Take your music, teaching, and/or career to the next level with personal support and clear structure over seven weeks. Join from anywhere around the world.
Become a more versatile, functional, creative, and bulletproof musician
Teach online efficiently
Attract & engage students
Learn creative musicianship
Attract a more consistent stream of better projects, clients, and income
Woncering if you'll ever learn to improvise, play more styles authentically, or find your own creative voice.
Tired of the same practice routines, gigs & repertoire, and ready to finally get off of the sidelines and join the jam.
Freelancers- You know you can play but you still aren't getting paid what you're worth & you're tired of the feast and famine cycle.
Teachers- overwhelmed and burnt out with online teaching? Want to teach skills which are more relevant to your students' diverse musical interests.
CSW is a boot camp for musicians who don’t want another degree and do want to clear the most pressing blocks holding them back in their musicianship, teaching, or career.
Whether you’re a student, amateur, professional player, or teacher- we’ll help you take your personal playing, careers, and/or teaching to new heights.
Listen to what participants of all ages and ability levels, from all over the world had to say about our workshop.
When I was 16 my friends started a band.
I remember thinking, “I’m not creative like them”.
That thought crushed me.
I wondered, “What if I could learn to be Creative”?
I joined and kept joining bands, eventually finding my own Creative sound, career path, and teaching method.
I help musicians solve these problems:
Practice, teach, and/or run your business in only ways that directly create the outcomes you want.
Whether you’re a hobbyist, freelancer, or teacher, I’ll help you focus on only the actions that are highest-yielding for what you want to accomplish.
You’ll be supported by a structured curriculum, personal feedback, community, and accountability.
You’ll get units covering musical, pedagogical, and career-related applications like: (click on topic for description)
Gain the ability to compose, arrange, and improvise over tonal chord progressions in any style. Apply the skills to your own projects, like arranging your own covers, writing your own parts in a band, or accompanying your students.
Includes:
Start creating your own music immediately-no theory necessary. Includes:
After spending ten minutes with this module, you will be improvising freely. Guaranteed. Many members record 5-20 improvisations every day using this module alone.
Record composed or improvised performances to backing tracks in various styles. These are great “mini projects” for you or your students.
1. Music Styles
How to use bebop scales to play fast, burning lines over jazz and other styles.
Dive into melodic minor for a Gypsy Jazz or modern sound.
Master blending pentatonic scales together to make your lines sound richer in Blues and related styles.
Perform beautiful melodies in these gentle, accessible, Brazilian styles.
Internalize rhythms, scales, forms, and a few key secrets that no one else will teach you.
Master the anatomy of rock licks and style. Jam out to piees like “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix
2. Fiddle
Learn tunes by ear or by sheet music. Learn how to apply stylistic bowings or how to accompany, solo, and chop if you want.
3. Modal Improv
Learn to improve using modes. Useful for rock, blues, fiddle styles, jazz and more..
4. Efficient Practice
Learn how to incorporate harmony, rhythm, and improv into your technical warm-ups for increased gains in less time.
5. Rhythmic Internalization
Develop your sense of groove in styles beyond classical
Most teachers are working harder teaching online. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Learn the exact online teaching strategies I’ve used for 12 years by restructuring your teaching to
You will learn (amongst other things):
How to make a single piece of content to attract new students, leverage existing students, & create recurring revenue if you’re self-employed.
How to create an engaged student community in minutes, increasing value & saving time.
How to effectively run and sell group classes, 1-1 lessons, online courses and more.
5 easy steps to “Flip Your Classroom”. Instead of teaching lessons live and giving homework, students learn the lesson at home, from a piece of media, and then you help them refine and improve live
The Ripple Effects of Flipping the Classroom
There are 5 steps, which when combined, make flipping your classroom or studio optimal, using only free technologies that everyone knows.
When you do these things, you will:
If teaching online feels hard, you should not miss this opportunity to flip your classroom or studio.
Entrepreneurs: I’ll show you the tactics and strategies I use to
You’ll have access to extensive cutting edge curriculum related to musical skills, teaching online, and entrepreneurship. While you can access some of this curriculum by purchasing our DIY courses, the structure, personal attention, and community of this guided bootcamp is set up to ensure you finally get it done.
Attend fast-paced guided practice sessions every week.
Replace or boost your regular practice in as little as 90 minutes per week.
It’s comparable to a semester of conservatory, where the most affordable programs are priced at a few thousand dollars
Schools like Berklee, where I used to teach, cost tens of thousands.
