Allen Violin Studio

Pictured here: three of our four students who were accepted to District XI junior district orchestra this year!

Congratulations to Abby, Vickie, and Noah! (and Colin, not pictured, and Hunter, who participated in the District X Senior event last weekend)

It takes a village - these students work diligently in their lessons with me, of course, but their families have supported them as musicians for years, the excellent shops in this area supply them with wonderful instruments that they keep in good repair, and their amazing school orchestra directors inspire them and encourage them as ensemble players and gave them plenty of extra time at school to prepare for the auditions!

Happy competition recording week to all in the studio who are celebrating!

Check out this great online workshop - learn how to be coachable and get the most out of your lessons, classes, and rehearsals!

I am thrilled to start this workshop with students and teachers this weekend to kick off 2023.
This will be a four class workshop where we discuss ways we can guide ourselves and our students into a highly coachable state. Arrive at rehearsals and lessons in 2023 primed and ready to learn at the highest level.
Email [email protected] for more info on schedule/registration/fees.

Parents

Parents have a fantastic opportunity to learn from Barbie Wong Music in her online class, How To Raise A Musical Child!

Learn more here:

Parents Parents Barbie teaches parents how to raise joyful, musical kids   TAKE A PARENT CLASS AND DISCOVER… how to motivate your child to practice how to find a great teacher how to create a musical home when your child should…

A brilliant all Black and Latinx orchestra Jan. 31

We have an opportunity to see the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra live in DC this month!

A brilliant all Black and Latinx orchestra Jan. 31 Part of The Sphinx Organization, the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra is a unique all Black and Latinx orchestra comprised of top professionals from around the country. The program includes Seven Last Words of the Unarmed, a moving work composed by Joel Thompson that quotes the last words of seven African-...

How is it time for a full size already??? It seems like just yesterday we were starting lessons. Thanks to for helping Chloe find her new instrument!

Happy New Year! Let’s make some magic here!

Something new to discover when you come for lessons!

The Dangers of Dry Weather: Humidify Your Violin

With the dramatic drop in temperature, please be sure to check on your instruments (even if you're taking a practice break this week). If you use a dampit, it probably needs to be filled daily.

The Dangers of Dry Weather: Humidify Your Violin November 6, 2019, 6:16 PM · A dry environment can play all kinds of bad tricks on a stringed instrument such as a violin, viola, cello or bass.

Timeline photos

Some of our students, along with others from Mason Community Arts Academy had a great time playing Christmas and Hanukkah music at the Fairfax County Public Library today! We did crafts, played music, and made new friends. Thank you the library for including us in their wonderful event!

Every link in this chain represents one day of practice from our students and the students in Ms. Hannah’s studio down the hall! Congratulations to all - your hard work made for beautiful recital performances and lots of great decor for our hallway!

Taking time off over winter break? Want a plan to get back into playing shape once you get back, or some support in taking your playing to the next level to start the new year?

We've got you covered at Winter Violin Bootcamp, for intermediate and advanced violinists, starting in January. Sign up this week so you've got a plan in place for January!

https://masonacademy.gmu.edu/music-classes/winter-violin-bootcamp/

Running onstage for her second recital ever!

Our studio was spread across three recitals today and I’m so very proud of everyone!

For everyone attending recitals tomorrow: please know that you now need a special parking pass to park for free in Lot K. Parking Services has become very strict, and anyone parking in Lot K without a pass (which is free) runs the risk of getting a $100 ticket. Please check your email either from me or MCAA to follow the directions to obtain your parking pass (and print it at home).

The 2022 Violinist.com Holiday Gift Guide

In case you need any gift ideas for violinists this holiday season!

The 2022 Violinist.com Holiday Gift Guide Welcome to our 13th annual Violinist.com Holiday Gift Guide! Gift-giving is one of the great joys of the holiday season, and each year we compile a list of some of the year's best new gear, books, recordings, and other offerings from violinists for you to consider in your holiday gift-giving, gift-a...

Studio class this morning gave our students the opportunity to try out their recital pieces (and practice being nervous) for our friendly studio audience!

There is now a COLORING BOOK for Violin Music by Women!

