ASTA National Conference
February 25-28, 2026 | San Francisco, California
Common Issues in the Studio: The Wonders of Second Position
Dr. David Reimer drr2@calvin.edu Website: www.drviolin.com Like a rondo theme, student tendencies seem to keep turning up again and again. A new school year brings a fresh group of students to one’s studio, but the issues they bring with them are often predictable. Is this a result of inadequate teaching or insufficient application of good
MASTA Chamber Music Festival Review
By Michael Hopkins The 26th annual MASTA Chamber Music Festival was held on February 27, 2017 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Guest artists and competition judges were the four members of the Pressenda String Quartet: Kathryn Votapek, violin, Aaron Berofsky, violin, Caroline Coade, viola, and Tobias Werner, cello. Additional festival faculty included
2017 National ASTA Conference Review
The National ASTA Conference in Pittsburgh was thoroughly inspiring from beginning to end. From the view of the bridges and city lights coming out of the tunnel when I arrived at 4-ish AM to saying goodbye to new and old friends in the Westin Lobby as I prepared to catch my shuttle back to the
AVANTI Summer MusicFest
Article by: Larry Hutchinson, DSO Musician and AVANTI Board Member March 1st, 2017 ATTENTION TEACHERS! Please encourage your students to attend AVANTI for their summer music making experience! AVANTI is an intensive, week long, orchestra-training program where students rehearse daily with outstanding conductors and get daily sectional instruction with members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
#TUNESday by Kiana June Weber
Edited by Jonathan Glawe Background: Kiana June Weber is a violinist and fiddler from Chelsea, Michigan. She is a product of the Michigan public school system, and is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and currently performs with Gaelic Storm. In the fall of 2016, Kiana started a weekly blog project in which she
What is the M-Prize Competition?
What is the M-Prize Competition? Submitted By: Heather Kendrick, M-Prize Program Director Jan. 25, 2017 The M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, officially the largest competition of its kind thanks to the number of applicants and the unprecedented grand prize of $100,000, is now accepting applications for the 2017 competition, with a deadline of February, 1, 2017.
Bow Adventures!
Bow Adventures! Exercises for Bow Comfort and Security Alan MacNair, Oakland University The Spider and the Fly The Spider – With an imaginary bow in the right hand, practice being a Spider by moving the fingers in and out of the palm of the hand, causing them to go from relatively straight to very
MMC Highlights
Michigan Music Conference – Reflections MASTA President – Janis Shier Peterson 1/22/17 The 2017 Michigan Music Conference was busy, exciting, inspiring, educational…and FUN! The three days were filled with a wonderful variety of activities that make me eager to work with my students again, ready to do more work on MASTA projects and glad that
2016 MASTA Solo Competition
Early Fall of 2016, young string players (ages 16-23) from Michigan and Ohio submitted online performance auditions to compete for a spot in the final round of the 2016 MASTA Solo Competition. This is our 19th year sponsoring the MASTA Solo Competition and we are inspired and encouraged by all the excellent young string players
Vote for the MASTA Teacher of the Year
MASTA annually names an outstanding string educator in the state of Michigan as the String Teacher of the Year. This award is presented to a leading string teacher who has taught in the state for at least 10 years, demonstrated quality teaching and indicated educational achievement in areas other than performance and demonstrated service to