Consider whether other options can offer you:
When I chose to take a leap 35 years ago and join that band, it put me in a position to lead and thrive as:
–Top call violinist in NYC
-Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music
-An online teaching pioneer
– A recording artist on hundreds of albums and films
-Producing 16 of my own albums, touring the world, producing festivals and workshops, founding a non-profit, and more.
When you decide that your development is worth investing in, you’ll be able to:
-Connect with a wider range of musicians
-Share your music and teaching with confidence
-Attract and follow through on more opportunities
You’ll have the support of these mentors!
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VICTORIA YEH |
JASON ANICK |
ANDY REINER |
GEORGIA RAE |
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PHILIP SHEEGOG |
CATHY IRONS |
NEIL GILFILLAN |
Don’t have the full amount on hand? Click below to pay in installments.
Want to join the Spring Zoom classes late? You’ll still get replays of any classes you missed. Email us at chris@creativestrings.org for details.
For teachers who want to use Creative Strings materials in their classroom or studio.
$1,195.00
$1,395.00
$1,595.00
Group classes are every Thursday at 12-2 pm US Eastern and Every Saturday at 7:30- 9:30 pm US Eastern
****Classes often go longer than 2 hours. Replays are available.
Many of a participants can only attend one of the two classes a week- so it's perfectly okay if you have to miss!
We'll post the class recording within 24 hours so that you can rewatch at your convenience.
Zoom group class replays are availabl for at least 6 months after the course ends.
Yes.
If you sign up for the Zoom only package, you'll still have the opportunity to ask questions in class. The last half hour of each class is reserved either for participants to play individually for feedback (masterclass) or ask music business questions (mastermind)
If you sign up for the full package or higher, you'll be ablet to post your work and recieve unlimited personal feedback from me via our secret FB group. When you post video, audio, or written work examples or questions, I respond within 48 hrs or sooner. If you choose not to use the FB group or have something private to share you can email me.
Private lessons can be scheduled online any time during the seven weeks at your convience.
We suggest that you use one as a entry lesson and one as an exit lesson. This format allows me to help you orient your goals and practice routines throughout the course so you get the most out of it.
Yes! I will schedule a limited number of additional office hours throughout the course. Times typically vary so that participants in different time zones can participate. All office hours are drop-in: come and go as you please!
As part of the private Facebook Group, Full Access Participants will have access to:
We'll use this curriculum together to help you work on the goals that you want to achieve via a project-based approach.
Zoom-only participants will be given limited access to some of my more foundational materials through the replay document.
You can! My curriculum is like a buffet- take what you want. I highly encourage students to focus on their own interests.
In fact (while I don't discourage it)- I would be impressed if anyone ever made it through the ENTIRE curriculum in one session.
That’s fine! You can still get feedback from me by emailing me privately (if you're a full access participant or above!)
You also do not need to post or share anything to:
Nevertheless, many people find FB useful for getting the most out of this course. You can interact and network with other participants and get feedback from multiple points of view if you do choose to post!
All posts are private and will not be shared on your public FB wall.
A project-based approach allows you to gain skills while creating works you can reflect on, share, and be proud of.
I’ll help you choose your starting project(s), goals, and learning path in week one.
Projects can include practice excerpts, short improvisations, arrangements, recordings, as well as lesson plans for teachers or marketing materials for freelancers.
Yes. Not only will we have special guest teachers for portions of Zoom Group Classes; you’ll receive access to our mentors via the FB group and some of their curriculum.
I typically recommend the course as a first step and/but I am happy to provide info on the cost of private lessons. Feel free to reach out to my assistant at lauren@creativestrings.org
Early Registration Price ranges from $399 and up.
****** If you are a Teacher you can join any of the plans.
Join the premium access plan specifically for your own PD.
Join the licensing plan if you’d like the ability to share step by step curriculum and lesson plans directly with students.
-Schools/Districts often sponsor teachers to participate. Ask us if you need help getting support from your school.
If you join the licensing plan it allows you to share curriculum, courses, and work-books directly with your students in privacy-approved formats.
You’ll get my personal support in overseeing your students’ work. I’ll also show you how to flip the classroom, i.e., teach efficiently/effectively online. Custom curriculum is possible as well for your students. You do not have to join the licensing plan to gain from the course as a teacher.
Yes. I will be happy to meet with you personally to answer any questions via phone or Zoom. Schedule 1-1 exploratory call with me at this LINK (acuity) or text me (in USA/CAN) at 614-332-8689
Read our testimonials or click on a video to hear participants in their own voice!
