I put "Open Mic" in quotes because we can just post videos here like we did for St Paddy's- But how about a little Christmas theme to cool off our July? I always say Summer is actually the best time to start if you want to polish your tunes by Christmas. Feel free to share sheet music or ideas here. Pull your ugly sweater, red sparkle dress, or Santa hat out of storage. Then on July 31 I'll make a post where you can upload your "performance" Work in progress videos are absolutely welcome. This hang out is always about progress and not perfection. You have three weeks! Have a great weekend. [Sleigh bell sounds], Jenny

Well, I guess I'll have to quit whining about bad bow control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzf8XQju4tI

If anyone has a patriotic tune or a snippet of one, feel free to post it here as a comment over the weekend.

Today I'm sharing the intro video, where we dig into why bowing can feel a tad frustrating at times. It's common to have unwanted bow bounce and string noise, even for violinists who have been playing for years. I certainly did! The short version: As adult learners we are excited to spend time learning notes, songs, and finger patterns. This isn't a bad thing and is also important of course. But the bow is where your sound always lives. If your tone feels inconsistent, scratchy, shaky, or harder to control than you'd like, it's often because bowing hasn't been trained as a separate skill. This week I'll be posting the white belt exercises here in Skool so everyone can start building a stronger bow arm. Please watch the intro video below and let me know: What's your biggest bowing challenge right now? 👇 Or if bowing is already easy for you? Tell us your secrets! 👇 First training video drops here tomorrow! Best, Jenny P.S. If you'd like to transform through the entire Summer Bowing Dojo with us, new members can join Jenny's Daily Lessons at 50% off their first month through June 30 with code DOJO50. Sign up today, try it out, cancel anytime :) https://www.jennyoconnor.com/programs/ Drop the program questions you have below and the other members or I will answer. 👇

Not sure if anyone who's a beginner has experienced this ,but, on Monday I added the metronome to my daily lessons for the first time on 2 other beginner violin syllabi that I study out of (Mel Bay and one other online) and it brought out "the worst" in me. My bowing & intonation went totally haywire (and I practice my "long bow" every day!). Step 1: Learn the form (piece). Step 2: concentrate on bowlng. Looks like it's going to be the Bowing DoJo class for me this summer.Thank God it's available! Just as a side note if the founding fathers and pioneers of this country who studied violin as a hobby (Thomas Jefferson,Davy Crockett, et al) had access to this online method they'd have been elated (totally geeked). I don't think that's hyperbole either.