Hello SSS and the greater WWW! Here is our second newsletter chock full of fun stuff including our first article. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!
December Newsletter
Studio Class and Recital Update
Introducing Rhiannon, our administrative assistant
Student of the Month
Congratulations are in order!
Article-Take good care of your instrument and it will take care of you
Fanny’s Follies
Studio Class and Recital Update
As a result of the statewide shutdown, we have decided to postpone our Winter studio class and recital to January 24 and 31, 2021 respectively. The goal is to have both events in person if possible. Everything mentioned in the previous newsletter including staggered start times, precautions, physical distancing and mask requirements will remain the same. The most up to date information is posted to MyMusicStaff and the home page of our website. If you have any additional questions, please contact Rhiannon. (More on her in the next section!)
Introducing Rhiannon
We are very excited to introduce Rhiannon Mayes as our new Sesek String Studio administrative assistant! Rhiannon has a ton of experience with other arts organizations in the Seattle area including the Seattle Youth Symphony where she served as their secretary. Her knowledge and expertise concerning students and string instruments is second to none! Many of you may recognize Rhiannon since her daughter, Metta, is a wonderful violist in the studio. We feel very lucky to have Rhiannon on board!
As our new administrator, you will begin receiving notifications from her concerning scheduling, studio news and account information. Anything concerning the items previously mentioned should now go to admin@sesekstringstudio.com or you may call the studio number, 425.219.8014. Of course if you have any musically related questions, you can always get in touch with both Luka and Amber at info@sesekstringstudio.com
Student of the Month
Every month we will be featuring a different SSS student who is doing well in their studies. It’s not an easy decision since so many of you are doing a wonderful job! The winning student will receive a prize as a reward for their ded
Name: Jayden Chae,
Age: 13
Instrument: Viola
What repertoire are you playing right now?
Marchenbilder Op. 113 by Robert Schumann
When did you start in SSS?
I started in Sesek String Studio in August 2017.
What drew you to the viola?
I started playing viola because of my brother. He had started playing violin for a while and my parents thought it would be a good idea for me to learn a string instrument as well. I was given three choices, the violin, cello, or viola, and I chose the viola mainly because of its low and rich sound. The only reason I did not choose the cello was that I thought it was super heavy and really hard to bring around everywhere.
What is your favorite musical experience to date?
My favorite musical experience to date is probably playing in the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra.
In what other activities do you participate?
I do not participate in many activities currently but I do play a lot of sports like basketball and soccer. I also started playing the piano before I started playing the viola.
Any other tidbits we should know about?
My favorite season of the year is winter because I really like snow and going skiing with my family.
My favorite basketball team is the Golden State Warriors and my favorite football team is the Seahawks.
Congratulations are in order!
Several students in the studio are not just violinists and violists. A number of our students are also pianists. We have two students who deserve special mention for recent competition wins on piano. Congratulations to Ryan Chung and Stefan Chita for placing in the 2020 Pacific Northwest Piano Competition.
Stefan received a bronze prize and Ryan won the gold for the 14 year old division!
Additionally, Ryan will be performing solo with the Pacifica Chamber Orchestra in February.
Congratulations to both of them and their piano teachers. Ryan studies violin with Luka and Stefan studies theory with Amber.
Article-Take good care of your instrument and it will take good care of you
Instrument maintenance is something that as players, we do not talk about nearly enough. We spend a lot of time researching renting, buying, or upgrading to a new instrument. We rarely give as much concern to instrument care. Taking good care of our instruments by having a regular daily, monthly, and yearly maintenance routine will ensure that our violin or viola will play beautifully for many years to come.
So what should we be doing? First, this will depend on if you rent or if you own your instrument.
A few things if you are renting ~
One of the nice things about rentals is that the shop that you acquired the instrument from will often take care of a lot of the maintenance for you. When you receive your instrument, you should notice that it is clean, the strings are new and shiny, and nothing looks seriously out of place. As a part of your rental agreement, if a string breaks, the bridge falls or any other calamitous event happens, the instrument’s repair is usually part of the package unless there is some extensive damage. (Check your rental policy for the fine details.) Even as a renter, you will want to do the recommended daily items mentioned in this article and have the shop you rented from do the monthly and yearly items listed. By following these steps, you will develop good habits that will translate over when you are ready to purchase your first instrument. Nothing is worse than buying a nice violin or viola, then having it get messed up because you never learned how to take care of your rental properly in the first place.
