Comparing my teachers (2010)

Comparing my previous teacher with my current teacher and how this has helped me to develop many different aspects of my playing.

 After studying with Tomotada Soh for almost a year, I have discovered how different teachers have many different things to offer.

 Before I came to the Royal Academy of Music, I studied with Gina McCormack at Trinity College of Music. Gina McCormack (1^stviolinist of the Maggini String Quartet and duo partner to Nigel Clayton) would often play in my lessons which inspired me to play well and was often the way I would learn things.

Gina would often talk about colours, expression and pictures. She would encourage me to tackle a tricky technical section by thinking more about the character I want to convey rather than the physical action involved. This method she conveyed often solved the technical problems.

 We also discussed the bow being like a paintbrush; different strokes create different textures. The bow was something I concentrated a lot on during my studies with Gina. I learnt how the bow can be used to help encourage the left hand in difficult passages and the variety of tone that can be produced through various different shapes with the bow.

 Another important aspect of playing is learning to perform confidently. Gina was very positive when I was preparing for a concert/exam. She emphasised a lot on playing with energy and character and giving a real sense of performance, this would often prevent me worrying about any technical issue I was concerned about whilst performing. She would also set up classes so that I could play to her other students and vice versa. This helped improve my confidence during performance whilst gaining valuable insight into the way fellow classmates approached and handled the art of performance.

 My year with Tomotada Soh (known as Teddy) has been quite a different experience to that of my studies with Gina McCormack.

 Teddy will not let anything pass him by. If a passage is not accurate he will ask me to do it again until it is right. This has made me more determined to improve on accuracy and therefore give more technically proficient performances. It also makes me feel more in control when I feel that I know a passage technically well.

 Teddy gives great importance to the regular practising of scales. He recommends playing all scales using different patterns of fingering to help develop technical proficiency. As a result this extra focus on the practise of scales has enhanced my ability to play more technically demanding pieces. It has also meant that my rate of learning repertoire has increased.

I feel that as a result of working with two different teachers, who have individual approaches to violin playing and technique, this has meant that I have become a more rounded musician as a consequence. The fact that both of them studied in different eras, cultures and circumstances has only helped me become a more mature musician.

Harriet Murray