Editor's pick
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Premium ❘ DebateHow should string teachers approach an advanced adult pupil?
Understanding the physique and psyche of a new adult pupil should not be taken lightly, writes Pauline Harding
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DebateAre conservatoires preparing young string players for the music world?
Violinist and professor Rodney Friend argues that music colleges are admitting too many students in the first place
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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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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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Focus'My father hated competitions': David Stern at the Shanghai Isaac Stern Competition
David Stern, joint chair of the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition – currently in its final round – tells The Strad about protecting his father’s legacy and enforcing ‘radical clarity’ on the jury
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DebateIs playing the viola a different art from playing the violin?
Not so, according to Philip Dukes, who argues that the technical requirements of the instruments overlap considerably and players benefit from studying both
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DebatePut yourself in your beginner students' shoes by trying to learn a new instrument from scratch
For most teachers the feeling of clumsiness associated with beginning an instrument from scratch is a distant memory. With the help of Grade1athons, however, it can all come flooding back, as violin tutor Naomi Yandell describes
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FocusBlind testing Strads and Guarneris misses a fundamental point
Researchers who seek to compare Old Italian instruments with modern ones under scientific conditions don’t appreciate that the potential of a Strad is intrinsically entwined with its player, writes Frank Almond
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DebateToo often, performance presentation skills are left in the lap of the gods
It is desirable for music teachers to take stage presentation skills seriously from the very start, argues Naomi Yandell
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DebateToo few conductors understand their double bass section
Though the standard of double bass playing has risen exponentially during the past 50 years, conductors’ attitudes towards the instrument have barely changed
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DebateDoes the quest for perfection discourage creativity at lutherie competitions?
Has the demand for 'high standards' at violin making competitions left any room for individuality and personality, asks Michael Köberling
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FocusI discourage my students from using a shoulder rest, says violinist Aaron Rosand
Only without a shoulder rest can one develop a personal sound that is identifiable, insists the Curtis Institute and Mannes College professor
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DebateSources of inspiration
If players and teachers were less cagey about where they discovered their ideas, Philippa Bunting argues, it would be more interesting for audiences and more valuable for their peers