Folk players:
so they can back up, improvise, or gain technique in a way that works for them.
Creative Strings Academy
Gain your fullest musical expression
Let me guess:
You’re not a typical musician. Or if you are, it’s not working for you.
I help musicians and teachers to go past playing prescribed parts:
SEE HOW IT WORKS
I help musicians and teachers to go past playing prescribed parts:
Classical musicians:
to play more styles without being forced into a “Jazz” box.
Adults:
who don’t want to be taught exclusively via children’s methods or communities
Teachers:
to learn and teach eclectic styles, harmony, and improvisation
The Academy
How It Works
We host many Guided Practice Sessions every month on Zoom.
Like Yoga or fitness classes, you’ll play (muted) throughout each class, with modifications to suit your level of advancement.
These classes can profoundly help you gain enjoyment, confidence, and skills, especially if you come regularly.
You’ll also get:
- 1-1 asynchronous feedback
- 1-1 coaching at scheduled times so you don’t have to wait. (Think “Concierge Service”)
- A free private lesson with me. (New members). Most report a ton of value from this one lesson.
- 10-20 classes per month, taught by multiple teachers, including myself.
- With your trial, you can **download 10 of my books to keep forever **and access all streaming courses below.
Benefits
Improve technique, harmony, groove, arranging, and improvisation.
Gain skills that apply across any style from Folk/Worship/R&B/Jazz/Pop/Latin…
You can also receive **career coaching **and/or **teacher training. **
Who Is It For?
Players with a minimum of two years of playing experience, including:
- Students and amateurs from teens to octogenarians
- Elite professional performers
- Private and classroom teachers…
What’s The Deal?
The suggested price is $57.00 per month.
You have the option to PayWhatYouCan
We simply believe most people are honest and will pay what they can afford. No matter how much you pay, you’ll get the same access as everyone else.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are focused on career, teaching, or musicianship, this community is here to serve you.
If you’re tired of feeling limited, unmotivated, or constrained in your practice, teaching, or career—and if you’d like a helping hand from a proven coach inside a diverse community where every person is valued…
**Try a month. **
You’ll receive a private lesson, invites to several guided practice sessions (and recorded replays), ten books to keep forever in your library, and access to our vault of courses.
JOIN TODAY AND GET STARTED
Membership
Creative Strings Academy Membership
Join now, cancel anytime.
Act today to access ALL premium courses below
Price$57SUBSCRIBE
“The only course I know to go beyond classical music with elements for the complete understanding of harmony, rhythm, melody, etc.“
Inside the Academy
What to Expect
***I will teach you to improvise and play/teach with confidence in: ***Folk, Latin, Jazz, Pop, R&B, et al (in almost ANY musical situation).
You’ll Also Get:
- Harmony, Arranging, Rhythm and Technique
- Tailored to YOUR level (recommended minimum of 2 years playing experience.) “It’s powerful that you were able to take high school students so far. Anyone can learn this.”
- Teacher Training
- Career Mentoring aligned with your goals.
- Emotional Support — EFT tapping with a certified practitioner.
Zoom classes are safe. You can remain muted or off camera.
ultimate Scales Resource
Think, “Flesch, Galamian, and Kreutzer for contemporary players“. Scales provided in extended range for violin, viola, and cello in all keys. The foreword explains how to optimize scale practice to develop harmonic fluency.
(Sells normally for $19.95)
ultimate Arpeggios Resource
Seventh chords are provided in all inversions and keys for violin, cello, and viola. The foreword outlines how to expand your harmonic vocabulary and improvise with comfort and ease.
(Sells normally for $19.95)
70-page Violin Harmony Handbook
Packed with practice exercises, a chord glossary, and solo transcriptions. It’s like Paganini for improvisers.
(Sells normally for $29.95)
Plus:
- Several more books like the ones above to download and keep in your library.
- Live Practice Classes on Zoom
- 1-to-1 feedback through video/audio/text exchange in our FB Group
- Q & A and live 1-1 coaching Zoom calls.
- Streaming Access to Class Replays and Extensive Course curriculum
- Emotional Survival Tools for Musicians (Course + live with EFT facilitator Evan Gregor)
- Bonus access to Music Entrepreneurship curriculum and live coaching support
- Direct access to me and our supportive and diverse community. This is a safe space for all.
- Schedule a free private Zoom lesson when you join today. (New students only)
ABOUT ME
I’m a music coach other well-known experts come to when they want help growing their playing or teaching.
Most of the creative string playing experts you see today at one point were or are my students.
Trained from age 5, I became hungry for new challenges in my teens.
That curiosity- along with some unusual detours- helped me develop the skills to go beyond classical, the freedom to be creative, and** insights** to teach others.
While an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, my curriculum was adopted and is used to this day as required study for all string playing majors.
In 2010 I voluntarily left Berklee on good terms, leaving my elite touring career as a top call violinist in NYC, to go back to Ohio and focus on being a dad.
