Okay yesterday we did a little look back at 2025. Y’all crushed it! Now imagine yourself holding your violin, and it’s August of 2026. What’s the dream of how that could be in an ideal violin year? Is there a piece you want to play or an audience you want to play for? Or a new technique you’d like to work more by then? (Cough- vibrato- cough…)

I need your help planning activities for this year! I’m going to make 3 posts with 3 separate Qs for you guys. Let’s face it- there’s always some new mountain to climb on violin. That’s the beauty of it! (And can also be frustrating at times. 😅) So first I’d love to hear a little about what you overcame in 2025. Did you try anything new or meet any milestones large or small? If you’d like to do this exercise and give yourself some credit, please list those out and send over to me as a comment on this post.

What did you do to ring in 2026? For me, it was watching the Stranger Things finale and in bed by 10:15p. Slept right through the fireworks no issue! I also lived vicariously through my student who sent pictures of her and her husband at the Goo Goo Dolls concert in Atlantic City NYE. Do you stay up to midnight or are you a sleep enthusiast like me?

New discussion category is here! Now you have a place to save your holiday performance videos and easily come back next year to see how far you’ve come. (You’re invited to post your holiday works in progress here in our group. My own holiday blooper video is on the general feed, and now we have a special category so they won’t get buried.) Just add your video to a post, and click “Category” which will open a drop down menu that includes our very own brand new tab: 🌲❤️‍🔥 Hot Holiday Tunes. Again and as always- works in progress and imperfect takes are more than welcome and just as hot! And bonus points if you wear a hat. 🎻💥 Merry Christmas!

I was just sharing this oldie-but-goodie blooper video over at Patreon and it sparked me to start a holiday tune share here on the main group feed. If you have a holiday tune you've been practicing please set up by your Christmas tree, throw on a hat, and give it a spin! Mistakes and works in progress welcome. While the outside world may seem to define us by our mistakes and flaws, this is a rare online living room where we all completely understand what all goes into playing a violin tune. Our ears are different at this point and we can applaud each other for what parts are going right. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from my inner hot violinist to yours! xo, Jenny