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
- Multiple sessions with returning clinician Brian Cole
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 — Yukio 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