I decided to create an affordable way for string players to receive my training- and to make my curriculum the most extensive of its kind.
I’ve published over 1,000 free lessons on YouTube, taught at hundreds of colleges, schools, and conferences, while refining my platform and teaching.
**Players who credit my teaching include: Michael Doucet (Grammy winner), Aubrey Haney, Leah Zeger (Hans Zimmer), Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings), Andrea Whitt (Shania Twain), Mia Asano, Jason Anick, Mike Barnett, Rob Landes, Jeremy Kittle, **and many more.
I’m equally proud to support amateurs, teenagers, teachers, orchestral players, freelancers, working and retired people with a passion for music outside of their job.
You see…
I used to think my role was to teach “elite” players about Jazz … I was wrong.
I will teach anyone who wants to learn: the abandoned, unboxed, lost, confused. The beginner. The person who doesn’t fit into the mold– any person who is open to learn.
What does it even mean, “advanced” vs “beginner”? These terms are meaningless.
In this community, we are all the same, all on a path seeking to grow and enjoy the process.
Your membership
here’s what you’ll get
Creative Strings Academy is designed to support your playing, teaching, and creative growth.
- Invites to all live Zoom classes
- A free private lesson (new members)
- Personal feedback via our private forum and during office hours
- Edited replay recordings that are easy to browse and use
- Downloads of all books
- Access to additional self-paced courses if you request them.
- Support with technique, rhythm, harmony, improvisation, in multiple styles
- Support with your career if you want it
- Support with your teaching if you want it
- The support of an appreciative, respectful, and diverse community
01
harmony, improvisation & eclectic styles
**You may improvise inconsistently if at all. **
Whether or not you studied theory, you may struggle to hear and apply harmony.
And you may have been led to assume : “If I listen and try harder, I’ll get it.”
But this isn’t working, right?
In response, you may have tried following every “tip” out there…
practicing too many things …
which leads to very little progress at all.
When you focus on the right things, in the right order, practice becomes productive and enjoyable.
You’ll be able to adapt to many styles- without memorizing licks or obsessing over slides, vibrato, or other surface-level nuances.
02
busting the myth of “having a good ear”
Like most Suzuki-trained kids, I was proud of my ability to learn melodies by ear.
I didn’t know how limited my ears were until I joined a band and discovered that I could not recognize:
- notes outside the violin’s register or timbre
- chords
- different-sounding melodies
I struggled to apply harmony.
When I combined listening with reading, my ears grew faster.
I discovered that visualizing it on paper sped up the process, like training wheels on a bike.
I developed a visual aid to more easily conceptualize and apply harmony on any instrument.
After studying module two (“Easy Tonal Improvisation”), you’ll never look at harmony the same way again.
After that, I’ll show you how to go even further toward mastery:
- How to memorize harmonic progressions
- Scale and arpeggio hacks
- Complex Jazz reharmonizations
The best part: You’ll accomplish more in less time by integrating improvisation, harmony, rhythm, and technique.
03
honoring your creative process
You might assume that you need to spend years mastering harmony and learning tunes before you can improvise.
With my Elemental Forms framework on module three, you’ll improvise immediately, regardless of your technical ability or theoretical understanding.
These simple exercises will help you:
- Create something new every time you play
- Improvise free from harmonic constraints
- Constructively evaluate your performances….
- …using the abilities and knowledge you currently have.
04
traditional training provides some good skills…
05
But it leaves a lot out.
I’ll help you bridge the gap in skills and awareness via three pillars:
- Harmonic Forms
- Rhythmic Forms
- Creativity
Whether beginning to go beyond classical, an intermediate improviser, or an advanced jazz player, you’ll become a more versatile and creative player (or teacher) with access to courses, play-along classes, and even 1-1 coaching.
all levels and instruments (minimum 2 years experience recommended)
Jazz Scales for Violin, Viola, and Cello eBook (Download)
Sells normally for $19.95
Scales in extended range for violin, viola, and cello in all keys. Including how to practice them.
Arpeggios for Jazz Violin, Cello, and Viola (Download)
Sells normally for $19.95
Seventh chords are provided in all inversions for the ranges of violin, cello, and viola, in all keys. The extensive forward outlines how to use this book to expand your harmonic vocabulary and improvise with greater comfort and ease.
Free Improvisation Master Series (Video Download)
Sells normally for $50.00
Begin creating now regardless of your current level. Gain concrete steps to help you develop personal sound. Develop a clear value system for improvisation in any setting.
Teaching Improvisation Series (Video Download)
Sells normally for $24.95
For teachers! This series focuses on ways to teach improvisation to students of all ages.
The Violin Harmony Handbook eBook (Download)
Sells normally for $34.95
**The 70-page Violin Harmony Handbook **is packed with conceptual, intuitive, and analytical practice exercises, a chord glossary, and solo transcriptions.
