This week, we begin a new year at West County Strings, which means for each and every one of us an opportunity to reflect on everything that took place in the past year, and also an opportunity to set goals for ourselves for this new year.  We’ll be setting goals with each student in lessons, but we encourage you all to take a moment beforehand and reflect:

What in your musical journey did you do well this past year?  What could you have done better?

What came to you easily in your musical studies?  What was difficult for you?

What do you consider your greatest strength as a musician?  How about your greatest weakness?  What would you most like to improve?

Where do you see yourself musically at the end of this month?  This semester?  This year?

The more clearly you can envision what you want your future self to be, the more capable you’ll be of becoming that person as we work together this year!

As we prepare to warm up after a bit of rest and get back into the swing of things, here are a few important dates and pieces of information to keep in mind:

• Private lessons resume this Friday, January 4.  We look forward to seeing you all again, and bringing some fresh ideas, approaches, and inspirations into our work together!
• Group classes resume next Tuesday, January 8.  Group classes are a part of what sets us apart, and a major factor in a well-rounded musical development.  We’re very much looking forward to seeing you all in groups again!
• Tuition for the spring semester (or payment 1 of 4 for the spring semester if you have opted to pay for the school year in installments) is due by Tuesday, January 15.  Please let us know if you need reminded of your remaining balance or installment amount.

And finally, I know it’s a bit cliché, but I really do love the list of “10 Things That Require 0 Talent” that seems to pop up around the beginning of the year every year.  Perhaps you’ve seen this a million times, or perhaps it’s new to you.

As food for thought, Time did an article on these arguing that they are indeed talents that can be cultivated, and I think there’s certainly some validity to that.   These are all areas in which we can – and should – aim to improve in 2019, along with our tone, intonation, posture, bow hold, shifting, vibrato, bow strokes, dynamics, phrasing, musicality, and everything else that goes into our playing!

And with that, we’ll look forward to seeing you all within the next week!