Amanda Wall Strings

Category: Lesson Enrichment

  • Welcome.

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    Amanda
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    If you just found this site, welcome! I am a certified teacher in both vocal and instrumental music, and I have been teaching privately since high school. I now primarily teach out of my home, offering private lessons to students in the greater Kansas City area. I provide lessons to students for their individual goals…

  • My Favorite Thing about Playing Violin: The Challenge

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    Amanda
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    At a final recital for the holiday season, I had several students in the same room who hadn’t met before, and when I asked them to each tell their name, I also asked for each to share why they play their instrument. Of course, the question caught most of them off-guard, and the answers were…

  • The Humble Etude: The Mainstay of String Technique

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    Amanda
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    If you’ve ever marveled at a jaw-dropping performance by a string player on YouTube (you know the ones, where their left hand is climbing up and down the fingerboard at lightening speed while the bow works to light a fire above the fingerboard?), chances are the performer has spent significant quality time in a practice…

  • Some Thoughts and Videos on Vibrato

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    Amanda
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    In my studio, I find myself explaining basic skills in many different ways, in order to best help my student understand and master a certain concept. The basic skill’s execution stays the same, of course, but each student’s understanding dictates how I teach. When it comes to teaching vibrato, however, I find myself somewhat at…

  • What’s in a String? Choosing New Strings for Your Instrument

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    Amanda
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    As the school year approaches, now is a GREAT time to think about re-stringing your instrument for the upcoming school year. If you start now, those strings can be fully adjusted and raring to go on the first day of orchestra. So you browse on over to an online string seller, or visit your local…

  • Violin Bowing- A List of Terms

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    Amanda
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    With so many different types of bowing out there, one can be easily confused by the variety- and the disagreement upon terms and definitions. In an attempt to provide accurate information for my students, I have compiled an expository list of bowing styles and examples, aggregated from several sources and professionals. Some of these definitions…

  • Advanced Bowings Lessons- a Review

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    Amanda
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    Have you noticed how there seem to be an infinite number of ways your bow can interact with the string? Your bow and how it’s used comprises the majority of your tone and technique, and properly exercising each method in practice should hold just as much value as making sure you’ve got the notes and…

  • Summer Playing Goals

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    Amanda
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    As summer approaches, you’re probably thrilled with the prospect of long stretches of free time- you’re finally done with school! But if you’ll remember back to last summer, you will probably begrudgingly agree: summer usually means the school schedule is replaced with an even more busy schedule, filled with all sorts of events and family…

  • Reading Rhythms

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    Amanda
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    Often one of the largest gaps I see in learning to read music occurs in the learning to accurately read rhythms. I could speculate on why this happens, but I don’t find that to be a productive pursuit- so let me instead offer some avenues for improvement! Reading rhythms on paper relates pretty directly to…

  • Need Literature?

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    Amanda
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    Have you heard of IMSLP? It stands for International Music Score Library Project, a site dedicated to preserving electronically classical music literature. If you’ve been instructed to purchase a particular piece of music (or a book of etudes!), give this website a look first. I have found many different sources of etudes for my students,…