For everyone ~
Now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, here is the recommended breakdown of how to take care of your instrument.
Daily ~
Wipe down your instrument- This is the single most important thing you can do to keep your instrument nice. Have lint free cloth that is a good size. Microfiber works best, but even an old T-shirt is fine too! Another option is to buy a pre-treated cloth specifically for string instruments from a reputable online retailer such as Shar. You want to clean on top of the strings, underneath the strings along the fingerboard, on the body underneath the fingerboard, between the fingerboard and the bridge, between the bridge and the tailpiece, and then lightly rub the instrument all over with your cloth. Make sure to get in the ribs too.
Wipe down your bow- take your cleaning cloth and gently wipe off any extra rosin residue between the hair and the stick. This will prevent serious caking of the rosin onto the stick. Extra rosin looks unsightly and can actually add unnecessary weight to the bow.
Every 3-6 months ~
Change your strings- For beginner to intermediate players, every six months should be enough. For more advanced players, every three or four months is recommended. This is mostly determined by how much you play and practice. (And also how much you mind spending on strings.) I know this one comes as a shock, but this is the recommended timeframe to change strings. This will prevent the strings from deteriorating both in quality and sound. Old strings also fray, which will inevitably result in the strings breaking.
Polish your instrument- if you are cleaning your instrument daily then this will be a very easy task. Buying a good cleaner, such as Hill Brothers varnish cleaner, will keep your instruments varnish gleaming and pristine. It will also protect the varnish from unnecessary dust and other debris. Simply take a microfiber cloth or an old T-shirt and pour a dime sized amount onto the cloth. Gently swirl onto your instrument in small circular motions, including the body and fingerboard, to remove dust, debris, and varnish imperfections.
If your instrument is very dirty which includes caked on rosin dust or other debris, you may have to do an additional step before you can even polish. You will need a solvent to get all of that off. We would recommend that you do not attempt to do that yourself, and consult a professional luthier. In extreme cases, the instrument may need to be completely re-varnished which can get very expensive! So keep your instrument clean!
Once a year ~
Rehair your bow- This will mostly apply to intermediate to advanced players who own their instruments. (If you rent your instrument your bow rehair should be included as part of the rental package and if the rental shop deems a bow rehair necessary.) Your bow is made partially of horse hair, and the microscopic teeth on the hair, which grip against the string, wear out over time. When you want to get your bow rehaired, simply call the shop that services your instrument and set up a drop off time. Usually bow rehairs take anywhere from 4 to 7 days to complete. (If you do not have a back up bow, see if the shop will let you borrow one. You can also buy a cheapie bow to tie you over.) After the rehair, you will notice the bow will feel like new! You may have to apply rosin a few more times than usual in the first few days after the rehair, until the hair is gripping the string well. But be careful not to overdo it, as that makes a scratchy sound!
Clean your case- I know I am definitely guilty of not following through on this one! Your case is one of the easiest places for your instrument to collect unnecessary dirt. Vacuum your instrument’s case at least once a year. Dust bunnies love to get in the crevices of your case, especially in the smaller compartments.
Take your instrument in to a luthier for a “check up”- A luthier, or someone who builds and restores violins, can you make sure that your instrument is staying in tiptop shape. We all go in for a health check ups, right? Your instrument should be no different. Over the course of a year, normal wear and tear including setting down, picking up, and playing the instrument may move parts out of place. Common items that tend to shift are the bridge, tailpiece, sound post and the chin rest. By taking your instrument in to a luthier he or she can work on making sure all of those apparatus are in their proper place, ensuring that your instrument sounds its absolute best.
And that's it! Once you implement this schedule, you can enjoy your instrument and know that it is in top condition at all times. And who doesn't want that?!
Fanny’s Follies
Being first time poodle owners is very fun and has also presented some challenges. How many of you know that poodles transition to a different coat as they approach their first birthday? We knew, but we were not prepared for the matting and extreme tangles! Well, poor Fanny had to be shaved down to just skin and bones LOL! By the time you guys see her again, she will look normal, but if you’ve ever wondered what shaved poodle looks like imagine a tall albino mole rat!
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