107 Mimi Zweig: Teaching from the Heart

Sep 10, 2021

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Welcome to Season 4 of the Mind Over Finger Podcast! Thank you to everyone who has made this journey possible and found these conversations not only useful, but inspiring. I look forward to many more episodes with phenomenal musicians!

This season is all about helping you to create a fulfilling music experience, covering everything from navigating the road to a musical degree, to the life of a soloist, to being a musician entrepreneur and beyond.

My very special guest for the opening of Season 4 is Mimi Zweig, a true legend in violin pedagogy.

As a violinist myself, I was incredibly excited to sit down with Mimi to discuss her relationship with the instrument, how she came to begin teaching, and of course to hear her advice for students and professional musicians alike.

In our conversation, we covered...

The very beginning of Mimi’s journey with the violin (06:23)
How Mimi got her start teaching (11:32)
Mimi’s approach and philosophy of teaching, including the importance of a non-judgemental teaching environment (14:55)
The essential purpose of patience in lessons (17:40)
What students need to pursue a musical degree or professional life as a musician, broken down into several age brackets (21:08)
How to develop effective and healthy practicing habits using intentional repetition as a guide (25:48)
And finally, Mimi’s own habits, thoughts, favorites, and advice! (29:56)

MORE ON MIMI ZWEIG:

Mimi Zweig is professor of music in violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and director of the Indiana University String Academy.

Zweig studied with Louis Krasner, Samuel Kissel, Raphael Bronstein, and Tadeusz Wroński. She has been a member of the Syracuse Symphony, American Symphony under Leopold Stokowski, and Indianapolis Symphony. She has developed pre-college string programs across the United States since 1972.

In 2019, Zweig was the recipient of the American String Teachers Association Artist Teacher Award. Her students have won numerous competitions and teach and perform worldwide.

Be sure to visit Mimi’s website, StringPedagogy.com!

PRACTICING FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE:

I’m excited to tell you that Practicing for Peak Performance is now available for download! Go to MindOverFinger.com for access to all the tools that will help you transform your practice, gain confidence in your process, and start performing at your best.

With the purchase of PPP, you gain:

Lifetime access to all recorded content
Guidance in effective high-performance systems
Detailed handouts
For a limited time only, a free 30-minute consultation with me.

PPP alumnus Karmen Palusoo has this to say about it:

“For a long time I have had this belief that learning an instrument is difficult and hard work or that it has to be, and there is no other way. Only a few weeks after PPP, I am starting to feel that change! My everyday practice sessions are now filled with freedom and ease!”

MUSIC MASTERY CIRCLE:

This fall, I’m opening the doors to a brand-new exclusive group coaching program, The Music Mastery Circle! Together we will create the most fulfilling musical experience you can dream of.

More details will be coming soon. For now, know that I’ll only be taking a small group of motivating musicians with me on this adventure! If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, send me an email at MindOverFinger@gmail.com for more information.

THANK YOU:

A HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly, who works really hard to make this podcast as pleasant to listen to as possible for you.

Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme. Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

Thank you to pianist-singer-song-writer Louise Kelly for the introduction! You can find out more about Louise and her creative work by visiting louisekelly.com.

MIND OVER FINGER:

As we head into this new season, I encourage you to visit MindOverFinger.com for a plethora of resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me.