String Day

Reaching higher, together.

Sunday, November 3 at Powers Music School, 160 Lexington Street, Belmont
10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Powers string students and faculty – Free!
Non-Powers string students, Teachers, General public – $25 fee (includes all String Day activities + the All Play concert)

Sign-Up Here

Click to sign up!

Not a Powers student? Pay your $25 fee here

What does the day look like?

A day of all things strings, handcrafted for you!

Workshop Schedule:

10:00 – 11:00 am:

11:00 – 12:00 pm:

12:00 – 1:00 pm:

  • Lunch and Discussion Panel Q&A with Powers string department!

1:00 – 2:00 pm:

2:00 – 3:00 pm:

3:00 – 4:00 pm:

  • Grand Pause: Break Time for Beginners with Karl Orvik
  • Music of the Spheres: How Intonation Works, and Why it Matters with Sachin Shukla
  • The String Player as Athlete with Cameron Sawzin
  • French-Canadian Fiddle with Doyun Park

4:00 – 4:30 pm:

  • All-Play Rehearsals

4:30 – 5:00 pm:

  • Raffle and All Play Concert!

Questions? Email Powers String Department Chair, Karl Orvik, at korvik@powersmusic.org

Designed Especially for You

Using feedback from our community and Workshop Week attendees, we’ve hand-crafted a special day devoted just to string students, with opportunities for all ages and experience levels.

Why come to String Day?

Practice and learn techniques on your instrument, try new ways of thinking and playing, get your questions answered by teachers and leaders in the field, and more.

You’ll feel back on track, ready to challenge yourself and reach your goals, supported by this awesome community of string players.

And here’s the best part.

Imagine being surrounded by a large group of your peers – string players of all ages and experience, all warming up. The sounds of everybody in harmony, playing and experiencing this alongside of you. Feeling the rush of those opening chords, and knowing that here, you matter.

String Day Experiences

Each class below has been designed to match a specific age and experience level.  Please use the following guide to determine which class is best suited for you and/or your child:
A – Elementary school age / 0-2 years of lessons
B – Middle school age / 2-4 years of lessons
C – High school age / 4+ years of lessons
D – Adult

CARE AND REPAIR

Time: 10:00 – 11:00 AM
Instructor: Geneva Popper-Keizer from Acoustic Strings
Best for: A, B, C
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Just yourself!

Join Geneva Popper-Keizer from Acoustic Strings of New England as she leads an interactive presentation of the insides and outsides of various string instruments, and learn how to best care for your own instrument!

MOCK DISTRICT AUDITIONS

Time: 10:00 – 11:00 AM
Instructor: Karl Orvik
Best for: C
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Yourself and your instrument!

Practice for district auditions with string instructor Karl Orvik!

BRAZILIAN FORRó FOR STRINGS

Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Instructor: Catherine Bent
Best for: B, C, D
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Your instrument

Forró, a lively social dance music native to northeastern Brazil, is rooted in African rhythms and European song. Forró typically features lots of percussion plus vocals, accordion, and/or rabeca (fiddle). In this hands-on workshop we will learn tunes by ear, and generate ideas for accompaniment on strings.

hOW TO PRACTICE

Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Best for: B, C
Instructor: Sue Rabut
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Your instrument!

Learn how to make the most of your practice time! Break down problem spots in the music and isolate physical issues vs. note reading issues. Learn to use new listening skills and see some cool tools to help you!

beats and rhythms

Time: November 3, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Instructor: Karl Orvik
Best for: A
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Yourself and your instrument

Through various games and activities, we will explore how beats and rhythm work in the music we play and listen to, and some different ways to think about it when playing our instruments! For beginner students only.

LUNCH AND String Department Q&A

Time: November 3, 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Best for: All
Instructors: Powers’ String Faculty!
Instrument: None
Please have ready: Questions for the pros of Powers!

A great way to ask your teacher the questions you’ve always wanted to ask!  Powers’ string faculty sit down for a discussion with students and parents about a variety of topics: differences in teaching methods, musical styles, career paths for teachers and students, and whatever else comes to mind! This panel is open to everyone, and students and parents/caregivers are especially encouraged to join. This Q&A session will be during lunch so you can take a break, enjoy some treats, and chat with other string players in a relaxed environment. Pizza lunch is provided!

warm-ups for great practice

Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM
Instructors: Sarah Freiberg, Karl Orvik
Best for: B, C, D
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Your instrument

Get the most out of your practice sessions with these warm-up tips!

