All Debate articles

  • Yoda cello illustration
    Debate

    Opinion: The Wisdom of Yoda

    4 May 2023

    In the Star Wars universe, Jedi Master Yoda is the ultimate teacher – and his insights can be applied just as readily to string playing as to learning the ways of the Force, writes cellist Brian Hodges

  • Paul Neubauer - Tristan+Cook+credit
    Debate

    Slow practice should be used only when needed as a learning tool

    19 August 2022

    Are you wasting your time? As musicians we should be doing more to question the standard warm-up and practice regimes, writes violist Paul Neubauer

  • femaleluthiers
    Debate

    Is sexism to blame for the scarcity of women in the violin making business?

    11 March 2022

    German violin maker Ute Zahn asked why there are so few female luthiers in The Strad's March 2013 issue

  • lhp-00462-final
    Debate

    Beyond Bach: 12 tips for better Baroque playing

    15 July 2021

    A thorough knowledge of Baroque repertoire apart from the works of Bach is so important if modern players are to gain a proper understanding of Classical and Romantic works, writes Adrian Butterfield

  • BowingOpinion
    Debate

    Opinion: An integrated whole

    10 June 2021

    By divorcing technique from the music, we prevent the bow from becoming an extension of our right arm and hand, writes John Crawford

  • BaroqueComposers
    Debate

    Opinion: On the margins

    7 May 2021

    Conservatoires should do more to make 17th-century music a fundamental part of the curriculum, writes Walter Reiter

  • TeachingOnlineiStock
    Debate

    Opinion: Follow the science

    23 March 2021

    A teacher can never rest on their laurels with a pupil – it’s important to keep observing how things are going and ask questions, says Naomi Yandell

  • LvdH_Performing
    Debate

    Opinion: Touching a nerve

    15 March 2021

    Although nervous energy can lead to inspired playing, it can also result in performance anxiety – unless we find ways to control it, writes cellist Laura van der Heijden

  • Debussy
    Debate

    Opinion: A new light

    11 February 2021

    Debussy’s Sonata for flute, viola and harp is just one of many works written for that combination, and is a prime example of how loosening fixed traditions can open new and exciting sound worlds, writes Toby Deller

  • DSC06791
    Debate

    Building an international profile for French violinists

    29 January 2021

    In comparison with its array of top-level cellists and string quartets, France’s violin soloists seem in general to attract less media attention globally. Charlotte Gardner investigates the causes

  • family-concert-3
    Debate

    Opinion: Defining relevance

    24 December 2020

    Classical musicians can feel concerned about their lack of consequence in the ‘real’ world. But, as the pandemic has shown, the art form is needed now more than ever – and it’s up to performers to make the case, writes Andrew Mellor

  • BeingConnscious
    Debate

    Opinion: Being conscious

    17 November 2020

    Developing musical potential requires a real sense of critical awareness as students grow, writes cellist Cecilia Radic

  • Exams
    Debate

    Should music tuition revolve around passing exams?

    12 November 2020

    Toby Deller argues that young instrumental players should be inspired by fulfilling experiences

  • PikeChandos
    Debate

    Opinion: Original and the best?

    5 November 2020

    Scouring the archives for early drafts is fine in the name of research, but when it comes to performance, the composer’s revised version is usually the more satisfying option, writes Charlotte Gardner 

  • LeonBoschMasterclass
    Debate

    Opinion: Wise words

    28 September 2020

    Masterclasses should be special forums in which great artists impart the insight and knowledge they have acquired over a lifetime, writes double bassist Leon Bosch

  • Beginner violin lessons
    Debate

    Opinion: A light touch

    20 August 2020

    Learning to play harmonics early on has many potential benefits for beginner string players, as Naomi Yandell observes

  • Beethoven1
    Debate

    Beethoven’s music is especially appropriate in the time of Covid-19

    29 July 2020

    Beethoven has been denied his year of celebration by the coronavirus pandemic. But, writes Toby Deller, his ‘Heiliger Dankgesang’ is an emblem for the current crisis

  • PatKop
    Debate

    Opinion: From the Heart

    20 July 2020

    In the Covid-19 crisis, musicians have begun to film their playing from home. Andrew Mellor asks whether these raw and sometimes less-than-pristine performances have killed off classical music’s ‘cult of perfection’

  • Music Lesson
    Debate

    Opinion: Best of both worlds

    10 July 2020

    If we work together and communicate effectively there is no reason why a student cannot benefit from lessons with more than one instrumental tutor, writes Celia Cobb

  • 3588_ulster_orchestra
    Debate

    After Corona, pay inequality among musicians will be unsustainable

    8 July 2020

    The great disparity in wages between soloists and rank-and-file musicians has been highlighted by the Covid-19 crisis, writes Andrew Mellor