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In-Person Workshop Activities

String Teacher Workshop

July 6–12, 2025

The Ohio State University School of Music
Timashev Family Music Building | Weigel Hall
1900 College Road
Columbus, OH 43210

Join us for a week of fun-filled events, opportunities to meet teachers from all over the world, and a full week of diverse educational sessions.

  • Instruments will be available to check out for daily use.
     

Events include:

  • Opening reception — The Loft Violin Shop
  • New teacher luncheon
  • Pizza party lunch — Baroque Violin Shop
  • Time to browse and shop from our vendors and partners
  • Evening social hours to meet participants, clinicians and vendors
  • Fun, informal Workshop performance on main campus of The Ohio State University
  • Workshop dinner party at Schmidt’s Sausage Haus in German Village


Daily Schedule Outline

Sunday

Opening day! Registration will begin at 2 p.m. and the workshop kicks off at 4 p.m.

Monday through Friday

  • 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. — Secondary instrument classes and instrument repair classes. Immerse yourself in beginning and intermediate pedagogy and learn hands-on with the luthiers of Baroque Violin Shop.
  • 12–1 p.m. — Lunch hour
  • 1–5 p.m. — Rehearsal labs, reading sessions, and some smaller break-out sessions
  • 5–6:30 — Dinner break
    • Friday will conclude at 5 p.m. so we can celebrate the end of the workshop with a group dinner at Schmidt’s Sausage Haus in German Village.
  • 6:30–9 p.m. Mon.–Thurs. — Two additional sessions plus a social break with refreshments

Saturday

8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. — Closing sessions, check-out, and workshop evaluation

Session Topics and Presenters

Alternative Styles

  • Blues, rock and improvisation in extra-curricular groups and contemporary elements in orchestral playing — Daryl Silberman
  • Two hours of Creativity in the Strings Classroom — Rebecca MacLeod, Daryl Silberman and Heather Lofdahl

Beginning Strings

  • Setting Up Beginning Students for Success: A Pedagogical Model for Beginning Strings — Rebecca MacLeod
  • Technical Foundations in Beginning String Orchestra Education: Tammy Yi

Classroom Engagement

  • SEL: All the human elements of teaching students — Daryl Silberman

Conducting with Miriam Burns

  • Four Conducting Labs
  • Conducting general session

Culturally Responsive Teaching

  • Culturally Responsive Teaching in String Orchestra — Tammy Yi
  • Diversifying the Orchestra Canon — Tammy Yi
  • Orchestrating Diversity: The magic of underrepresented composers — Adrian Gordon
  • Teaching and Learning with English Learners
  • Making music with students with disabilities — Abby Miles

Instrument Repair and Inventory

  • Daily Repair Workshops — Jeremy Bartel and Baroque Violin Shop
  • How to Choose the Correct Instruments for your Program — The Loft Violin Shop

Reading Sessions with Composers

  • Carl Fischer Music — Yukiko Nishimura
  • Excelcia Publishing — Yukiko Nishimura
  • Leap Year Music Publishing — Adrian Gordon
  • Grade 1 Reading Session — Matt Radspinner
  • Two "My Favorite Orchestra Reading" Sessions — led by workshop participants (all attendees welcome to contribute!)
  • Hal Leonard Reading Session
  • New publications

Rehearsal and Classroom Techniques

  • Effective Rehearsals: Combining artistry and pedagogy — Rebecca MacLeod
  • Similarities and differences between teaching band and strings — David Hedgecoth and Heather Lofdahl
  • Teaching playing skills in the classroom: Best and worst practices — Bob Gillespie
  • Working with singers and choral students — Jordan Saul

Secondary Instrument Classes

  • 10 Daily Violin/Viola Classes — Heather Lofdahl
  • 10 Daily Cello Classes — Julie Ellis
  • 10 Daily Double Bass Classes — Matt Radspinner
  • 10 Daily Secondary String Classes for the "New to Strings" Teacher — Matt Radspinner

Wellness

  • Mindfulness — Frank Diaz
  • Starting a New Job / Transitioning to a New School — Vani Shukla