Strings

Welcome to the page dedicated solely to orchestral string instruments! Below is a list of websites I have found useful for teachers, students, players, and anyone in between. The general websites are focused toward the orchestra as a whole and there are interactive websites that are great for students to explore on their own.

Bass:

American School of Double Bass

http://www.asodb.com

Although this website is designed for the school, there are very useful tips and resources included for teachers and students. The sections titled Morton's Tips and Links will be most useful for the classroom. There are several links for luthiers and symphony's under the links section, and avoiding string buzzes and improving sight-reading are included in the tips section.

added by Ann Letsinger

Cello:

Internet Cello Society

http://www.cello.org

This website is helpful for teachers and students. Information about competitions, luthiers, composers, and technique can be found here. You will find useful tips no matter what your skill level. The society seeks to advance the knowledge and joy of cello playing around the world. If you become a member, you will be connected to cellists from around the world. No additional plugins are needed to view this site. Under the education section there are forty-three other links that direct you to other important and informative websites. I find the tips section especially useful because it covers almost every aspect of cello playing in detail.

added by Ann Letsinger

Viola:

American Viola Society 

http://www.americanviolasociety.org

This website has everything you need for the violists. It is divided into seven sections: Welcome, Join AVS, Resources, Competitions, Community, Marketplace, and Contact Us. The resources section will be especially helpful for students and teachers. The subcategories include education, email directory, national teacher directory, news, publications, recovering stolen violas, viola bank, and viola jobs. No additional plugins are needed and the site is easy to navigate and browse.

added by Ann Letsinger

Violin: 

The Violin Site

http://www.theviolinsite.com 

This website was featured in Britannica's Internet Guide Selection and provides several resources for violinists. Everything from how to play the instrument to famous violinists is featured on this site. Students will benefit greatly by using this website either as a reference and supplemental guide to their playing or to research projects about its history. The site is divided into six easy to navigate sections: violin bookstore, instruments, violin accessories, musicians, violin music, and playing the violin.

added by Ann Letsinger   

General Websites: 

The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/

This website is run by the Kennedy Center's education department. It is a great quality resource for teachers to find advocacy materials for art, dance, and music in addition to lesson plans. There are three sections (Teach, Connect, Explore) of which the third would be a good resource for both teachers and students. There is a new series of video tours of the Kennedy Center which provide a great interactive experience for students. Lesson plans can be searched by subject (Music, Art, Dance), standard, and grade, making it very easy to navigate. They provide great tools to develop interdisciplinary curricula that fully incorporate the arts with other academic subjects. Visitors do not need any additional plugins to access the information.

added by Ann Letsinger

New York Philharmonic Kid Zone

http://www.nyphilkids.org

This website is a branch off of the New York Philharmonic's site and is supported by the Beatrice Snyder Foundation and MetLife Foundation. It provides an interactive experience for children in kindergarden through fifth or sixth grade. There are twelve sections including a composition workshop, composer's gallery, conductor/soloist dressing rooms, newsstand, meet NYP musicians, orchestration station, instrument lab, musicians' lounge, game room, instrument storage room, email club, and poll of the day. The visitor does need the Macromedia Shockwave Player in order to access the site, but there is a link provided. This site is great for students to explore the many facets of the orchestra on their own and the information is not only high quality, but applicable to the real-world.

added by Ann Letsinger