ASTA Conference Begins in Albuquerque NM

March 6, 2019, 3:00 PM · String teachers from all over the United States are gathering today through Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M. for the annual American String Teachers of America National Conference, and I am looking forward to joining everyone on Thursday!

The yearly conference is a perfect time for string and orchestra teachers to take in lectures and performances, meet with colleagues and see the exhibition hall full of sheet music, teaching materials, instruments, accessories and more. This year, I'm looking forward to a master class by Mimi Zweig; a performance and presentation about teaching Baroque style by Rachel Barton Pine; an improvisation workshop by Christian Howes and much more!

Rachel Barton Pine, Christian Howes and Mimi Zweig

ASTA was founded in 1946 as an organization for string and orchestra teachers and players, meant to improve string pedagogy, encourage cooperation and professional relationships among string teachers, promote cooperation with colleges and universities, and assist in the manufacture and repair of stringed instruments. At this point there are ASTA Chapters in every U.S. state and all kinds of programs aimed at promoting excellence in string teaching.

Look for our blogs over the next week about the educational panels at ASTA, and if you are at the conference, I hope to see you and be sure to ask me for one of our new Violinist.com luggage tags for your instrument (see below), I'll be giving them out!