JAVS Summer 2026

Figure 3. Analyzing Practice Project.

Choose one phrase in a piece that you are having difficulty with. Create a five-minute video recording (please try not to exceed five minutes) of yourself practicing that passage and upload it to Canvas. As you work, talk through your thinking process using the following steps: 1. Play the passage. 2. Diagnose the problem. 3. Hypothesize the next step for improving it. 4. Try out your solution. 5. Evaluate the result. Were you correct? If so, what is the next step? If not, diagnose the problem again and repeat steps 2–5. The goal of this project is to guide students through the feedback cycle and help them learn to accurately identify challenges and develop effective strategies for addressing them. Through this project, I gain valuable insight into how my students approach problems in the practice room. Are they able to accurately diagnose the issue? Do they have effective tools for improving it? Can they provide themselves with meaningful feedback? Watching these videos reveals a great deal about students’ practice habits, self-perceptions, and prior knowledge.

Some of the most common observations I have made include:

• Students often practice too quickly. • Students often work on sections that are too large. • Students are generally able to identify the issue and locate the problem spot. • Students may verbalize an effective solution without realizing whether they are actually implementing it. For example, a student might say, “I need to slow this passage down and practice it at a slower tempo,” and then proceed to play it several more times at essentially the same speed without noticing. • Students frequently rely on repetition, but not always in the most effective way. Having this individualized understanding of how each student practices helps inform my teaching and allows me to provide more targeted guidance about practice strategies and self-assessment. Special Projects: Curiosity, Research, and Scholarship I believe that one of my responsibilities as a viola teacher is to create opportunities for students to cultivate curiosity. Curious students are often eager to learn, explore, and discover their interests and strengths. The projects in this category are especially valuable because

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 42, Summer 2026 Online Issue