Break Free from the Page: Liberate the Creative Musician Within You!

SPECIAL LABOR DAY WEEK LIFT-OFF PRICE OF $747!  

Are you a violinist, violist, cellist or bassist who feels disconnected from your personal creative expression?

Do you fear going off the written page or playing by ear?

Or maybe you already improvise some, but you want to feel more confident and free?

Do you want to strengthen your intuitive connection to the fundamentals of music?

This course is for you if:

you are an intermediate, advanced, or professional bowed stringed instrument player,

you yearn to play more freely with the elements of music,

you are ready to expand your imagination,

you want to feel more confident going into "uncharted" territories,

and you seek a deeper connection with your intuition and your purpose for playing music.

Wherever you are in your journey, this course will outfit you with the musical knowledge, tools, and - most importantly - the creative mindset - to  become a confident improviser and creator of your own music!

This course is created by composer, violinist and violist Gloria Justen - that's me! I've been playing the violin for 50 years now and improvising and composing for 25 of those years. I was trained at the very conservative and traditional Curtis Institute of Music, so I've played a ton of European classical music, but I was not encouraged to improvise or compose during my early studies or academic years.

I found my own way of exploring musical creativity through experimenting and going off the beaten path. My path is still unfolding and every day I continue to learn new things about the art of music. (More about my story at the bottom of this page.)

I'd like to share some of the creative strategies and insights I've learned by trial and error over the course of the last 25 years of improvising and composing, so you can connect more deeply with your own creativity!

This creative approach is combined with the knowledge of bowed string technique and the repertoire of expressive possibilities that I've accumulated during my 50 years of playing the violin and viola. (This number boggles my mind. I still feel young!)

You might be able to follow along with a book about improvisation, or learn from a myriad of teachers on YouTube, all advocating different methods. You could go the route of learning to improvise on your own, which could be quite lonely. (Trust me, I've experienced this feeling of being out on my own, feeling like I'm in my own little isolated bubble trying to expand my horizons -- it isn't easy!)

So why not try a path that has already worked for a classical musician who broke out of the box?

And, since it's harder to learn and grow on your own, would you like to be part of a supportive group of curious musicians who are exploring these creative pathways together?

When you join this 12-week course, you become a member of the String Sound Playground, a private online space for communication between participants. This community is non-judgmental and mutually-supportive. It is not on Social Media (although we will also have our own Facebook page for those who want to connect there.) String Sound Playground is our own, private, easy-to-navigate message platform.

We will be each other's cheerleaders as we expand our musical horizons!

Through this learning experience in the String Sound Playground, you will gain the courage to venture into uncharted territories -- to improvise and express yourself spontaneously, play more confidently by ear, and be able to learn new styles with more ease.

Improvisation is simply music composition in the moment. By becoming intimately comfortable with the elements of music - the emotional and spiritual elements as well as the technical ones - you will be able to create music spontaneously in a myriad of different settings.

In this course you will play with the building blocks of music - such as intervals, scales, chords, rhythms, pacing, tone colors, articulations, ornaments, and more - through games and creative exercises that are fun workouts for the mind's ear.

You will be given specific deep listening exercises, developing your understanding and imagination.

You will be invited to do introspection and journaling to connect more deeply with your own intuition -- as well as your purpose for playing music.

You will identify mental or emotional blocks that might be holding you back.

You’ll write a new story about your own creativity, allowing you to more freely explore!

This course does not teach any particular style or tradition of music. That being said, although I'm grounded in European classical music, I have listened to and learned from many different kinds of music, and there will be examples and exercises inspired by diverse musical cultures from around the world.

By doing the exercises and games in this program, you will be better equipped to understand and learn ANY style of music with more ease.

You will also be able take ideas that you discover while improvising - "seeds" - and grow them into repeatable, named compositions, if you desire to do that.

COURSE FORMAT:

The 12-week course will include a series of short, pre-recorded video lessons, one per day, which will be released in batches week-by-week. These will guide you through daily assignments that you will as part of your own practice throughout each week. You can do one per day, or group them when it's convenient for you.

Once a week -- on Mondays -- we will all meet live on Zoom for 1.5 - 2 hours for discussions about your experiences with the exercises, relevant topics, interactive improvisation games, and guest interviews. The Zoom meetings will be recorded for those who can't make the live sessions.

Downloadable worksheets will be included with each lesson. There will be backing audio tracks for some of the exercises.

Links to music tracks and streaming playlists for listening exercises and inspiration will also be provided.

Join me as a Founding Member of the String Sound Playground in the first cohort of Break Free from the Page!

The course goes live for the first time on SEPTEMBER 18, 2023.

As a Founding Member, you will help to shape the program for yourself and for future students with your questions, interactions, and feedback. Since this is the first time I am offering this program to the public, the feedback you give me will be truly invaluable.

In appreciation of this, I am offering a special discounted price for the first cohort: $747 for the 12-week course and community membership. It will cost significantly more the next time the course is offered. This price is for those who sign up by midnight Pacific Time on September 10, 2023. 

After creating an account, you will also have the option to pay in 3 installments of $250 each.

On September 11 it goes up to $1050, so act now for $303 savings!

You will have access to the course for 14 weeks (the 12 weeks plus 2 extra weeks.) At the end of that time you will have the option to continue your membership for $29 per month, giving you continued access to the course and all future updates to it.

You will be able to go through this course as many times as you like, including attending live calls, as long as you maintain your monthly membership.

This monthly membership price of $29 will stay the same for you in perpetuity as long as you continuously remain a member. (The monthly price will be higher for future cohorts.)

As a member of String Sound Playground, you will also be offered discounted prices for other courses I will offer in the future.

WHY WAIT? JOIN US!
It will be mind-blowing and heart-expanding, because you will discover new parts of yourself and new territories of musical expression. Most importantly -- it will be fun!

A little about me (Gloria Justen)
I grew up in a musical family, had amazing teachers, and was fortunate enough to attend The Curtis Institute of Music, graduating after 6 years in 1990. I've played a ton of classical music with The Philadelphia Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, in chamber ensembles, in new music ensembles, and as a soloist. I've also toured with the Philip Glass Ensemble and recorded many string sessions for pop stars like Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. I was never encouraged to compose or improvise in all my years of training, but I forged my own eccentric path as a creative musician by getting into improvisation. That led to collaborations with DJs, electronic musicians, modern dancers, and visual artists, through which I've learned and grown in my creative skills. I've composed music for myself to perform and recorded two albums of original music, as well as composing on commission for soloists, chamber groups, and string orchestra. Other things I've explored include creating sound collages from my own field recordings, playing electric violin and viola with looping and electronic effects, and experimenting with alternative tunings.

The creative journey continues, and I hope you will join me here in String Sound Playground!