Teacher profiles
Laurence Lesser: the making of a cellist
Having recently celebrated his 85th birthday, cellist and pedagogue Laurence Lesser looks back on his formative influences and recalls some of the iconic 20th-century musicians he worked with
Little lessons: an interview with Toby Perlman
Adam Hockman interviews the Perlman Music Program founder Toby Perlman on creating an ideal and safe environment for string students to thrive
Cornerstones for violinists: the Australian violinist and teacher Alice Waten (1947-2022)
Joy Lee remembers the violin pedagogue and examines the principles and methodology behind her famed teaching
The Strad Podcast #102: teaching students to teach themselves with cellist Laurence Lesser
In celebration of his 85th birthday and 50 years at the New England Conservatory, Laurence speaks about his teaching approaches, including valuable ’a-ha’ moments from throughout his career
Qualities to look for in a violin teacher: Rachael Ridge
Find a teacher that has your best interests at heart, writes the violinist
Isserlis and Doane remember their cello teacher, Jane Cowan
Cellist Guy Johnston captures a conversation between two cello greats about a shared influence
Words of Wisdom: Alice Schoenfeld
An interview with the late violinist and pedagogue Alice Schoenfeld
Words of wisdom from cellist Aldo Parisot
As Yale School of Music announced the official retirement of the cello guru in 2018, we looked back at some of the inspiring quotes from an interview for The Strad conducted by one of his most illustrious students, Ralph Kirshbaum
‘Twinkle’ always makes me cry: a Q&A with Suzuki trailblazer Helen Brunner
Pioneering Suzuki teacher Helen Brunner answers our questions of what the Suzuki Method means to her
11 views on teaching by Juilliard School violin professor Dorothy DeLay
During the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover in 1995, jury member Dorothy DeLay led a 90-minute discussion on teaching. Evelyn Chadwick recorded some of her views.
‘I try to teach the students to think for themselves’ – the singular teaching legacy of Dorothy DeLay
Dorothy DeLay was born on this day in 1917. In this excerpt from September 2017, Laurie Niles speaks to former students about the legendary pedagogue’s teaching methods
‘Don’t write it down. Remember it!’ - Inside Jascha Heifetz’s teaching studio
Heifetz’s former personal accompanist Ayke Agus recalls the violinist’s incentives and methods for getting the best from his students
Cellist Sihao He: My teaching methods
Cellist Sihao He discusses the importance of tailoring one’s teaching to the specific needs of the student
‘We learnt from her a love and respect for music’ - cellist Natalia Shakhovskaya
Oskar Falta examines Natalia Shakhovskaya’s life and hears from some of her former pupils about her exacting teaching style
Studying the violin with Carl Flesch: Yfrah Neaman
Lebanese violinist Yfrah Neaman, who died in 2003, shared memories of his teacher with Evelyn Chadwick in December 1994
Ivan Galamian: hand of steel
Barbara L. Sand asked some of Galamian’s ex-pupils whether their former master really lived up to his reputation. Taken from the September 1997 issue of The Strad
‘I had to disprove prejudices every day’: Leon Bosch’s Life Lessons
The acclaimed solo and chamber bassist stresses the importance of self-reliance and self-discipline in building a meaningful career and life
The Strad Podcast Episode #56: Richard Markson on teaching tone and sound
‘You have to hear in your mind a sound that you want to make’
Violist Cynthia Phelps on studying with William Primrose and Donald McInnes
For some players, only the viola sound will do. But to bring out its full power, the New York Philharmonic violist sought help from a number of teachers, writes Ariane Todes
‘Play to the exit sign!’ - Pinchas Zukerman: A matter of time
Pauline Harding visits Dallas, Texas, to chat with violinist– violist Pinchas Zukerman about his illustrious past, a new masterclass series at Meadows School of the Arts, and his hopes for the future of technology in string teaching
Teacher profiles
Laurence Lesser: the making of a cellist
Having recently celebrated his 85th birthday, cellist and pedagogue Laurence Lesser looks back on his formative influences and recalls some of the iconic 20th-century musicians he worked with
Little lessons: an interview with Toby Perlman
Adam Hockman interviews the Perlman Music Program founder Toby Perlman on creating an ideal and safe environment for string students to thrive
Cornerstones for violinists: the Australian violinist and teacher Alice Waten (1947-2022)
Joy Lee remembers the violin pedagogue and examines the principles and methodology behind her famed teaching
The Strad Podcast #102: teaching students to teach themselves with cellist Laurence Lesser
In celebration of his 85th birthday and 50 years at the New England Conservatory, Laurence speaks about his teaching approaches, including valuable ’a-ha’ moments from throughout his career
Qualities to look for in a violin teacher: Rachael Ridge
Find a teacher that has your best interests at heart, writes the violinist