Teaching & Workshops
Lessons & Workshops
I am an experienced teacher and performer of the violin and more recently the viola. For the past 25 years I have taught private lessons to beginner, intermediate, and advanced level players, working on solo, chamber and orchestral playing. I have worked as a teacher in the provinces of BC, Ontario, Québec and now Nova Scotia, where I make my home. I have recently been hired as a new member of the String Faculty at the Maritime Conservatory of Music, and will be working to create a fun and inspiring atmosphere in which students can learn from my and my colleagues' wide and varied experience! I also enjoy playing baroque violin/viola, and for many years played in Tempest Baroque Ensemble, one of Halifax's Early Music Ensembles.
In addition to the violin/viola, I have been playing the Swedish Nyckelharpa solidly for six years now - not a long time! It is an instrument that I love, and the depth of sound one can achieve playing this historical instrument is just incredible. The nyckelharpa is a welcome addition to my violin background :)
If you would like to chat about how to get started on the violin,viola, or nyckelharpa, would like lessons, or are interested in a workshop situation, please get in touch with me; I am always happy to help!
Classical Training is pretty rigorous, and like many other disciplines it does take blood sweat and tears! Over my career as a violinist I have found that I can apply this training to other genres of music, including playing the nyckelharpa!
Training Background
Classical Training is pretty rigorous, and like many other disciplines it does take blood sweat and tears! Over my career as a violinist I have found that I can apply this training to other genres of music, including playing the nyckelharpa.
There is of course some crossover when learning to play the nyckelharpa from the classical violin. However, I found that there was a great deal I had to learn when approaching the Swedish Nyckelharpa. I really was a babe in the woods! Not only are there MAJOR technical things to address in the left and right hands, but there is also absorbing the Swedish repertoire (yes, it is VAST) which has been an absolute revelation to me. Indeed, studying Swedish Traditional Music has actually made me a better Classical Musician :)
Through extremely hard work, intense study with many incredible teachers, and my love for this amazing instrument, I now find myself starting to teach others what I have learned through this amazing journey I embarked on in 2015. My guinea pig for teaching children has been my son Eli, and working with him has been rewarding and a little bit challenging! Having your Mum as your teacher isn't always easy let's just say ;) But he's learned many tunes now, and is starting to move to the big nyckelharpa! I have a couple of child size instruments made by Kjell Lundvall at Nyckelharpsverkstan.se.
I have given workshops for The Children's Program at The Boxwood Music Festival https://boxwood.org/in-person/canada/, taught beginners with my colleague Vicki Swan at The Harpas for Halsway Festival in the UK, (www.swan-dyer.co.uk) given one on one coaching privately and online, and have also been teaching Swedish repertoire at the Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music: https://tradandearlymusic.ca
And two years later: