Seltzer Music Studio

My all time favorite way to perform music is in small ensembles, chamber music. I’ve made lifelong friends and learned so much from the experiences. That’s why it so important to me to have my students join chamber groups too, for the love of music, for the cooperation and community.

Good luck to all the local students performing in FFMC Suwannee district strings festival tomorrow and Saturday! 🎶✨💪🎻✨🎶

Students! Mark your calendars. FFMC strings festival will be early next year!

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DR. SUZUKI'S LEGACY RECORDINGS FOR VIOLIN SCHOOL 1-3 NOW FREE FROM ALFRED MUSIC!!

Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Suzuki
To commemorate the anniversary of Dr. Suzuki’s passing, Alfred Music is honored to release his legacy recordings of Suzuki Violin School, Volumes 1-3, as a FREE RESOURCE for the Suzuki community worldwide.
https://www.alfred.com/suzuki-method/celebrating-legacy-dr-suzuki/
For the official International Suzuki Association-approved instrument recordings and additional legacy recordings, see our full listing of Suzuki Audio Downloads.

Wishing all the students auditioning for ACYO tomorrow ease and peace! Take a deep breath, trust the work you’ve put in, and let your music speak. You don’t have to be perfect—you just have to share your heart.

Go Practice.

💯🎶🎶🎶🎶

Few adults play musical instruments, and even fewer do so in a group, Caroline Mimbs Nyce wrote in 2024. What health benefits might they be giving up? https://theatln.tc/oglkQfzJ

“Kids receive plenty of music education, but as people get older, they fall out of practice. Many stop picking up their instrument,” Nyce writes. “This is unfortunate, in part because plenty of research shows that adults could benefit from playing music.”

Playing music helps build larger brain networks and new pathways. “Musicians tend to have better attention than nonmusicians,” Nyce continues. “Banging on a drum or tooting a horn can also relieve stress, reduce burnout, and help with anxiety and depression. For older people specifically, research has shown potential cognitive benefits along with a possible decrease in dementia risk.”

Adults may be skipping out in part because music education is associated with childhood and coursework. And after people grow out of music education in their childhood, they tend to think that music is a special talent, Nyce writes, not something that just anybody can learn.

“Of course, people are busy; they simply may not have the luxury of sitting down to study Bach once a week, much less the money to pay for an instrument or private lessons,” Nyce writes.

Playing music in groups has additional benefits, such as allowing adults to feel more trusting of and connected to one another, and to the world in general. But while it’s easy to go to a park or gym and pull together a game of pickup basketball, “piecing together people at the same skill level to play a concerto or even just jam in a garage is another matter.”

Nyce herself recently began to play the recorder. “I plan to keep learning,” she writes, “not because it strengthens my neuropathways per se (though I certainly don’t mind that), but because making music, even when it’s silly—perhaps especially when it’s silly—is just a whole lot of fun.” https://theatln.tc/oglkQfzJ

📸: Photo Media / ClassicStock / Getty

🎻 Quick Tip for Better Tone 🎶
Want to improve your violin tone instantly? Focus on bow speed and arm weight.

✅ Bow Speed: Slow bows = richer sound. Fast bows = lighter sound.
✅ Arm Weight: Let your arm’s natural weight guide the bow. Think of pulling and pushing the string sideways, like petting a cat. No pressing—just a gentle, smooth motion.

🎯 Challenge: Practice an open string with slow, even bows today. Listen for your best sound!

🎻 Carols and Coffee: A Holiday Harmony! 🎄
Join us for a magical musical moment at the AUK Pop Up Holiday Market! (2031 NW 6th St.) Our talented Suzuki violin students will fill the air with beautiful holiday melodies while you sip on your Curia on the Drag coffee and shop all the fantastic local vendors.
Mark your calendars:

December 14th
December 21st
12-1 PM

Sip on warm coffee, browse unique holiday crafts, and let the sweet sounds of violin carols put you in the festive spirit! It's the perfect way to enjoy some local talent and holiday cheer.
Bring your friends, family, and holiday joy! Free performance - all are welcome! ❄️🎁 The AUK Market https://www.facebook.com/share/1FFXWyL9jQ/