Teacher in Residence: Peter Slowik’s Approach for Mastering Fingerboard Geography, Shifting, and Spiccato

A popular phrase these days is “there is no such thing as advanced technique – only advanced applications of basic technique.” The pathway to artist-level viola playing is predicated on mastery of a significant number of “basic” techniques.

This presentation is part of a larger project that is currently being undertaken by Peter Slowik and Lauren Hodges. This project will gather a variety of Slowik’s significant technical ideas, presenting them in formats that can benefit players and teachers beyond his immediate viola studio at Oberlin Conservatory (or AVS workshops!) The completed project will include printed text and a companion website with teaching videos focusing on several aspects of viola technique. Feedback from this workshop will be used to focus the upcoming dissemination of information.

Professor Slowik has had an extensive career as a performer and teacher at institutions such as Oberlin Conservatory, Northwestern University, Indiana University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. A former president of AVS and founder of Credo music festival, Slowik has placed students into prominent academic and orchestral positions nationwide. Mr. Slowik is widely regarded as one of the leading viola pedagogues of his generation.

Slowik’s 45 years of teaching experience has given him the opportunity to distill some of viola pedagogy’s most vexing problems into sequential pathways – a “prescription” to follow to master the concept. These pathways start by identifying the basic problem, sort it into digestible segments, and then applying exercises to master each segment of the problem. In this session Slowik will share insight into Fingerboard Geography, Shifting, and Spiccato.

Lauren Hodges, Associate Professor of Viola at the University of Florida, has done extensive pedagogical projects based on the teachings of Paul Rolland and Karen Tuttle, and she is helping Slowik organize, compile, and record pedagogical materials for posterity.