Summer School 2019: Helen Macfarlane

ESTA SS Report 2019

Helen Macfarlane

I was lucky enough to receive a Nannie Jamieson Nutshell Bursary sponsored by Stentor which enabled me to attend the ESTA Summer School on 14th, 15th and 16th August 2019. The programme was extensive with a set of speakers who shared an impressive range of experience, knowledge and skills.

I took lots away from every session but found the workshops run by Joanne May on the Rolland approach to teaching violin technique basics particularly useful and enjoyable. I have found over the years that one thing which can put students off when learning the violin is the complexity of the technique in the early stages; the sheer number of things to think about. When attempting to support students to develop a good technique, I have always called upon the methods used by my own teachers over the years, and on the materials and writings of Sheila Nelson and Simon Fischer as well as the odd titbit I have picked up from colleagues and friends. Many of the challenges we all come across in supporting students to establish a secure technical foundation were highlighted by Joanne as she presented ideas, activities and games to help with each area. All of these ideas were appropriate and appealing for the young beginner and could easily be adapted for an older beginner and they were presented with humour and a general joie de vivre which was infectious. Joanne encouraged us all to try out the activities on our instruments during the workshops which helped to deepen our understanding and to prompt some very useful discussions. I particularly appreciated the fact that much of the learning from Joanne’s sessions could be put into practice in our lessons straight away.

Another session which stood out for me was Dr Sarah Upjohn’s workshop entitled ‘Preventing Injuries in Young Musicians’. She managed to condense a huge amount of information and to convey it in an accessible way with wit and humour. She also really hammered home just how important our role is as teachers in supporting students to develop habits which avoid injury. I have since been far more mindful of the way I sit (pinning those ten pound notes to the chair!) and more importantly, I have felt far better able to spot potential postural & movement problems in my students and to advise them based on the knowledge I have from Sarah.

I’d like to thank Stentor for enabling me to attend the ESTA Summer School; it gave me the chance to reflect on my practice and to learn a huge amount both from the distinguished tutors and from the talented delegates who attended the course. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the learning I have taken away from it has already begun to benefit the students I teach.