Teaching
 

Passing on musical knowledge is a special pleasure for me.


Teaching has been a vital part of my life. Passing on skills I’ve learned from excellent teachers gives me great satisfaction. The unique teaching methods of D.C. Dounis, for example, are an important part of my teaching, and my students benefit from lessons I’ve learned from all my teachers.


In addition to traditional methods, I incorporate principles learned from my studies of  Feldenkrais and similar body disciplines. String playing makes great demands on mind and body so multiple approaches can be extremely helpful to students.


Chamber music is also a personal passion of great value to students. There is so much to be learned by students from sharing great music and collaborating in its performance.


My students include members of professional orchestras as well as school educators at all levels. I treasure the following recommendation from one of my students, George Engleman, a violinist and public school teacher in the Houston area.


Priscilla Hallberg is an impressive person! She is a dynamic performer and dedicated teacher and has had a real impact in my music education. Priscilla instilled in me a real love of the violin and the wonderful solo literature available for it. I felt that her greatest strengths were her ability to communicate clearly the fundamentals of the Dounis violin technique and her ability to heighten my awareness of the music within the notes we were studying. Her willingness to go the extra mile to insure my understanding was most appreciated. (It was quite common that my one hour lesson would become 2-2 1/2 hours.) Because of Priscilla's obvious performance prowess, and teaching integrity and expertise, I feel she would be a real asset to any music faculty that is truly committed to excellence.

String Academy of the Plains

My present teaching focus is the String Academy of the Plains, with branches in Garden City and Satanta. The String Academy is in its second year, and we are in the process of enlarging its scope and services. Non-profit status has been applied for and support from the Finnup Foundation have been received. The String Academy of the Plains is a resource for string players of all ages. We have classes for beginners, private lessons for more  advanced players and ensembles, including an adult string orchestra. Website



Lied.Arts.Teach

A recent addition to my teaching is my involvement with Lied.Arts.Teach, an innovative program developed by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. and funded by the Lied Center of Kansas and Salina Arts and Humanities Commission. This program seeks to engage artists to reach out and share core strategies from their art to teachers and students in other areas of learning. It is an exciting prospect and a slightly new direction for me. It calls on all my background and creativity to spark new breakthroughs in education. The training sessions were vibrant with possibility and a chance to relate to many new creative people. Very exciting indeed!