(Think “Paganini for improvisers!”)
Jazz Violin Harmony Fundamentals Series Bundle (Videos and Handbook)
Sells normally for $45.00
Concepts discussed in the handbook above are demonstrated in this series of videos
Easy Tonal Improvisation (Video Series and Extensive Workbook)
Sells normally for $24.95
Great for players with basic reading skills. Using the “chord stacks” diagram, you’ll glide through progressions, literally connecting the dots to form coherent melodies, accompaniments, or arrangements in many styles.
Great for making YouTube covers, looping, and arranging/writing your part in a band.
Bach Prelude Loop Pedal Series
Sells normally for $24.95
A four-part series related to Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in G Major. Use a loop pedal to create layers of improvisations. Play in odd time signatures and learn to structure varied improvisations.
Blues Improvisation Series
Sells normally for $24.95
If you want to sound “less classical-sounding”, this will help you play more authentically within Blues-related idioms including Pop, Rock, R & B, Jazz, Gospel, or Hip Hop.
Learn to develop harmonic tension and release by combining two blues scales (most people miss out on this, so their playing sounds homogenous because they’re exclusively using one blues scale.)
How to Play Bossa and Samba
Sells normally for $24.95
These traditional forms from Brazil are at the core of more music than you probably realize. You’ll learn how to feel and adapt your melodies to fit the clave. Create solos, accompaniment parts and arrangements in these styles.
These are appropriate if you’re an advanced improviser or you’re interested in playing Jazz:
Diminished Scale Master Series
Sells normally for $19.95
The Diminished scale is an essential sonic color in modern jazz. Get step-by-step exercises to integrate this vernacular into your playing.
Bebop Scales Master Series (Video and Worksheet Download)
Sells normally for $19.95
This will help you play fast streams of 8th notes over jazz standards, sound authentic within the Jazz lexicon, and play over 2-5-1 progressions. The secrets of the bebop scale, known to seasoned jazz musicians, are laid out clearly.
Melodic Minor Series (Advanced)
Sells normally for $19.95
The melodic minor scale is one of the essential tools used by expert jazz players to express modern jazz vernacular, and in this series, you’ll quickly understand how to add it to your vocabulary.
New: “Playing Without A Net”- Delve deep into the art of playing unaccompanied.
Sells normally for $125
More inside
you’ll also discover
- Chopping & Rhythmic Extended Techniques
- Improvisation in Rock, EDM, Bluegrass, Folk, R&B, & world music.
- How to break out of playing the same licks.
- 21st Century Classical-sounding free improvisation
- How to use Amplification, Effects, and Looping,
- How to interpret a chord chart at first sight
- Sequencing and randomness
- The secret to performing unaccompanied without sounding boring or like something is missing
- Bonus transcriptions and scores.
If there’s something you want that’s missing (within reason), I’ll create it.
Everything you need to decide
“is it right for me”?
my guarantee:
If you spend as little as one hour per week with this program, you’ll gain takeaways including:
- How to make more of your practice time,
- How to dissect harmonic and rhythmic components of tunes
- How to develop your own personal sound
- How to make sense of different styles of music beyond classical
Teachers– Give your students a new curriculum relevant to their needs
You’ll receive TEN of my most popular downloadable resources and a free 15-minute private with me lesson valued at $150.
what’s training like this worth to you?
- You could get somewhat comparable training at top-ranked conservatories for upwards of $50,000 per year in tuition alone.
- Do research, hire a private teacher in your city, for about $300 per month.
Or, consider everything I’ve shared here, and…
Get it for much less than that
- Download all literature (to keep forever)
- Get access to personal feedback from me—literally one of if not the most highly regarded coaches on this subject in the world– on a regular basis
- Come to Zoom Guided Practice Sessions where you’ll practice while I prompt you and hold your hand—where you’re GUARANTEED to get a rigorous practice workout.
- Get 1-1 coaching on your playing, teaching, and/or career and business.
- Enjoy streaming access to all course materials.
If you’re not thrilled with the value you get from our community, cancel anytime.
Get Personalized Feedback
When you submit videos or questions, or attend dedicated office hours, I personally coach you.
Connect One to One
Schedule a free private lesson, and I’ll suggest ways to grow quickly in alignment with your goals.
Just hit “Subscribe” below, and you’ll get immediate access to Creative Strings Academy, all of the current bonuses for the next 30 days, AND a free 15-minute private lesson for new students.
If you stay beyond 30 days, you’ll be charged $57.00 a month. You can cancel at ANY time and keep all of the bonuses you received when you joined. If you want to cancel, send an email to info@creativestrings.org before your renewal date.
Membership
Creative Strings Academy Membership
Join now, cancel anytime.
****If you are economically disadvantaged or if you are experiencing a financial hardship, we absolutely want to provide this program for you at a price you can pay. Simply CLICK HERE, select your price and JOIN US.
Price$57SUBSCRIBE