String Section Archives

Breaking the Ice – First Day of School Activities for Your Orchestras
Lesley Schultz | August 2, 2022Ah, the first day of school. Whether we like it or not, inevitably the start of school comes around sooner than maybe many of us would like. The first day of school is full of anticipation and dread for many, students included. What can you do on the first day or (days) of school to […] Read More...
Engaging Warm Ups Focus Your Students in the First Minutes of Class
Lesley Schultz | July 8, 2022Orchestras by their very nature, have a different warmup flow than a band or a choir. Having sat in bands as a player, I know tuning in most cases occurs after a short warmup. This lends itself to an easy “bellwork” transition that administrators love to see. All the students being engaged in an activity […] Read More...
Recognizing Burnout, Strategies to Rest and Recover This Summer
Lesley Schultz | June 15, 2022One of the many talking points in education currently is how, even though it is summer, and we aren’t in the building, our work never truly stops. This is true for a lot of music colleagues, especially our band colleagues, but many of us run some sort of summer festival, or summer camp, or just […] Read More...
Get Your Students Involved with Instrument Care
Lesley Schultz | May 2, 2022I f your spring season is anything like most, then you are finally sitting down to read this article after your spring slate of concerts, wondering if there is a way to double up your time and have the students help you with assessing summer cleaning and repair needs. All students should know what to […] Read More...
Pop Tunes with Staying Power – Choosing the Right “Fluff” for Your Library Long Term
Lesley Schultz | April 20, 2022Ah spring. The season when testing hits full force, the students are distracted and looking toward summer, and you are also probably distracted and looking toward summer. Depending on how your building runs testing schedules, you might see your students every day, or only twice in a month. Spring concerts are a time where a […] Read More...
Freshen Up Your Repertoire for Spring
Lesley Schultz | March 18, 2022You could say I have had a lot of time on my hands recently to listen to the newest, latest and greatest in string orchestra rep, and you would be partially correct! I have been busy recovering from an illness, but I have also had some time to look at all the great newer pieces […] Read More...
What Happens When You Can’t Be There?
Lesley Schultz | February 23, 2022This will be an ongoing series we will touch on from time to time, and I felt it is an area in which no one likes to think about but happens more often than we would like to admit. What happens if we as a music educator, must be out long term because of illness, […] Read More...
Contest Considerations for Spring 2022
Lesley Schultz | January 19, 2022After a shortened or non-existent contest season last school year, it seems like most states are going ahead with some sort of adjudicated contests this year. Some states are sticking with partially or fully virtual, while others are doing in-person contests with restrictions. As always, this is a per state or region consideration, and the […] Read More...
In This “Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Take Time for You and Yours
Lesley Schultz | December 18, 2021With “back to normal” in full force around a good portion of the world, this upcoming holiday/winter season seems much more chaotic than in the past. The concerts are back on, traditions in full force, this party, that party, this staff gathering, outside gigs for your run out groups and more. Rebuilding and improving the […] Read More...
Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice – Selections for Fall
Lesley Schultz | October 9, 2021Ahh fall, the weather is cooling; the leaves are changing, and you have your first concert at some point this month. Although this article comes too late for this school year, I hope the variety of selections I suggest this year can give you ideas for next year. Fall is not usually the time most […] Read More...
To Tape or Not to Tape
Lesley Schultz | September 6, 2021It’s that time of year. The time of year when you think “are finger tapes on the instruments really worth it?” What to use that won’t leave a nasty residue and stay on the entire year. For my wind/percussion players turned string teachers, this is always a moment of shock if you are newer. If […] Read More...
Are You Proficient with Notation Software?
Lesley Schultz | August 13, 2021With any ensemble or music class, sometimes parts need adjustment to best serve all of your learners. Maybe you have some balance issues with the sections in your ensembles. Maybe you are missing an important instrument entirely (with a band or full orchestra). It is too much for us to ask our young violas to […] Read More...