Teaching Strings with Confidence: A Practical Guide for Band Directors
From the fundamentals of instrument position to effective rehearsal strategies for strings, this 5-hour immersive workshop will provide band directors who find themselves teaching orchestra with the information, tools, and resources necessary to be successful. Participants will select a string instrument to learn during this hands-on experience and may choose beginning or intermediate breakout sessions based on their experience and interests. This interactive session will focus on the foundational principles of string playing and teaching, including healthy instrument position, tone production, articulations, shifting, and vibrato, as well as strategies for rehearsing orchestras. Commonalities and key differences between teaching band and orchestra will be presented. The Midwest Clinic and the American String Teachers Association have come together to sponsor this exciting opportunity.
This Pre-conference event will take place at McCormick Place West in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, December 15 from 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT.
Attendees will be able to add registration for this event at the end of their Midwest Clinic Conference Registration. Due to limited seating, only Professional and College Student registrants are eligible to attend. Conference Registration opens August 1st.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
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Understand the fundamentals of string instrument setup and posture.
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Teach basic bow hold and left-hand position.
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Identify and correct common beginner mistakes.
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Apply effective rehearsal strategies unique to string ensembles.
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Transfer familiar band teaching skills into the orchestra classroom.
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Access resources for continued learning in string pedagogy.
Registration Fees:
- Directors $100
- College Students $50
Tentative Schedule:
- 12:00 - 1:40 Beginning Breakout Track
- 12:00 - 1:40 Intermediate Track Large Group Rehearsal Strategies for Strings
- 2:00 - 3:40 Intermediate Breakout Track
- 2:00 - 3:40 Beginning Track Large Group Rehearsal Strategies for Strings
- 4:00 - 4:50 Panel Discussion About Building a Healthy String Program
Clinicians
Yvonne Davila-Cortes, a native of Chicago, began Suzuki violin lessons at age five. She earned her B.M. in Music Business and Violin Performance from DePaul University, studying with Joseph Genualdi, and performed with the Chicago Civic Orchestra as a substitute. She completed her M.M. in Violin Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under Vartan Manoogian. Dr. Davila-Cortes has appeared as a soloist at the AIMS Music Festival in Solsona, Spain, and the Rural Musicians Forum in Spring Green, Wisconsin. She was a member of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and a substitute with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Her teaching experience includes adjunct instruction at Ripon College, leading an elementary string orchestra in McFarland, Wisconsin, and founding Suzuki violin studios in Madison and Spring Green. She later moved to Texas to pursue teacher certification and a Doctorate in Music and Human Learning at The University of Texas at Austin. There, she directed a middle school orchestra in Round Rock ISD and led the Austin Youth Concertante Orchestra. She also maintained a private Suzuki studio and held leadership roles in the UT String Project, including Preschool Coordinator and Assistant Director. Dr. Davila-Cortes’ research focuses on children’s musical development, parent education, and musical achievement. She has presented her work at conferences hosted by the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the American String Teachers Association, and the Texas Music Educators Association. She currently serves as the Assistant Professor of String Education, Director of Orchestra, and Artistic Director of One City Strings at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago.
Dr. Heather Lofdahl is Assistant Professor of Music Education at The Ohio State University, where she directs the string education program. In addition, she serves as Music Director of the Newark-Granville Youth Symphony and string education specialist for Play Us Forward, a community partnership aimed at increasing access to string instruction for underserved students. Dr. Lofdahl is the recipient of the 2025 Ohio State School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award.
Dr. Lofdahl is published in the String Research Journal and American String Teachers Journal. She is an active member of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and the National Association for Music Education. Through these organizations as well as the Suzuki Association of the Americas and the International Society for Music Education, Dr. Lofdahl has presented research and pedagogy sessions at the Symposium for Music Teacher Education; International Society for Music Education Conference (Glasgow, Scotland and Helsinki, Finland); American String Teachers Association National Conference; and various state conferences. Her research is focused on equity and access in music education, best practices of outstanding string teachers, and practice behaviors of string players. Dr. Lofdahl is President-Elect of the Ohio String Teachers Association.
Dr. Lofdahl holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music Education and Viola Performance from Augustana College, Master of Music degrees in Music Education and Viola Performance from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, and a PhD in Music Education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She is an active guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States and abroad.
Dr. Rebecca B. MacLeod is Professor of Music Education at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign where she teaches string pedagogy and conducts the University of Illinois Philharmonia Orchestra. She is the author of Teaching Strings in Today’s Classroom and contributing author to Teaching Instrumental Music, Rehearsing the Middle School Orchestra, and Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra. A passionate advocate for increasing access to string education to all students, her research on working with underserved populations, vibrato technique, music teacher education, and music perception has been presented at the International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition, Music Research and Human Behavior International Conference, International Society for Music, Music Educators National Conference, National Association for Music Education National Conference, American String Teachers National Conference, Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, Society for Music Teacher Education, and music educators state conferences. She is immediate Past President of the American String Teachers Association.
James Mick, Ph.D., is Professor of Music Education at Ithaca College in upstate New York where he teaches courses in string pedagogy, orchestral rehearsal techniques, instrumental conducting, and the psychology of music teaching and learning. He is a past president of New York American String Teachers Association and served as music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra from 2015 to 2023. He previously taught elementary and middle school orchestra in Texas, and high school orchestra and jazz in New York. He holds music education degrees from Florida State University, Ithaca College, and Texas Christian University.
James Ray is Associate Professor of Instrumental Music Education at Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA). He teaches courses in string education and music theory, and directs WWU’s String Sinfonia. He also coaches chamber music with the Bellingham Youth Chamber Players and is music director of the Olympic Strings Workshop hosted at Olympic National Park. Previously, Dr. Ray spent twelve years teaching public school orchestras, from beginning classes to award-winning high school ensembles.
Dr. Ray is a sought-after clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor. He has been a featured guest at venues from school orchestra retreats to multi-school honor ensemble festivals. At the national level, he is an adjudicator for WorldStrides Heritage Festivals. Dr. Ray has guest conducted the Bellingham Symphony, and has appeared with the Port Angeles Symphony as a guest conductor, soloist, and guest concertmaster. Additional performance experience includes military service as a keyboard player, violinist, and assistant rehearsal conductor in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Dr. Ray is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences, and has served on various committees with the Washington Music Educators Association and the American String Teachers Association. His peer-reviewed papers have been published in the American String Teacher and the Journal of Research in Music Education. He is a contributing author to the textbook, Teaching Instrumental Music: Contemporary Perspectives and Pedagogies.
Dr. Ray holds a BM in violin performance from Central Washington University, an MA in secondary teaching from Western Oregon University, and a DMA in music education from Boston University.
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