Getting our students to feel and play expressively is one of the most important goals of being a successful string teacher. This session will present general principles, rote teaching strategies, rehearsal techniques, repertoire, and video clips of students learning how to play expressively. It can be done! Both you and your students will be more compassionate and sensitive human beings because you been touched by the real goal of music making! Expressive is getting to the heart of the music.
Robert Gillespie
- Biographical Information
Robert Gillespie, violinist and professor of music, is Chair of Music Education at Ohio State University where he is responsible for string teacher training. Ohio State has one of the largest and most extensive string pedagogy degree programs in the nation. Under Dr. Gillespie’s leadership, Ohio State University received the 2015 Institutional String Education Award as the premier string education university in the country. Dr. Gillespie is a past national President of the American String Teachers Association. He is a frequent guest conductor of All-State, region, and festival orchestras. Dr. Gillespie has appeared in 47 states, Canada, Asia, and throughout Europe. He is co-author of the Hal Leonard string method book series, Essential Elements for Strings, the leading string instrument teaching series in the country with sales of over ten million copies. Also, he is co-author of the college text Strategies for Teaching Strings: Building A Successful School Orchestra Program, the String Clinics to Go DVD series, the Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra texts for GIA publications, and the new method series, Rockin’ Strings for Hal Leonard. He received the Distinguished Scholar award for 2002-2003 in the School of Music at Ohio State University. In summers, Gillespie directs the OSU String Teacher Workshop, the largest string/orchestra teacher-training workshop in the country. In Columbus, he conducts the Columbus Symphony Chamber Strings Youth Orchestra. He is a performing violinist in the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra. In 2018-2019 Dr. Gillespie will be working with students and teachers in ten states throughout the country and a 9-day teaching residency in Switzerland. In addition, he will be conducting concerts in LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall and Chicago’s Orchestra Hall.