Charles Krigbaum, Kerstin Wartberg and an International Violin Teaching Faculty

Recordings in Teaching and Home Practice

The IMTEX Summer Academy 2026 presents a special two-part lecture series exploring the role of recordings in violin teaching and learning. Bringing together international teaching perspectives, the series highlights how recordings can support technical development, musical understanding, independent practice, and long-term artistic growth.

At the heart of both sessions lies the idea that effective teaching combines clear structure with creativity and flexibility. Recordings can serve not only as a tool for repetition and preparation, but also as a powerful resource for developing listening skills, musical imagination, confidence, and student independence.

Part 1

Structured Practice and Musical Independence

Building Security, Understanding, and Progress through Recordings

Charles Krigbaum
August 5, 2026 | 60 minutes

In this keynote presentation, Charles Krigbaum shares a structured approach to violin teaching developed through more than two decades of teaching experience. He demonstrates how recordings can help students internalize musical structures, strengthen audiation, develop technical security, and become increasingly independent learners.

The session explores practical ways of connecting lesson content, home practice, and performance preparation through a carefully sequenced learning process. Participants will gain insights into how recordings can support consistent progress while fostering deeper musical understanding and confidence.

This lecture provides the pedagogical foundation for the international perspectives presented in Part 2.

Part 2

Creative Approaches to Teaching with Recordings

Practical Applications from International Teaching Perspectives

Kerstin Wartberg and International Violin Faculty
with contributions from
Margherita Biederbick · Kathryn Drake · Arjada Hasanaj · Verena Sophie Lauer · Linda Piatt · Jessica Retana · Chloe Ross · Daina Volodka Staggs

August 12, 2026 | 90 minutes

In the second session, Kerstin Wartberg and an international team of violin teachers from Europe and the United States present a collection of practical teaching ideas drawn from their own studios and teaching experiences.

Through a combination of live presentations and short recorded contributions, participants will discover a variety of ways recordings can be integrated into lessons and home practice. Topics include motivating students, supporting effective practice habits, encouraging musical independence, and adapting teaching strategies to different ages, learning styles, and levels of development.

The presenters illustrate how recordings can be used in both structured and creative ways, offering practical ideas that teachers can immediately apply in their own teaching.

Focus of the Series

Across both parts, participants will explore:

• practical applications of recordings in lessons and home practice
• the balance between structure, creativity, and flexibility in teaching
• strategies for developing student independence and musical understanding
• effective approaches to long-term technical and artistic growth
• transferable teaching ideas from an international faculty

Together, the two sessions offer both a pedagogical framework and a rich collection of practical examples, demonstrating how recordings can become a meaningful and inspiring part of violin education.