Tomorrow we head off to the Britt Festival in Oregon.  It's our 18th season this year, and the 50th anniversary of the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon.  Our triplet sons are about to enjoy their 8th season "on the Britt hill," joining up with their group of summer friends known to them fondly as The Britt Kids.  

Most performing musicians are very busy during the year with their hometown gigs, but with down time in the summer, migrate to sometimes far-flung beautiful places to make music in the summer time. The Britt Festival for our family has meant countless memories - for instance, Robb proposed to me as we perched on rocks on the bank of Crater Lake in Oregon during our first Britt season.  In March 2003, one week after I had won the Principal Second Violin job at Britt, I realized I was expecting triplets, which we then brought to the Britt hillside at age 9 months to crawl around on blankets during rehearsals. My Mom became part of the Britt Family that year, tirelessly helping us out with the babies so we could continue to be part of the orchestra.  This year, she got to Britt weeks before we did, to meet with her dear friend Soren, resident of Jacksonville and long-time Britt patron.  

It's not easy leaving the house for a month.  Cat-sitters need to be lined up, the house needs to be secured, the mail needs to be stopped.  I go into withdrawal being away from my computer for so long (maybe it's finally time to get a laptop).  And then there is the long road trip ahead.  Eight days we are giving ourselves this time, and we are going via the Grand Canyon, which none of us has seen yet.  Each year we try to see a new National Park, which gives us something to look forward to as we log long miles each day.  We will see family along the way as well.  When we lived in Spain, the trip was even longer, and we asked ourselves every year whether we were just crazy for putting ourselves through it again.

Once we arrive though, and sit in the first rehearsal, which is in so many humorous and welcoming ways exactly the same as it was 18 years ago, I remember why we made the long journey yet again.  And in the first night time rehearsal, as the sun sets and the stars come out, I hear the night-time peepers singing along with our music and feel an indescribable peace.  A deer may stray by in front of the stage while we play.  I'm surrounded by friends from far and wide who also come back year after year.  

Time to go!

Dear Families,

We could not be more thrilled about Sudbury String Studio's  first year!  Our studio has been full, diverse, and vibrant, and we are so very proud of all our students!  Our first recitals this past June 17th were an enormous success.  The afternoon was beautiful, and without exception every student gave a wonderful and inspired performance.  Congratulations to all of you!  We can't wait for the next one, which is tentatively planned for early December 2012. Stay tuned, and thank you for your continued support!

SUMMER LESSONS:

We are in full swing with summer lessons.  Summer is a great time to have music lessons, while there is less frantic running around going on, no homework, and relatively uncluttered brains.  It's a time of real growth for our students.  Many are committing to learning a new piece, or a new technique such as vibrato or shifting.  Lessons are offered through July 20.  After that Robb and I will be out of town at the Britt Music Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon until the end of August.

FALL LESSONS:

Slots are filling up quickly for private lesson times in the fall, both in our home studio and at Curtis Middle School. To learn more about the Private Lesson Program at Curtis Middle School, click here. 

GROUP CLASSES

We are pleased to offer Fiddle Frenzy violin group classes for beginners who are in 2nd and 3rd grade. 

Fiddle Frenzy classes are small (5-6 person limit) and therefore kids receive the benefits of performing as a group as well as individual attention.  The Fiddle Frenzy curriculum, developed by Bonnie Brown and Nicki Payne, has resulted in great success, including performances at both Nixon and Haynes Schools in June, 2012.  

Each Fiddle Frenzy session consists of 7 weekly one-hour classes, with tuition of $175.  There is a one-time individual "set-up" lesson required prior to beginning Fiddle Frenzy. This lesson is 60 minutes and is offered at a special rate of $50 for Fiddle Frenzy participants.  During this lesson, the student is instructed in basic string technique and provided with effective and fun exercises to establish a fabulous bow arm.  Tapes will be applied to the fingerboard to aid with finger placement and intonation.

The next session of Fiddle Frenzy begins in the week of September 23rd, 2012. Registration will begin July 15th 2012. Feel free to contact us at info@sudburystringstudio.com.

Adult Group Classes are offered as well.  Please contact us at info@sudburystringstudio.com.

COME JOIN OUR STUDIO!

New Students starting in September or October may receive 4 lessons for the price of 3!  Siblings of current students welcome to take advantage of this offer. 

HAVE SOMEONE TO REFER TO SUDBURY STRING STUDIO?

We appreciate so very much those of our students who have helped spread the word about our studio to others.  We would therefore like to offer the following as a Thank You:  for each student you refer to Sudbury String Studio, who commits to at least four private lessons with us, or a Fiddle Frenzy or Adult Group Class 7- week Session, we will discount your lesson fee by 15% for the following month.