Abstract
Dr. Marianne Murray Perkins (1954-2008)
Greatly esteemed and greatly loved colleague and teacher, Marianne Murray Perkins succumbed to cancer on July 10, 2008. We will miss her unique perspective, her tireless work, her honest commentary and her insight.
Marianne studied directly with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki at the Talent Education Institute in Matsu moto, Japan, graduating as a Suzuki Method teacher in 1985. She studied the New Approach with Kato Havas in England and the pedagogy of Paul Rolland at the University of Maryland. She acquired a special understanding of the pedagogies of the three most important string pedagogues of the twentieth century and she had built a reputation for her comprehensive interpretation of string playing technique.
She attained her Bachelors degree in Music Education at Temple University in 1976, her Masters degree in Education at the University of Pennsylvania in 1982, and in 1993 she completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Education at Catholic University, Washington DC. Her doctoral dissertation, “A Comparison of Violin Playing Techniques: Kato Havas, Paul Rolland, and Shinichi Suzuki” was published by ASTA in 1995 and turned out to be one of their best sellers for more than ten years. It is used widely in music schools across the country. At the time of her death, she was working on her second book on string pedagogy with her close colleague and friend, Lynne Denig.
Marianne was a frequent contributor to string teaching journals and newsletters, and the recipient of numerous awards and citations for her teaching and contributions to string education. She gave presentations on string pedagogy at the ASTA national conference for the past three years and has been an invited speaker to numerous other conferences, most recently at the University of Alcala, Madrid, Spain. Mariannes teaching career extended from directing school orchestra programs in Fairfax County to university programs in Saudi Arabia and Japan. For the past twenty years, she built an extensive private studio in Oak Hill, where she focused on violin technique.
In her three terms on VASTAs board, she served as Secretary and web site chair and as editor of the VASTA newsletter, The Fingerboard, which she re-launched three years ago. The VASTA web site that she created was awarded best website by ASTA in 2007.
Marianne is survived by her husband, Graham, and sons, Christian and David. Memorial gifts to ASTA may be made in Mariannes name through the “support ASTA” page of their web site at http://www.astaweb.com.
Oklahoma Chapter Continues to Grow
The Oklahoma chapter of ASTA is proud to announce their new officers:
President - Douglas Droste,
Vice President/President-Elect - Laura Talbott,
Secretary - Susan Diekman,
Treasurer - Dawn Thrailkill,
Newsletter Editor - Dorothy Hayes, and
Members-at-Large - Mary Snider (historian), Kent Graber and Donna Brox.
According to Droste, “Our goal is to continue to grow our chapter and help create activities that will keep string playing thriving in Oklahoma.”
Several new workshops for ASTA members and their students have recently been created. The inaugural OK-ASTA String Teacher Day took place at Oklahoma State University this past June, in coordination with Horizons Chamber Music Camp and OK Bass Bash. Current ASTA members were invited to the OSU campus for a day-long workshop that included: participation in a chamber ensemble with other ASTA colleagues (with coaching from OSU faculty), refresher course/lesson on each instrument (instruments provided), materials to help build a chamber music program, and a session on instrument repair and maintenance. An informal performance was held at the conclusion of the day. More information can be found at music.okstate.edu.
Other new events include the OK-ASTA All-State Etude/Excerpt Workshop on December 2, 2008 at Oklahoma State University. Participating high school students will receive an opportunity to perform a mock audition on their All-State repertoire, and receive immediate critique and feedback from area university string studio professors. Specific details will be released in the early fall.
The OK-ASTA Quartet Competition will be revived with a new format-all entries will be a recorded submission. The winning quartet will be awarded $200 and an opportunity to perform for the chapter at our annual meeting at the OMEA State Music Convention. The due date will be January 16, 2009, and details will also be released in the early fall.
“We are excited about the future of our chapter and string playing in Oklahoma!” says Droste.
Officers for the Oklahoma Chapter of ASTA met last May. Pictured left-to-right are: Douglas Droste, Laura Talbott, George Speed, Mary Snider, Dorothy Hayes, and Dawn Thrailkill
Moss Receives Outstanding Achievement Award
Kirk Moss, ASTA president-elect, received a 2008 Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Florida (Gainesville) College of Fine Arts. Each year, faculty members from within the college select three honorees based upon significant career accomplishments. Moss holds a Ph.D. in music education, conducting emphasis, from the University of Florida.
He accepted the award and spoke at the college's Spring Commencement, held on May 3rd. His address to the 800 attendees underscored the influence of teachers in the lives of each graduate. He stated, “As we step toward new goals, we carry forward the legacy of those who taught us.”
Rachel Barton Pine Violin Residency at Morehead State University
Acclaimed violinist Rachel Barton Pine will conduct a three-day residency at Morehead State University on November 13-15. Pine is one of the world's leading violinists and has soloed with the Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Montréal, Vienna, New Zealand, and Budapest Orchestras. She made her solo debut at age seven and has worked with famous conductors - Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Placido Domingo, and Charles Dutoit to name a few. Her instrument is one of the most important in the world, the “ex-Soldat” violin made in 1742 by Guarneri del Gesu.
She has appeared at festivals in Marlboro, Ravinia, Salzburg and Montreal and has enjoyed high profile collaborations, including pairings with the rock band Kansas, pianists Daniel Barenboim, Christopher O'Riley and Christoph Eschenbach, baritone William Warfield, and violinist/fiddler Mark O'Connor.
This three-day residency at Morehead State University (MSU) will have Pine sharing her music and educational talents with musicians of all ages and audiences in Kentucky. During this residency she will present workshops, lectures, master classes, and will perform as a solo artist and with an orchestra of high school and college musicians participating in MSU's Fourth Annual Tri-State Honor Orchestras. On November 15, she will present a performance of her recital program and perform with the High School Tri-State Honor Orchestra.
All components of the residency will be open to the general public. For more information visit www.moreheadstate.edu/music or call (606) 783-2198 or email
“At the Heart of Chamber Music” DVD Wins Two Awards
“At the Heart of Chamber Music” is a first-of-its-kind, 35-minute DVD that has won two awards for excellence and will be aired on PBS in the fall. According to Gillian Rogell, creator of the DVD and music educator, “Educators find that it helps their students engage with classical music because it de-mystifies the language of classical music and provides a window into what musicians experience as they create music.”
Rogell and the Jupiter Quartet coach three chamber groups, with commentary by the world-renowned cellist, Paul Katz. Students explore what the music is “saying” and how musicians make this happen. Bonus features include a performance of the first movement of the Brahms Sextet in G major, and an extended conversation with Paul Katz.
Gillian Rogell, violist, teaches at New England Conservatory Preparatory School and is the chair of the Chamber Music Department at the School of Continuing Education. She is the director of the Heart of Chamber Music Institute and has been a member of ASTA since 2004.
For more information go to www.musicalchemy.net.
ASTA Members Invited to Submit Articles for American String Teacher Journal
The award-winning American String Teacher journal provides an extraordinary benefit to its members. ASTA members are encouraged to submit articles on a broad range of pedagogical and performance topics. As is the rule with most professional journals, submission of an article does not guarantee publication, but the articles editor is most willing to work with prospective authors in order to maintain the highest standards.
Author guidelines may be found on our website, www.astaweb.com. Articles may be submitted for consideration as feature articles, forum (instrument-specific) articles, My Turn, Teaching Tips, or Member2Member articles.
Please make an initial inquiry with article idea or send a completed article via e-mail to Mary Wagner, interim articles editor, at
