Creative Strings with Violinist Christian Howes

John "Adidam"  Littlejohn shares how he resources his high-level tuition-free string camp www.stringbootcamp.com and how he balances/approaches life as a minister, educator, and violinist. 00:00 Intro 00:52 Thrive City String Bootcamp 05:39 Advanced seminar 11:04 Origins of camp 14:09 Teaching in inner-city schools 15:50 Where to apply 19:41 Instructors and space 25:12 Inspiration 26:53 Being a pastor and musician 31:20 Music is ministry 33:00 Day-to-day life 34:41 Putting in the time and effort 38:27 Entrepreneurship and God 42:55 What can a non-believer learn from faith? 47:17 Get outside yourself 50:54 Looking for ways to help others 52:44 Closing

In this episode, Chris talks to violinist and PhD-candidate Aaron Colverson about his musical journey and areas where musicians can impact the health space. 00:00 Intro 01:14 Opportunities for musicians in the health space 04:55 Are there ways of getting involved in music in a therapeutic sense and get paid? 10:19 How to get in touch with Aaron 11:45 Road from performance to academia 12:59 Moving to Kenya 16:57 You have to spend the time to figure out who you are in the music space 18:18 How does a musician afford a masters program 19:29 Relationships are more important than a CV 21:17 How have you matured in perspective? 25:27 How can we feel comfortable enough with ourselves to keep asking for the gig? 30:29 How can you overcome the pressure of comparing yourself to others? 32:38 Reframing your approach 37:23 Importance of empathy 41:50 Identity introvert vs extrovert 45:24 Closing

Violinist Kostia Lukyniuk shares his perspective from Ukraine. Find the full show notes here: https://christianhowes.com/2022/03/04/creative-strings-podcast-episode-49-the-role-of-artists-during-war-with-ukranian-violinist-kostia-lukyniuk/ Ukrainian-born Kostia Lukyniuk is an accomplished soloist and chamber musician with a multi-genre approach to violin playing. He made his solo debut in 2009 with the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Orchestra after winning 1st Prize in the International Youth Music Competition. Since then, he has won various other musical competitions and performed concerts and solo recitals throughout his home country of Ukraine and neighboring countries Romania, Russia, and Czech Republic. Follow Kostia: https://www.kostiaviolin.com/ Instagram: @kostia_violin TikTok: @kostiaviolin Facebook: @kostia.violin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw1fK9mtTrQZX5JqWsqsNVQ Kostia asked that we provide this link for people around the world to support Ukraine: https://quip.com/SxBaALA94uQf/Ukraine-at-War 

In this special interview, the legendary pioneering violinist Karen Briggs shares how she has approached her incredible career- and there are so many great stories she shares.  Also, we’ll hear new recordings of music composed by Michael Redmond’s father, Edgar Redmond. Edgar Redmond was a composer ahead of his time who wrote Jazz and Blues for string ensembles plus rhythm section, as well as for full orchestra. Michael has commissioned these new recordings, some of which feature Karen Briggs as a soloist. And very importantly, orchestras and orchestra programs will want to buy this music to perform.  Additional Notes: Orchestral Suite, “Transition in Black” conducted by Zoltán Pad  Evidence & listing of Edgar Redmond having “Transition in Black” world premiered and performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 1973 at the Music Center in L.A. with Zubin Mehta as conductor: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1214466 ASTA Article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/000313137102100311 https://www.flashcardmachine.com/jazz4.html Transition in Black: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hx3WlWHW-VRjthFATj9az5YX7VzktKCX/view?usp=sharing Edgar Redmond Supplemental Materials: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E3hbQsOnSWbk2oh0XwDQvpb6VMl2ot2W/view?usp=sharing Website: https://www.edredmondmusic.com/

How to teach more to your students without burning out? How to prioritize your own musical goals without sacrificing too much of your time. The key is a Flexible mindset and Creative strategies to get the balance you want. Austin Scelzo is an exemplar of a young person taking courageous steps in that direction- making moves in his music and career and contributing in huge ways to his communities along the way. Violinist and teacher Austin Scelzo talks with Chris about the innovations he made in the classroom, how he’s balanced his competing desires to be a teacher and performer, the transition from working for a school to working for himself, and how he’s taken on such a range of musical goals.

5 ways to help improve your relationship with music and the thing at the core of it all. Get my free masterclass at www.christianhowes.com/education

Marlene Cruz Lozano shares insights for adult violin students and teachers. Her Violin Bootcamp centers adult women violin students, their goals, and needs.

Join us with Guest Speakers Caleigh Drane & William Seiji Marsh as we discuss how to conquer your stage fright and better achieve your musical goals through mindfulness and mindful practice.

Fiddlers Casey Driessen and Christian Howes discuss extensive clips from Casey’s album Otherlands. We talk about chopping/rhythm, and other aspects of musical collaboration for fiddlers and string players who want to expand their creative voice, musical community, and career or lifestyle. We play a tune together as well in this hour-long interview. Find more at www.christianhowes.com

Join us with Guest Speaker Drew Alexander Forde (ThatViolaKid) as we talk about his work as a violist, composer, entrepreneur, and social media wizard. Violist Drew Alexander Forde has a reputation not only as an accomplished performer but also as one of classical music’s most recognizable online brands. He is the co-host of Faking Notes Podcast and an acclaimed expert in classical music’s social media and brand building with an Instagram following to over 118,000 people. Check out his website, thatviolakid.com .