Learn a melody by ear

Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM
Instructor: Alison Ackley
Best for: A, B, C, D
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Your instrument

Students will learn a melody and an arrangement of its harmony by ear.  Open to all ages and instruments!

Introduction to Creative Ability Development

Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM
Instructor: Ellery Klein, Emily Leaphart
Best for: B, C, D
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Your instrument

Come explore various aspects of improvisation and creative playing! Students will participate in games and exercises meant to spark creative thinking and playing in a safe, collaborative and fun class environment.

NOTES FOR ALL!

Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Instructor: Karl Orvik
Best for: A
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Yourself and your instrument

In this class we will examine notes; how they look, how they sound, the differences and similarities in reading them depending on what instrument you play – and we’ll try writing some of our own as well! For beginner students only.

PRACTICE CHALLENGE PARTY

Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Instructor: Alison Ackley
Best for: A, B, C
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Your instrument

This class is open to any Powers student who participated in the October Practice Challenge.  Even if you didn’t practice every day, if you practiced at all in the month of October, you are welcome to attend!

IRISH FIDDLE

Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Instructor: Ellery Klein
Best for: B, C, D
Instrument: Violin
Please have ready: Your instrument

Explore the sounds, style, and tunes of Irish music with fiddler Ellery Klein, then learn a simple tune together!

Grand pause: break time for beginners!

Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Instructor: Karl Orvik
Best for: A
Instrument: None
Please have ready: Yourself

Need a break after the Practice Challenge Party or Notes for All? Beginner students can take this time to relax and process everything they’ve learned before the All-Play Concert rehearsals. Play a musical game or two with Karl, ask any questions you like, and enjoy your the company of your fellow string students and parents!

Music of the Spheres: How Intonation Works, and Why it Matters

Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Instructor: Sachin Shukla
Best for: C, D
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Your instrument

You may not realize it, but the difference between a good performance and a great one — is usually intonation.

In this workshop, we’ll cover intonation from the most basic level to the most advanced. We’ll discuss ways to practice improving intonation, the impacts it has on your overall performance, and get under the hood of how it works.

The string player as athlete

Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Instructor: Cameron Sawzin
Best for: B, C, D
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Your instrument

Professional Cellist Cam Sawzin offers this effective masterclass, combining sports and pilates modalities with proven techniques to promote healthy, tension-free and expressive string playing.

fRENCH-CANADIAN FIDDLE

Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Instructor: Doyun Park
Best for: B, C, D
Instrument: Violin
Please have ready: Your instrument

Explore an overview of fiddle music originating in the French-speaking Canadian Province of Quebec, with a focus on bowing techniques and other stylistic aspects that make Quebecois music attuned to dance.

You will learn some of the basic characteristics that distinguish Quebecois fiddling from other fiddling traditions, such as the Irish fiddle style. You will also learn, with demonstration, about the different genres within the Quebecois fiddle music tradition, and explore its relationship with square dance and stepdance. At the end of class, we will try to learn a Quebecois tune together. Overall, you will develop skills that will help you to transform from a classical violin player to a fiddler!

All Play rehearsals and concert

Time: 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Best for: All
Instrument: All strings
Please have ready: Your instrument

Players of all ages, instruments, and levels are invited to perform in an all-play concert!

Click here for the All-Play concert music!
Click here to hear what the music sounds like!

Each piece will have multiple parts for multiple ability levels; please find the part that looks the most comfortable for you. When you arrive, we’ll divide into groups based on the parts you’ve chosen.  The more you’re able to prepare ahead of time, the more fun you’ll have when we put it all together!

From 4:00-4:30, there will be two separate rehearsals taking place for the All-Play concert: one rehearsal will be for beginner students, and the other will be for intermediate/advanced students.

From 4:30-5:00 all the groups will gather in the Concert Hall and perform as one large ensemble. After the performance, the day will end with the raffle drawing!

Raffle prizes!

Enter to win prizes specially picked for string players!

Current prizes:

If you are a business and would like to donate a raffle prize, please reach out to Noah at nstone@powersmusic.org.

The raffle drawing will happen at some point during the All-Play, so if you’re interested in raffle prizes, make sure you’re there for the All-Play!

sign up here!