All Debate articles – Page 8
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DebateIs an emphasis on competitiveness killing conservatoire students' joy in music making?
Are conservatoires fostering an atmosphere of joyful music making and generosity among peers? After attending two very contrasting concerts Charlotte Gardner believes more could be done to achieve this
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BlogsBecoming a better and happier musician through mindfulness and yoga
Violinists Elena Urioste and Melissa White’s musical lives have been transformed by yoga, finding both body and mind freer and more resilient against the rigours of life as a professional musician
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BlogsVariations on fast-forward: the extraordinary density of Émile Sauret's 24 Études-Caprices
Nazrin Rashidova’s encounter with the 19th-century French violinist’s music led her down a rabbit-hole of virtuosity and research – from which has come a PhD and a four-part recording project for Naxos
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Focus‘I always go for bigger double bass sections’ - conductor Donald Runnicles
The Scottish conductor and music director of the Grand Teton Music Festival shares his preference for large double bass sections in his orchestras
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FocusBlind testing Strads and Guarneris misses a fundamental point
Researchers who seek to compare Old Italian instruments with modern ones under scientific conditions don’t appreciate that the potential of a Strad is intrinsically entwined with its player, writes Frank Almond
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Premium ❘ DebateTake the hostility out of string playing
Today's performers should remember that you don't need to be aggressive to make a searing point, argues Richard S. Ginell
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ArticleCan a flawed performance hold more meaning than a perfect one?
A recent flawed but exhilarating solo violin recital at London's Barbican Hall spoke a greater truth about the human experience because of its imperfections, says Charlotte Smith
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ArticleThe importance of using analogy in instrumental music teaching
Analogy in music teaching is useful, but it is especially powerful when it is personalised or self-generated, argues Naomi Yandell
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DebatePerforming works composed before the recording era in an 'authentic' style misses the point artistically
We will never truly know what this music sounded like, argues cellist Jeffrey Solow
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DebateMust all orchestral string sections sound the same?
Orchestras once boasted unmistakable musical identities, but an emotionally sanitised age has brought about a lamentable universality of sound, says Julian Haylock
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DebateGroup instrumental lessons can provide opportunities not offered by one-to-one teaching
Group music tuition is becoming more and more common in schools out of financial necessity, but if handled correctly, this can yield positive results, says Da Capo Music Foundation principal Jane Cutler
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DebateCould listening to Beethoven be the answer to feelings of anger and isolation in the modern world?
Fidelio Quartet cellist Rachel Atkinson believes that classical music - and Beethoven in particular - has healing powers that can help us all to access a quiet contentment
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DebateAre lesson plans helpful for one-to-one instrumental lessons?
Now ubiquitous in the British education system, lesson plans are good for ticking boxes but tend to get in the way in one-to-one teaching, argues Naomi Yandell
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DebateNo music student should be ashamed of failure
Failure can be an essential step on the road to success, argues Northwestern University viola professor Helen Callus
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DebateListening to recordings can be an unhelpful way to learn well-known repertoire
The pervasiveness of YouTube has prevented many students from developing an individual voice, argues the Royal College of Music’s Mark Messenger
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DebateInstrumental teachers should discourage competition among their students
It's worth managing pressures in the early stages of a musician's development, argues Naomi Yandell
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FocusMusic teachers must learn to correctly respond to student mistakes
Students learn most from making mistakes in their playing, and it’s up to the teacher to find the right way of dealing with them
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DebateAre competition juries too easily swayed by young talent?
The mechanics of string playing can be perfected at a relatively early age, but a youngster cannot have anything meaningful to communicate
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DebateShould we expect high moral standards from leading musicians?
If great players reach celestial heights with their playing, is it reasonable to expect them to be angels in real life? In an ideal world, yes, says Tully Potter
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DebateWhy are string players today so afraid to use portamento?
Composers expected it and the music itself seems to demand it. Tully Potter argues for a return to swoops and scoops
