For the last several months, I keep hearing people talk about 2020 as if it were the worst year in human history. Already people are looking longingly towards 2021 – or even 2022 – with the idea that anything would
Dear future self, Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen a huge outpouring of gratitude posts on social media. It’s been refreshing to read through posts from old friends and past students, seeing what they’re doing and what they are
The pandemic has certainly changed a lot about teaching, and especially teaching music. As a teacher who has had to switch back and forth between in-person and online teaching, I’ve had to be creative and find ways to adapt. One
“How are you so patient, Ms. Thorup?” is a question that I’ve gotten more than once. The funny thing is, I don’t think of myself as a patient person. I certainly don’t have a vast reserve of inner calm and
I am not new to journaling. When I was little, my mom gave us journals and made us write in them every so often. As a teenager and into my twenties I religiously wrote in my journal every day for
I believe that music classes are more important than ever right now. During a time when everything is so uncertain and so much of our lives are lived through a computer, students need a creative outlet where they can work
Every year I talk to students who are thinking about dropping out of their school music programs. Every student I talk to has his or her own reasons for it. Often it’s because of other classes they want to take
The ability to find a great fingering for strings is perhaps one of the most under taught skills in string playing. I’ve found that many of us – even native string players who have studied our instruments for years –
One of the hardest parts of teaching for me is watching my students fail. I take it personally. If my students fail, then I feel I have failed as a teacher, even when logically I know that it’s not always
I bought my house about five years ago. It’s small but has a decent backyard, and I was excited to have the outdoor space. Unfortunately, the previous residents had done very little to care for the yard and it was