales. For the more advanced student it could be improving one’s vibrato or playing 3-octave scales up to twelve notes in a bow. For others it might be to successfully audition for one of the competitive youth symphony orchestras or improving one’s vibrato. In all such cases students should find a consistent time in their day to practice regularly and with intention. Let your teacher know what your goals are and routinely discuss them to assure progress toward them. Let your parents and even your friends know what your goals are. Sharing them can help you stay on task and be accountable to those goals.
At the end of the semester or year review how you did. Consider mini (micro) goals along the way so they don’t feel overwhelming. And if you surpass your goals identify new ones. If this approach sounds a lot like your weekly lessons with your teacher, you would be sensing a theme for how to grow through music. As part of our String Stories Newsletter/ Blog, we will share tips for students and parents to help you succeed with your string progress. And if you have your own tips that have worked for you, share them with us. We would love to share them with the rest of our string community!
As we look forward, we also look back at what our students did at the end of the summer.
In August several of our string students participated in the Stringwood Chamber Music Festival, a summer string chamber music camp and music festival in Minnesota. Facilitated by Artaria String Quartet, the camp draws 40 students ages 12 to 22 from throughout the country to Minnesota’s Eagle Bluff Environmental Center where they immerse themselves in two weeks of intense chamber music studies. Our students, Rahel, Mukuhi and Kamau, represented Walker West in a series of string quartet performances by such varied composers as Tchaikovosky, Haydn, Mozart and Caroline Shaw. Their concerts took them to Iowa, parts of outstate Minnesota and ultimately back to Minneapolis for their final concert. These three are members of our Kamoinge Strings and members of Minnesota Youth Symphonies (MYS) top orchestras. They also participate in the Artaria Chamber Music School (ACMS). Congratulations to these students and Patty Ryan, who coached them at Stringwood!
An important role of our string department is preparing our students to audition for these competitive music programs each year. Our students routinely participate in MYS, ACMS and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS). We also encourage our students to participate in competitive summer music camps too. In addition to Stringwood our students have been accepted into such national programs as the Sphinx Performance Academy, Music Mountain Summer Chamber Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival, Sewanee Music Festival. These opportunities enhance the music instruction students receive at Walker West and prepares them for the rigor of the classical music profession post high school, should they choose music as a career.
Speaking of music as a career, starting this month our student musicians can participate in a series of virtual workshops to assist BIPOC musicians prepare for college auditions and application process. Sponsored by Equity Arc and El Sistema USA, these workshops address topics from a virtual college fair to help students find the “best fit” music school or conservatory to one titled, ‘Finding your Voice and Developing Self-Advocacy in Higher Education Spaces”. As a member of Equity Arc our students are able to attend these workshops for free. But they have to register! If interested in attending, please contact Earl Ross at earl@walkerwest.org for more information. We are super excited to be affiliated with this national organization dedicated to providing access to underserved musicians interested in classical music. In future String Stories we will discuss more about this resource and partnership of Walker West and its String Department.
We are excited to share highlights from the upcoming 2024/2025 season.
Students are gearing up for the string recitals. The first two are scheduled for Saturday November 2 and November 9. We have scheduled five recitals for the school year. All will be held at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (285 Dale Street N., Saint Paul) starting at 6 pm. Recitals are opportunities for our beginner to more advanced students to share what they’ve been preparing in their lessons.
For our Kamoinge Strings ensemble, we are excited to be asked to return to the Bell Museum to perform Sunday December 8 from 1:30 – 3:30 pm in their galleries. The performance highlights their planetarium film, Secrets of the Forrest, which discusses the wood used to construct Stradivari violins.
The ensemble performs its annual holiday concert Saturday December 14 at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. These concerts include works to celebrate the season and are perennial favorites of students, parents and general audiences. The concert starts at 6 pm.
This month the string department hosts Afro-Colombian activist and singer, Daira Elsa Quiñonez (La Abuela Daira) at the academy on Friday October 11 at 7 pm for conversation and music. Daira is in the United States touring but will be in Minnesota for a limited time. We get to meet and experience a bit of her artistry. Later in the month we take a group of our students to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra featuring, South African cellist Abel Selacoe on Sunday October 20. As the orchestra’ s partner artist this season Abel Selacoe is an extraordinary musician and innovative artist whose concerts have been memorable experiences for audiences. Both Daira and Abel represent the culturally rich and expansive musical expression we seek to expose our students to whenever possible. Such artists not only inspire our students and faculty but are models for how music reflects contemporary and cultural connections that spans Afro-global idioms.
As we prepare to move to our new building at 650 Marshall Ave, we will provide more information about group classes for beginner violin and cello students. Look for this information in subsequent String Stories. We want to expand our string student enrollment by at least 50% in the next year and we will need those from our string community and beyond to help recruit students.
In the meantime, enjoy the fall colors, beautiful skies, cooler nights and great string music!
