Featured stories
My experience: Rosette Kruisinga, Ticino Music Festival
Surrounded by mountains and lakes, Kruisinga shares how these beautiful landscapes combined with passionate musicians made for two weeks of inspired music making
The Anatomy of Deliberate Practice: Violinist Susanna Klein
Susanna Klein’s final article in her three-part series explores four traits of intentional practice sessions
My Experience: Daniel Pukach, Dartington Music: Summer School and Festival
The violinist shares what it was like to work side-by-side with the Brodsky Quartet and the lasting impact this course has had on his career
8 ways to make practice playful: Susanna Klein
The violinist’s second instalment in a three-part series examines ways to inject a sense of fun in practice sessions
My experience: Geneva Lewis, Ravinia Steans Music Institute
The violinist shares how this five-week chamber music course helped her conquer her performance nerves in a thoughtful and welcoming environment
How creativity and academic research can feed curiosity in musicians: Violinist Rebeca Nuez Suarez
Rebeca Nuez Suarez aims to show how performance and academic research inform each other in her PhD research
Blue Sky Teaching: Using creative approaches to refine students’ technique
In our June 2019 issue, Judith Kogan spoke with three string teachers, all based in North America and whose unique ideas are achieving significant results
My experience: Bryan Cheng, Verbier Festival Academy
The cellist shares details of his unforgettable three weeks exploring musical artistry and attending world-class concerts among the Alpine surroundings of Verbier
My Experience: Connie Pharoah, Yellow Barn Festival
A range of chamber repertoire, inspirational tutors and overcoming performance anxiety were just some of the highlights for the violist at this festival
Opinion: How teachers can help students deal with feelings of futility and despair
Neesa Sunar explores how teachers can call on their own experience to help pupils struggling with feelings of sadness or futility
Back like a phoenix from the ashes: the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival
Peter Martens shares how the festival is used as a vehicle for social cohesion, community interaction and multiracial reconciliation in South Africa
My Experience: Phoebe Clarke, Benedetti Foundation Ambassador Programme
Developing teaching strategies and receiving feedback from industry professionals are just some of the benefits to reap from the programme, writes the double bassist
International lutherie schools: All round learning
Peter Somerford speaks to teachers from seven violin making schools to find out the options for young aspiring luthiers
My Experience: Cecille Elliott, Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop
Cecille Elliott illustrates a joyful and lively environment of music making with musicians from 24 countries
Newark School of Violin Making: Fifty years young
The Strad looks back on 50 years of the UK’s best-known institution for lutherie and the many well-known names who have passed through its doors as students
String education in regional Western Australia: Sitting on a gold mine
In exploring the past and present of string teaching in regional Western Australia, Rita Fernandes finds examples of both progress and regression, all pointing to the fact that where there is opportunity, there is demand and potential
Analysis September 2022: ‘It’s not about transforming your school overnight; this is going to take time’
As the UK’s National Plan for Music Education is unveiled, questions still remain about the amount of funding behind the initiative, as well as the number of trained teachers. By Peter Somerford
My Experience: violinist Oliver Neubauer, Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival and Institute
Flexibility and adaptability are essential traits for a professional chamber musician, says violinist Oliver Neubauer on his time at the San Francisco Bay Area festival
My Experience: Animato Quartet, Verbier Festival Academy
One can learn from great artists in the bar after a concert in addition to masterclasses at the Verbier Festival Academy, writes Animato Quartet violist Elisa Karen Tavenier
‘A kinder, more loving way to teach an instrument’: Violinist Augustin Hadelich on the Suzuki Method
The violinist has recently recorded music for Suzuki Method Books 4-6. He shares with The Strad his thoughts on the method, the challenges of recording such beloved works and the sense of responsibility in immortalising the repertoire for the next generation of violinists