Concord Conservatory of Music’s West Side String Program allows violin and viola students to learn to play their instrument at a high level while becoming part of a music community.
Now, new beginner violin and viola students, ages 5 and up, enrolling at CCM during the 2023-2024 academic year will participate in the WSS Program, providing them with a path for successful learning. They’ll realize their full potential as a musician while building their musicianship and life skills.
The program includes 17 half-hour private lessons and 15 group classes — students receive benefits from one-on-one instruction as well as from learning and playing with others. WSS blends Suzuki philosophy, Paul Rolland’s movement in string playing, and traditional string pedagogy. Shinichi Suzuki’s philosophy embraces the idea that all children are born with a musical ability that can be nurtured at an early age through their environment, listening, imitation, and working closely with a parent at home.
The traditional string pedagogy enhances these approaches by incorporating the development of technique and musicianship through scales, etudes, music reading, and a variety of repertoire. This approach assures teaching tailored to the individual student’s needs, with a strong emphasis on building confident solo performing, fluent music reading, and skillful ensemble participation, whether they lead to music-making at the highest level or a lifetime of enhanced musical enjoyment.
Students will study a range of music in this program. WSS students progress through the program with their peers in group classes, and later join ensembles or pursue studies in the fiddling track. The CCM student placement process ensures that students take lessons with a faculty member best suited to their needs and placed in the most appropriate WSS group. Consideration for placement may include age, repertoire level, technical, musical, ensemble, performance and reading skills, fluency, attendance, emotional maturity, musical maturity, lesson preparation, and consistency of review.
To learn more about what CCM has to offer, visit CCM’s website ConcordConservatory.org and submit a Student Interest Form, or call (978) 369-0010 so that we can learn more about your needs. Financial assistance is available.
