All Debate articles – Page 6
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DebateOpinion: A limit to learning?
Do some string students have a ceiling when it comes to their capacity to learn? Naomi Yandell explores the question through her experience of teaching a cello student with special needs
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DebateInvestors should loan prized stringed instruments to top players
Rather than storing instruments in a vault, investors must allow them to be played, for the benefit of owner and musician alike, wrote Jonathan Moulds in 2014
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DebateOrchestral Overload: Opinion
Conservatoires and youth orchestras in the UK too often timetable an excessive number of orchestral rehearsals and concerts. These rob students of precious hours of private practice, writes violin teacher Simon Smith
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DebateYoung students must learn to listen if they are to practise effectively
String students who struggle in the early stages of learning often don't know how to listen. Patiently help them to train their ears, says Peter Quantrill, and practice sessions will become ever more fulfilling
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Premium ❘ DebateShould music tuition revolve around passing exams?
Toby Deller argues that young players should be inspired by fulfilling experiences
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Premium ❘ DebateHistorically informed performance on modern instruments is misguided
Historically informed performance is all well and good, argues Julian Haylock, but continuing to play on modern instruments just results in the worst of both worlds
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DebateA musical outcast? Harold en Italie as metaphor for the viola itself
Toby Deller argues that the title character of Harold en Italie is a social outsider whose isolation is a metaphor for the viola’s struggle for acceptance throughout musical history
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DebateYoung musicians too often make musical decisions based on impressing the listener
As artists grow older they hear more in the music, says Orion Quartet violist Steven Tenenbom, who urges younger musicians to learn as much as they can from their mentors – and delve deeper into the music themselves
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FocusWhy aren't more British string players making it big internationally?
Despite the large number of young and talented string players in Britain, few seem to make an impact as leading soloists on the world stage. Charlotte Gardner explores the reasons for this phenomenon
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FocusPostcard from South Africa - ‘What It Takes: Double Bass’
Young South African double bass players took part in a new dedicated course for their instrument at the end of last year – with promising results, writes faculty member Leon Bosch
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DebateIs Germany's orchestral paradise as good as it seems?
The country’s Unesco-protected orchestral system may look ideal to the rest of the world, but it’s by no means a bed of roses, writes Hugo Shirley
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DebateWhat do the new UK ivory regulations mean for bows?
A new UK requirement to register all ivory-tipped bows will affect music shops, auction houses and the musicians themselves. Peter Somerford examines what the implications are for the industry
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DebateBuilding confidence around the absence of sound
Music students have the confidence to engage with silence, whether before, during or immediately after a piece, writes Naomi Yandell
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DebateAre competitions inherently problematic?
Charlotte Gardner checks recent Joseph Joachim Competition rumours against reality and cautions against letting young musicians get caught in the crossfire
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DebateAre France and Britain guilty of a lack of musical interaction?
Classical music should be a beacon of internationalism, yet each country’s scene appears to be stubbornly insular, writes Charlotte Gardner
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DebateWhy musicians should appeal against the ivory act
Benjamin Hebbert on the ethical tightrope of campaigning for exemptions to the Ivory Act while supporting its aim to put a stop to the slaughter of elephants
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DebateOpinion: How should a musician respond to a string breaking on stage?
Nobody can blame a musician for their string breaking on stage. But, says Charlotte Gardner, the way a performer responds is certainly within their grasp
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FocusFrom the archive: Technique or tone?
This article from The Strad, September 1954, argues that the trend among students of pursuing mechanical brilliance at the expense of beauty of tone is misguided
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DebateVirtual reality: tool for audience engagement or passing fad?
Orchestras across the globe have been experimenting with enhancing the audience’s musical experience. What are the potential applications for VR technology, asks Peter Somerford
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DebateCan a music stand destroy a performance?
Naomi Yandell makes a plea to school music departments for a common-sense approach to performance ‘details’, such as the big black music stand
