The annual conference took place in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, from 28 May–1 June
The 53rd International Conference of the European String Teachers Association (ESTA) ran from 28 May–1 June, taking place at the Eemhuis in the idyllic city of Amersfoort, the Netherlands. This year the theme was ‘Enabling the inner musician to blossom’. David, Mariette, and Lauren represented The Strad at our stand near the café and had a great time meeting people!
Over the course of five days, we attended numerous talks on topics ranging from mindfulness and the Feldenkrais Method to the science of strings and the importance of aural training in string teaching. We participated in workshops and masterclasses on improvisation, folk music, and even had the chance to learn how to play the musical saw! We also took part in the Young Professionals forum, a new initiative created by ESTA to connect teachers in the early stages of their careers.
The concerts took place in churches dotted around Amersfoort, featuring many youth orchestras as well as established professional ensembles. There was an interesting prevalence of tango in the conference programme, featuring in two concerts, a dance workshop, and a tango strings workshop!
We were delighted to chat with everyone who dropped by and grabbed their free copy of our June issue, and we loved hearing about new products and pitches. The days passed very quickly, but we’ll be thinking about all we’ve learnt for a long while to come. Until next time!
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