Winter is here, and so is Holiday Break! Thank you all for a great Fall Semester of teaching. It was such a great experience starting up a teaching schedule and studio in Holland, MI this September. I am looking forward to getting to work with you all again the week of January 9th, 2017.

For new students, please reserve your space soon as my slots are filling up quickly. The new year is going to bring about more exciting adventures, learning opportunities, and fun violin lessons! See you all in a few weeks.

Blessings,
Larissa

Although we cancelled today's performance due to the heavy snow, Meridian String Duo had a fabulous Holiday and Christmas performance at Barnes & Noble last Sunday. Enjoy some pictures from the event. & Many thanks to our photographer Brittany Wortley!

Music is everywhere. Can you imagine a day without music? It's on the radio, in the movies, on your phone, at the bookstore, in the restaurant... It speaks when words fail. It connects all of the senses and employs so many different skills. It is physical, mental, and emotional. Every time I play I use the following skills: muscle memory, math, reading, listening, language, physical control.... Music can shape a society, it can help you learn the alphabet, and it can open up a bridge between your thoughts and how you express them to the world.

On top of all of this, private instruction opens up increased opportunities to learn. I am able to cater each and every lesson to the specific child I am teaching.

My name is Larissa Fall. I am a violinist, teacher, and arts administrator. I love music so much that I have spent my life learning it and now I teach it too

. Music is fun, but learning an instrument is expensive. This is why I am creating a 'Starting Student Scholarship Fund'. I would like to be able to give beginning students the opportunity to try a semester of private violin lessons for minimal to no cost.

$25 provides one child with one violin lesson. $500 provides an entire semester of lessons and 5 group classes. That is a total of 15.5 hours of instruction. My goal is to raise $2,500 to provide 5 students an opportunity to try out the violin for one semester.

All of the funds I receive will go towards the tuition of my students' private violin lessons. This includes instruction, rental fee for the studio space, piano accompanist fees, music materials/books, supplies, and a final recital event.

My Spring/Winter semester spans from January 9 - May 23rd, 2017 and any funds not used during this time will spill over for scholarship funds for Fall and Spring of 2017/2018.

Scholarship recipients will be chosen based on a written application process which includes a brief paragraph about why the scholarship funds are being requested.

For every $25 received, I will be posting a golden star (with your name as donor if desired) in my violin studio as a visual representation of your support. My students and I would be so grateful for any support raised by this scholarship fund.

Please feel free to share this with your friends and colleagues and follow my blog at www.LarissaFall.com  


**Please note that at this time, my violin studio is not a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Last evening my students performed in a fantastic recital! As we approach the close of 2016, it was a great way to wrap up the season. Everyone has learned SO much these past few months and it was a joy to watch them showcase all of their knowledge. Performing for the first time for a large audience is a nerve wracking thing to do, and for many of my students, this was their first or second recital. So, I am very proud of their courage and dedication! The more they perform, the more comfortable they will feel.

Thank you also to all of the families and parents who support these children and provide them an opportunity to learn a musical instrument. So thank you for your support, your time, and your dedication. It all brings me so much happiness each week to pour into these kids' lives.

Matthew Heyboer (cello) and I had a great time collaborating on this joint violin/cello recital. We performed Passacaglia by Handel-Halvorssen to close out the recital. It was a lot of fun to pull together this difficult piece together from our repertoire. It has taken us years of practice to be able to perform that piece of music, and we hope it was a source of motivation and encouragement to our students to show them what they can accomplish with hard work.

Again, I am so proud of you all! Thank you and I am excited to continue working with you as the New Year approaches.

Larissa

My friend Matthew Heyboer and I will be performing the next two Sundays from 2-3PM at Woodland Mall in Barnes and Noble.

It is going to be a fun and festive time. We hope you stop by during your Christmas and Holiday Shopping to grab a coffee and listen to some great music.

Larissa