And, you may even see a familiar face on the inside cover. I helped a little bit with the coloring book and Dr. Cooper was kind enough to give me a mention in the book. :-)

https://www.sleepypuppypress.com/store/p83/Violin_Music_by_Women_Composer_Coloring_Book_%28vols._1_%26_2%29.html

Kick off 2023 with some Violin Bootcamp!

https://masonacademy.gmu.edu/music-classes/winter-violin-bootcamp/

Adalyn’s first bowhold!

Teaching Violin Beginnings is one of my favorite things!

We’re teaming up with the studio down the hall from us to make paper chains between now and winter break. One day of practice marked off on the chart = one link in the chain! How long will it take us to get a chain long enough to go all the way down the hall?

Available this coming Thursday: the COLORING BOOK of Violin Music by Women!!!!

Something new, just in time for the holidays! A sneak preview of one of the items created for SPP’s 10th anniversary in January, this COMPOSER’S COLORING BOOK features all the women whose music appears in volumes 1 and 2 of Violin Music by Women (and most of those in the viola volumes)! Available for sale Dec. 1-15, and then again permanently starting on January 1. Find it at www.sleepypuppypress.com

sales are here! As part of the NatPhil family, you can get up to 50% off concert tickets or a subscription to the NatPhil Digital Stage!

See the season and select your savings: nationalphilharmonic.org

Some opportunities for unique musical gifts supporting wonderful musical organizations this holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our students, families, alumni, and followers!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! So incredibly grateful for all of you, thank you for being my heroes.

For those who worship in a Christian tradition, today is Saint Cecilia's Day! She is the patron saint of musicians.

Happy St. Cecilia’s Day to all musicians!

(🎨 Anton Josef Dräger, 1823)

Are You Actually Practicing? The Anatomy of Deliberate Practice

Students - please read this!!!!!

"A more proactive approach is to train comprehensively from the beginning, like an athlete does during practice. After all, musicians are fine motor skill athletes. We imagine sound and move to create that sound. Practice is the detailed study of that movement."

Are You Actually Practicing? The Anatomy of Deliberate Practice November 20, 2022, 8:37 PM · It’s easy for practice to turn into a game of whack-a-mole, pouncing on problems as they arise. If we are extra diligent, we might slow things down to the speed of no mistakes. Then we work up our tempo… only to play whack-a-mole again. A more proactive approach is ...

I originally bought the eraser animals to help my littles, but they’re proving most useful for my more advanced violinists too! Purchased from !

An annual tradition that has evolved in my studio is writing thank you notes to each of my students at Thanksgiving, because as cheesy as it might sound, they are some of the things in my life I am most grateful for! My cat Boudicca is overseeing my correspondence today. 😺

Winter Violin Bootcamp - Mason Academy

Winter Bootcamp Is Coming!!

Winter Violin Bootcamp - Mason Academy Winter Violin Bootcamp Ages 12-18* COVID Safety Guidelines: Mason Community Arts Academy follows all safety protocols required by George Mason University. Visit our COVID Safety Guidelines for more information. Overview Inspired by the popular […]

What a lovely day of firsts in the studio! We had one of our beginner students use the left fingers in a piece for the first time, one of our advancing students use their brand-new vibrato in a piece for the first time, and met a brand new beginner student who had their very first violin lesson!

Testimonials

A lovely testimonial from the parent of a student who has been with us since age 3!

"When my daughter was a toddler, she latched onto the classical music we played for her, always asking about what instrument was playing when the violin pieces were on. From the moment she realized that she could learn to play the instrument she loved so much, she begged for lessons. She asked repeatedly for a whole year, and if you know 3-year-olds, you know this is a long time. We finally relented and sought a teacher willing to teach a 3-year-old and found Claire Allen and Mason Community Arts Academy. From that moment on violin has been a part of our daughter’s identity, one of the things that all who know her know about, and we could not have found a better teacher than Claire. She has shepherded a small three-year-old through technique and practice and learning hard things to our now twelve year old who has the confidence to walk up in front of a large group of people and, yes play the violin, but also give a speech, answer a question and more. Violin has given her so much more than music and we cannot thank Claire enough for her tutelage."

Read more here:

Testimonials Read what students and parents have to say about studying with Ms. Claire!

More mock auditions today!

What the Suzuki Method Really Taught

Very interesting read about the Suzuki Method, which informs a lot of my teaching of young violinists in the studio!

What the Suzuki Method Really Taught A new biography of the program’s creator argues that reducing it to a system of music instruction misses its underlying point about human potential.