Join us for our 12th Community Engagement Learning Series "Game Night" with SC ASTA.

Can you guess this excerpt? Join us for a fun-filled game night. You can even submit your favorite, hard-to-guess excerpts here.

This Game Nighy will be held on:

Thursday, May 27th at 7:00 PM.

Everyone is welcome!

Click the zoom link below (no pre-registration required).

Zoom Link

Join us for our 10th Community Engagement Learning Series "Music & the Brain" with Dr. Molly Gebrian.

What Musicians Can Learn About Practicing From Current Brain Research

This presentation will focus on what neuroscientists have discovered about how our brains learn and how to apply these insights to practicing and teaching so that practicing becomes more efficient and effective, leading to enhanced performance ability, enjoyment, and confidence. Topics include: how to get rid of bad habits, how to make things automatic/reliable, the role of sleep in learning, the power of mental practicing, how to use the metronome to greatest effect, and the benefits of random practice for enhanced performance.

Complete the form below to receive the link to the virtual meeting and receive an optional Professional Development certificate.

Register HERE: Join the Meeting!

Join us for our 9th Community Engagement Learning Series "Back to the Basics" with Mr. Jeremy Woolstenhulme.

Teaching Vibrato: Step-by-Step

Vibrato Basics is the finest approach to teaching vibrato in the heterogeneous classroom. Every step is introduced and amply reinforced with exercises or literature. Milestone concepts are also introduced with a video lesson. Journey along with Jeremy Woolstenhulme as he shows you the very best ways to introduce vibrato to your students. Special teaching tips and videos for each instrument will be presented. 

Complete the form below to receive the link to the virtual meeting and receive an optional Professional Development certificate.

Register HERE: Join the Meeting!

Join us for our 8th Community Engagement Learning Series Featuring a two-part series with Dr. Benjamin Whitcomb to learn more about Rehearsal Ideas for Performance Anxiety and Efficient Practicing Techniques. 

February 17th @ 7:00 PM 

Performance Anxiety and Efficient Practicing Techniques.

Learning to cope with and overcome the stress and anxiety that can accompany public performance can make all the difference in the world for some of our music students. Whitcomb has researched and written on the topic and will share a digest of some ways to help alleviate its effects, and even to start to enjoy the process of performing for others.

Of course, we all try to get our students to practice a certain quantity, but getting them to do quality practicing can be another matter. In this portion of the webinar, Whitcomb will describe seven types of practicing that have proven most effective in his own studio over the past 30 years.

Complete the form below to receive the link to the virtual meeting and receive an optional Professional Development certificate.

Register HERE: Join the Meeting!

Join us for our 8th Community Engagement Learning Series Featuring a two-part series with Dr. Benjamin Whitcomb to learn more about Rehearsal Ideas for Chamber Music and Performance Anxiety and Efficient Practicing Techniques. 

February 10th @ 7:00 PM

Rehearsal Ideas for Chamber Music

Chamber music skills are so valuable to musicians, but training young string players to acquire such skills can be challenging. In this webinar, Benjamin Whitcomb will discuss some of his favorite approaches to rehearsing chamber music groups in ways that also enhance listening skills, theory knowledge, score study, internal rhythm, and communication skills.

Join us for our 7th Community Engagement Learning Series Featuring Anna and Matthew Radspinner to learn more about retention and innovative strategies for your string teaching toolbet!!

Are you trying to increase the beginning string strategies in your pandemic toolbelt? Do you need ideas for retention of middle school to high school string students? Join SC ASTA and the innovative string teachers from Williamsport, PA, Anna and Matthew Radspinner for a session on how they approach these topics in their programs! The Radspinners are known for their creative approaches to teaching, retention, and stellar performances. Anna currently teaches strings in the Williamsport Area School District at the Andrew G. Curtin Intermediate School and Matthew is currently the Orchestra Director at the Williamsport Area High School.   

Join us for our 5th Community Engagement Learning Series Featuring Eastman String special guest artist Rachelle Puccini as she presents Accurately Assessing and Setting up your Violin/Viola Students"!!

Discover different methods for optimal violin and viola set up, and how to identify what works best for each individual student. We will be focusing on the physics of great tone while making sure the body is properly aligned and relaxed to avoid tension. Feel free to bring your violin or viola for a “hands on” approach. Appropriate for teaching all grade levels beginning through high school.

Complete the form below to receive the link to the virtual meeting and receive an optional Professional Development certificate.

Register HERE: Join the Meeting!

Join us for our 4th Community Engagement Learning Series to discuss "Equity & Technology in Music Education." 

Join special guests Sundas Mohi-Truong, Audrey John Melzer, Timothy Holley, and Christine Arroyo to discuss supporting immigrant students, how to incorporate black string bands into the orchestra curriculum, culturally responsive teaching, and technology needs for the fall. Each panelist will share their expertise and there will be time for questions. 

Additionally, we will have special guest from Collabra to talk about a new technology platform for music teachers: 

Collabra is a video-based remote learning and practice management platform for K-12 music and performing arts education. Collabra's asynchronous video platform enables efficient split-screen scaling of lessons, whereby students can practice along (using their smart phone or browser) without latency audio issues found with synchronous tools (i.e. Zoom). Collabra adds accountability (replaces practice journals) and affirmation to the process of practice, and empowers timed-assessments, blind auditions, and district-wide remote multi-track collaborations. Collabra is offering a special 25% discount to all teachers/schools that will be on the webinar on July 22nd.

Complete the form below to receive the link to the virtual meeting and receive an optional Professional Development / Technology certificate.

Register HERE: Join the Meeting!

Join us for our 3rd Community Engagement Learning Series to discuss "Changing Your Expectations for Fall Teaching." 

Since many of us do not have a solid grasp of what the fall teaching experience will entail, now is a good time to reflect on your past teaching expectations and dive into brainstorming actionable steps you could take to reimagine strings curriculum. Join the panelists from the SC ASTA board as well as guest panelist Dr. Frank Diaz from Indiana University.  Our panelists will share their strategies for teaching reflection, their brainstorms of creative curricular strategies for the fall, and there will be time for questions and to share ideas of how to reimagine orchestra curriculum.  

Everyone is welcome! 

Complete the form below to receive the link to the virtual meeting and receive an optional Professional Development certificate.

Register HERE: Join the Meeting!

Join us for our 2nd Community Engagement Learning Series to discuss Recruitment & Retention in a virtual world.  Additionally, we will see how teachers from across the state are celebrating seniors during this time of elearning and school closure. Other topics to be covered will include how to prepare for the end of the year, summer opportunities as well as how to gear up for Fall term. 

Everyone is welcome! 

Complete the form below to receive the link to the virtual meeting and receive an optional Professional Development certificate.

Register HERE: Join the Meeting!

Join with string teachers from all over the state to glean ideas from one another about teaching during this time of elearning and best practices of virtual private lessons. 

The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 22nd at 2:30 PM. Everyone is welcome! The Webinar will be led by Susan Wines.  Additionally members from the SC ASTA Board will present and then open up the floor for others to share!