My experience: violinist and fiddler Olivia Breen, Mike Block String Camp

I’ve been to the Mike Block String Camp six times, and the community is definitely my favourite part. It’s a good mix of students, from eight-year-olds to retirees, and I love connecting with the faculty members. Some of them, who I met when I was 14, are helping me now as a young professional!

At the beginning of the week there’s orientation, where we all learn a camp tune; and tune classes, where you’re put into groups based on your ability level and age. Later in the week you self-select into bands and arrange one of the tunes you liked, and start having rehearsals and coachings with your band.

Then you have electives. The faculty get to choose anything they’re passionate about, so you could learn how to sing or use a loop pedal, and there’s usually yoga, stretching and dancing. I took a class in writing three-part fiddle harmonies – there’s a huge array to choose from!

At night after camp there are jam sessions by the beach, on the porch of the hotel where everyone stays. The faculty members lead them, and everyone’s crammed on to the deck playing tunes. There are also concerts where each faculty member leads a five-minute set; you get these crazy mashups of people who will never play together anywhere else, and your mind is just blown every set.

Step out your comfort zone, come with an open mind and just be excited to talk to people and learn new genres. I got exposed to jazz and funk, as well as Indian, Scottish and Irish music, in ways that continue to benefit me today.

Subscribers to The Strad receive the 2025 String Courses supplement free with their copy of the January 2025 issue

Playing

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Teaching

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

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The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.