Hello, my name is Joan Avant-Rossi. I am a classically trained violinist from Texas, and hold two music degrees from the University of North Texas. (B.M. in Music History and Literature with a minor in Theory, M.A. in Musicology with a minor in German). At the university I studied violin with Julia Bushkova and (Baroque violin) with Cynthia Roberts. I have been a member of the performing groups such as the UNT Symphony Orchestra, UNT Chamber Orchestra, Collegium (Baroque Orchestra), Jazz Strings, Denton Chamber Orchestra, the Flower Mound Chamber Orchestra, and the South Indian Ensemble. I also did string luthier work with Mike Sheriff in Arlington, TX. And on the technology spectrum, I use Sibelius 5 for composing and educational purposes.
I have been playing violin for 25 years; I started when I was 11, so I'll let you do the math on how old I am. I've been teaching professionally for 9 years here in the Lakewood area of Dallas, Texas. My personal favorite areas of classical music are opera and 20th century Minimalism. I of course have a soft spot for the Romantic period. Where would we be without Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Mahler? We would still be in the Classical period, (for you history buffs). Nevertheless I do not discriminate about "classical" music in general. The violin is a beautiful instrument that has changed so much stylistically throughout the ages, yet it always has its signature weeping tone. However I believe that violin lessons should NEVER bring about weeping but rather the enjoyment from learning. I know from experience that the happier student plays better. So that is what I am here to offer, the enjoyment and enrichment of playing a musical instrument.
A: (I seriously get this one) Yes. I’ve been playing for 25 years.
A: I've been teaching professionally for 13 years here in Dallas.
A: Yes, I teach lessons both in person and virtually.
A: You hear this on popular music shows all the time. But no, it is not a word. The word you are looking for is "intonation."
A: This means learning to play the violin by learning to read music. Regardless of the style, you will learn to read music."
A: No.
A: No not yet. I love children, but I start teaching at 5.
A: No.
A: Yes, fiddle just refers to a style of playing.
A: If you want to rent, such as your child is not big enough for a full size, I recommend Brook Mays or Fiddle and Bow. If you want to buy a full sized for an adult or bigger child, then I recommend looking up Jay Rury in Richardson.
A: We start with Essential Elements 2000 Book 1 for Violin. You can find a copy here or here.
A: I recommend a shoulder rest (they come in different sizes per size of violin) rosin, an extra pack of strings, and a music stand. For more info, please go here.
A: Some good places are Shar Music or Amazon
A: Yes we do a Spring Recital every year. For more info, please go here.
A: It is best to be able to read music to play the violin. If you don’t know how to read music, no worries, I will teach you!
High School Orchestra
Me with Shirly Bellus-a very cool lady- (my piano teacher in high school) at our recital- that year I performed The Promise by Michael Nyman. The theme for the recital was movie music.
A group of Ms. Morrow's (my private violin teacher) students for an All State Orchestra audition preparation session.
University of North Texas- a chamber concert with Julia Bushkova (my violin professor) and Eugene Osadchy
UNT Baroque Orchestra- Performing on period instruments in Crested Butte, Colorado. At the time we were concerting around Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons and other Baroque delights.
The Baroque Orchestra by a mountain somewhere in Colorado
And then the altitude got to us
Are certain children prone to being child prodigies and musical geniuses? According to the musician and neurologist Daniel J. Levitin this is not the case but rather presents the 10,000 hour theory. This theory states that the logged hours of practice make up the musician rather than a special predisposition in ability to learn an instrument. He gives the stunning example of Mozart (whom everyone considers a child prodigy or genius). "The classical rebuttal to the ten-thousand-hours argument goes something like this: