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2006
Summer String Quartet Workshop
Announcing the Arianna Quartet's
2005 All-State Excerpt Workshop
and Fall String Festival
October 22, 2005
Audition
Tips and Excerpt Fingerings
for 2004 Missouri All-State auditions.
Practice
Tip of the Month for Young Chamber-Musicians.
Practice Tips
Archive
Chamber Music Class Schedule
at the University of Missouri.
Photos
of recent interdisciplinary projects
and visits to our friends in the public schools.
Check
out UM-St. Louis´ new
Performing
Arts Center!
Our 2003-04 Chamber Music America Residency:
Holy Trinity Catholic School
Arianna String
Quartet's Outreach
Steeped
in the belief that today´s youth is tomorrow´s audience, we view
our work with the public schools as invaluable. We initiated our
community outreach work after being awarded a Chamber Music America
Residency Grant in 1996. We worked as quartet -in-residence at Eastern
Michigan University from 1996-2000, giving over 350 lecture demonstrations
and presentations for public school students from kindergarten through
high school. We also visited hospitals, nursing homes, and care
centers, bringing live music to concert lovers who no longer could
travel to concert halls.
In addition
to teaching applied lessons, giving master classes, and coaching
chamber music in the music department, our activities at the University
of Missouri-St. Louis have recently taken a new and exciting turn.
In the hope of contributing to a general culture of learning and
expanding the musical audience, we have embarked on an interdisciplinary
education
project.
We
visit classes in other departments, such as physics, math, art,
foreign languages, and business, to play and talk about concepts
common to music and these other academic disciplines. Our goal is
not as much about identifying exact points of intersection between
these other disciplines and music, but to help show how expanded
awareness of thought, problem solving and ideas can be a shared
asset between different subjects.
Our best
working example when visiting any department, is to share with students
how their particular field of study influences our working process
and music making. We show how expanding our frame of reference to
include their area of study benefits our performance. For example,
by having an appreciation for the physics of gravity, friction,
weight, and speed, a string player can improve sound production
with the bow. In language classes, we show how we use articulation,
punctuation and sentence structure to improve our musical phrasing
and ensemble. Then, we work to show student´s how a heightened awareness
of various components of music (form, style, color, character, rhythm)
can serve them as a resource, and assist in leading them toward
a better understanding of their own field of study.
Write
to Arianna String Quartet
If
you have any questions or suggestions regarding our outreach programs,
or if you would like to schedule a visit, please email us at the
bottom of the page. (If you are a student from a school we have
visited, and would like to ask us more questions, feel free to write
to us!!)
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What
a pleasure to have you here at Central this week! Not
only do you all play beautifully together but you all communicate
so well, both individually and as a group! Your musical
comments are interesting and immediate. Your historical
introductions are to the point and educational without being
erudite or overly intellectual. Your practice points and
ideas are exactly what the students need to hear. You
all have a unique ability to say things that make sense to students.
It is so unusual in a quartet for everyone to have this ability
to communicate. Thank you so much for the wonderful experience.
-Winifred Crock, Orchestra Director, Parkway Central
High School, Missouri |
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am writing to applaud the great work the Arianna String Quartet
did for my advanced math class last week. They came
right to my classroom and described and demonstrated
some of the links between music and mathematics. It is of
course well known that their playing is magnificent,
but the four members also are extremely proficient in
talking about their music and, in this case, its aspects which
carry over to mathematics. Their way of communicating
to students was first-rate. So many of my students,
at the next meeting of that course, expressed to me their
appreciation for the insights the ASQ revealed to them."
- Professor John Ginther, Eastern Michigan University
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"As
a teacher I was very aware of their respect for time - their
arrival, beginning of the program and prompt ending not only
was important to the school dayıs schedule, but was
an example to the students. Their choices and length of musical
selections were very age-appropriate and their verbal descriptions
left nothing to be desired. Their reference to the other
arts and their awareness of the always-present imagination
of the children was not only welcome but fit in beautifully
with our educational goals."
- Peg VanHaaren, Detroit Public Schools |
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"The
Arianna String Quartet is the color in life! They make every
note the most beautiful thing in the world. Everything
is done so well, what can I say? I was in awe. Not only
did your playing touch me, but your instruction was magnificent
as well. Making us sing our parts really helped. It
really helps the group blend and stay together. Bringing
imagery to our approach on playing helped too. I think playing
what you see is not only more fun, but makes the music
sound so much better!"
- High School Student, Traverse City, Michigan |
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"There
are just no words to express to you our deep appreciation
for the magnificent concert the quartet gave to
Glacier Hills residents last Friday evening. It
was truly the best we have heard. Many of our residents
have praised your performance highly and are still
basking in the glow of the wonderfully sensitive and
artistic renditions of the very difficult selections
you played. We do so appreciate your generosity
in sharing so much of your time and talents with us.
We want you to return to us as often as you can!"
- Margaret Maurer, Glacier Hills Retirement Center,
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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concert and presentation were superb! The interactiveness
of the performance was so inspiring to the students, as evidenced
by their eagerness to learn about your instruments, your backgrounds,
your education, and musical preferences. You couldnıt
possibly have answered ALL their questions, as Iım sure theyıd
have continued to ask indefinitely. I look forward to
your next visit!"
- Flo Paterni, Detroit Public Schools |
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