I am excited to be here at the Indianapolis Training Center taking a course offered by the International Academy of Music! I am so blessed to be given all this priceless information on violin technique and receive one on one instruction from Katie Humby and Valerie Gardner who earned her M.F.A at the Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Her method has been perfected through years of overcoming tension the logical and natural way, believing that our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made and violin playing is enhanced by cooperating with this design. A tense body makes tense music and hinders you from the joy, freedom, and excellence possible even at the most professional levels.

Through daily lessons, assisted practice, teaching observation and group instruction, I have been inspired to give all diligence to every area of my practice. Not to have my eyes “in the ends of the earth” dreaming about how good I’ll be one day, but wisely focused on the exercises I’m doing now. For it doesn’t matter half as much what I play as how I play it.

It has been an awesome experience to be here, get a glimpse of the sheer pleasure violin can be, and receive a solid foundation to take home and pass on to my students.

Please pray that I would not be a forgetful hearer but apply myself diligently to the work my hands have found to do.