My 2023 Favorites – Music Teacher and Lifestyle Recommendations

It’s hard to believe we’re already wrapping up 2023! It’s been a good year for me: I grew my studio, got engaged, helped edit a book of sheet music (details coming soon!), and cuddled my cat.

I thought I’d share a few of my favorite things that have helped me teach music and just enjoy living life this year. These are my 2023 favorites!

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Music Teaching Essentials

I’m so thankful to have grown my studio even more this year. Below are some of my favorite books to teach with and things I use in my studio space.

Fiddler’s Philharmonic

Last year, my mom got me Fiddler’s Philharmonic for violin, viola, and cello (all separate books, same music). I have one violin student who focuses specifically on fiddle music, and this book has been perfect for her!

For each tune, there’s the melody written by itself, then a three-part score: tune, break (sometimes just harmony), and backup. If you’re in charge of an ensemble that plays fiddle tunes, or if you want to experiment with multi-layer recording, I highly recommend this book series!

Barbara Barber Scale Books

I first discovered Barbara Barber’s Scales for Advanced Violists my freshmen year of college. I had the Carl Flesch scalebook, but neither myself nor my teacher really like how it’s laid out. Barbara Barber’s scale books are laid out nicely, with more white space on each page. The Advanced Violist / Violinist (3 octave) book has the Galamian turn-around written in very small at the beginning and end of each scale. If you like Galamian scales, this is great, and even if you don’t, they’re so small that it’s easy to either ignore or just scratch out.

The Scales for Young Violists / Violinists is the 2 octave scale book of the series. I use this with most of my students who have completed the first Suzuki book (or equivalent). Some 2 octave scales can be played all in first position, while others can be played multiple ways higher up on the finger board. It’s a great way to introduce shifting and help students become familiar and comfortable with new positions and key signatures.

ABCs of Violin Book 3

I use the ABCs of Violin/Viola series with most of my beginner students. The about 1/3 of this third book focuses on teaching 3rd position on all four strings. I love the way it’s introduced, one string at a time, and just feels a little fresher than the old Into Positions books (although those are very thorough and taught me well!).

A common theme across this series that definitely holds true for the shifting section is that new ideas and techniques are taught through short exercises, and mastered with short songs. Some are written by the author, and others are short folk tunes or classical melodies.

An honorable mention for teaching shifting is Advanced Techniques (violin/viola), which is part of the Essential Elements series. The start of the book is dedicated to three octave scales, but I don’t really like how it’s laid out, or the finger suggestions. What I do like are the sections dedicated to learning the different positions. The exercises go through different keys and finger patterns, but many sound weird to the ear. I like to supplement these in when students need to play up in higher positions in new key signatures.

Logitech Combo Touch iPad Case

I know I’ve talked about my iPad case quite a few times, but I really do love it! It almost turns my iPad into a laptop, through the keyboard and trackpad. I bought this particular case because the keyboard connects flawlessly because of the connector on the back. This case connects to the iPad using the same connector the Apple brand Magic Keyboard does.

This case is also my favorite because of the trackpad. When I was shopping around for a case like this in early 2021, it was so difficult to find a keyboard case with a trackpad! I particularly wanted a case like this for the trackpad itself, because I already had a Bluetooth keyboard. I really don’t like typing on the keyboard, and then swiping on the screen to get anywhere.

The case is still holding up well a few years later, although my one complaint is that it’s very hard to open.

CO2 Detector

I keep this CO2 detector on my desk to monitor the CO2 levels in my studio. The higher the CO2 level, the lower the air quality, and the higher likelihood that you’re breathing in air that someone else has already breathed out, spreading germs.

Studies have also shown that the better the air quality in a space, the better people perform and feel.

I like to monitor the number to be sure my studio is safe, and to decide if I need to run my air purifier on a higher level. This detector is especially nice because it also shows the temperature and humidity of the room: two important stats since my fiancé and I keep our instruments in the studio!

Air Purifier

In our house, we have air purifiers in both the living room and in the studio. The one in the living room is large and very fancy, cleaning the air for that entire floor of the house. The air purifier I use in the studio is a bit smaller, and I keep it right where I work with students to help clear the air and keep us from spreading germs.

The air purifier shown on the left above is the one we keep in the living room, and the one on the right is the more standard one I keep in the studio. They both do a great job!

An important consideration to make when shopping for an air purifier is how large of a space it’ll be in. The larger the space, the bigger, more powerful air purifier you’ll want to find, in order to clean the air a certain number of times per hour. This sometimes involves some math!

Lifestyle Favorites

Below are a few of my lifestyle-based 2023 favorites. Things I use or enjoy in my daily life that don’t necessarily relate to my musicianship. 🙂

Ghoulish Gourd Candles

My new favorite candle is from Target, and it’s a fall/Halloween scent called “Ghoulish Gourd.” It’s a perfect blend of fruit, fall spices, and Halloween! I don’t think they’re making the candle anymore, but I really hope they bring it back next fall!

The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language

I’ve been a fan of The 1975 since I first heard Chocolate back in 2014. I’ve seen them three times (the most recent was this November!), and as of now, I think I have to say that their most recent album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, is my favorite!

I have special attachments to their first two albums, since I’ve been listening to them for so long, but there are a couple songs on both of those albums that I generally skip. On BFiaFL, I can listen to the whole album forward and back without getting tired of any of the songs.

This album was released in October 2022, but I only really started to listen to it regularly and truly fall in love with it this year. They worked with Jack Antonoff this time around, who’s a regular collaborator and friend to Taylor Swift, so it makes complete sense why I like this music so much!

The Secret History

I read The Secret History by Donna Tartt in January/February, and it consumed my whole mind. This is the OG dark academia book, and I’d classify it as a mystery/thriller with beautiful prose and a great, captivating story.

The characters were eccentric, yet so multi-faceted. This is the first book that I’ve annotated straight into, outside of school. There were just so many beautiful lines and interesting story elements to capture.

I highly recommend reading this if you like dark academia, toxic friend groups, and murder! (Don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler- it’s discussed on the first page!)

Fourth Wing

My other favorite book I read this year was Fourth Wing, which, if you’re part of the book community, you’ve probably heard of.

Fourth Wing was published this year, and has already exploded. It’s part of somewhat of a “fast fashion” publishing trend: the sequel came out in November!

While I don’t think this is the most spectacularly written book, it did transport me into its fantasy world, and I just enjoyed reading it. I’ve already read it twice, and I’m on my re-read of the sequel now.

Plus, my material girl self loves how fancy the editions are. The first printing had sprayed edges featuring dragons (I got into the book “late”–in July–so I have the regular-edged second printing), and there’s now a beautiful holiday edition with bonus content (I found the last one at Costco!). The first printing of the sequel, Iron Flame, also had beautiful black sprayed edges. These fancy editions have definitely helped the book create a following!

Annotating Tools

This year, I started annotating some of my books. The Secret History is the only one I’ve written in directly, but for the rest I’ve used tabs and these great transparent sticky notes that you can place in the text and write on.

I’ve always loved stationary, and writing my thoughts and tabbing/highlighting favorite spots has really elevated my reading experience!

Those are my standout 2023 favorites! If you’ve had a favorite thing this year, no matter what it is, please share it below! I’d love to learn about your favorite food, movie, piece of music, etc.!

Thank you all for your support throughout 2023. Happy holidays, and I’ll see you in 2024!