Dear Orchestra Teacher Friends, It has been a while since I’ve posted on this site, but I wanted to give you an update as to what is going on. This August I began a new chapter in my career as I headed back to teach full-time in a high school orchestra classroom after spending...
ASTA is always an incredible conference and 2016 was no different. The weather in Tampa was fantastic and I attended some amazing sessions. Special thanks to D’Addario for the great party on Thursday evening. They are generous in their support of string teachers!! I presented two sessions: It’s all about the bow!...
Download Slides (PDF) Description: In addition to learning string instrument skills and new repertoire, a complete string player is one who is willing to diversify into a variety of musical outlets, including composition and improvisation. Laux will demonstrate how to efficiently integrate composition and improvisation techniques into a string program to foster creative musicianship that...
Download the slides for this presentation (PDF) A page with website links, sample rubrics, and more will be posted soon!
“It’s all about the bow! The best strategies for developing a beautiful tone in beginners and beyond.“ Description: Proper bowing technique is crucial for a healthy tone. Unfortunately the physical actions required for good bowing technique are often difficult for novice string players to fully comprehend. Laux will demonstrate how the complexities...
Many string teachers have been using PVC pipe to aid students with the learning of bow hand shape, basic detaché bowing, and more. As I demonstrate these strategies at conferences and professional development workshops, many people have questions about what size PVC I use, how to cut the pipe, etc. so...
Did you ever wish that you could begin tuning exactly at the same time each day? How cool would it be for the tuning reference pitches to sound at the same time each day? For years now, many string teachers have been using the tuning sequence that I put it up on this blog....
I was waiting until the start of the 2015 Ohio State String Teachers Workshop to make this big announcement, so here it is… StringEdTech.com is now OrchestraTeacher.net! This site originally started as a technology blog but has morphed into a much broader resource, so I have decided to make some changes. The rebranding...
Old bows are now new pedagogy aids! Save all of your broken bows and also ask your local shops save all of the bows they were planning on throwing away. Then, cut off the horse hair and chop them off so with a jigsaw just above the grip. This allows...
As always, the national ASTA conference is a blast and the best professional development activity I attend each year. Apologies for the delay in this post!! I was honored to present two peer-reviewed sessions and two industry-sponsored sessions. I have created two static web pages for these topics and will...
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Dr. Charles Laux is the Director of Orchestras at Lassiter High School in the Cobb County School District, located just north of Atlanta, Georgia. He also serves as Essential Elements clinician, consultant, and contributor for the Hal Leonard Corporation. Dr. Laux holds degrees in music education from Ohio University, the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. A string educator in his 27th year, Dr. Laux has worked with diverse student populations from elementary school through the collegiate level. He taught at Alpharetta High School in Fulton County, Georgia from 2016-2022 where his duties include directing five levels of orchestra, including the nationally recognized AHS Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Laux served as Assistant Professor of String Music Education at Kennesaw State University from 2012-2016 where he taught string techniques and pedagogy, music education technology integration, supervised student teachers, conducted the KSU Philharmonic and coordinated string outreach activities, including serving as founding director of the KSU String Project. Under his leadership, Kennesaw State University became the largest string education program in Georgia and the KSU String Project grew to serve nearly 110 elementary school students. Previously Dr. Laux directed award-winning school orchestra programs in Nevada, Florida, and Ohio. Under his direction, the Winter Park High School Philharmonic Orchestra was selected to perform at the 60th annual Midwest Clinic in 2006 and the Alpharetta High School Symphony Strings were selected in 2018. Endorsed as an artist-educator by D’Addario Orchestral and Eastman Stringed Instruments, Dr. Laux has presented over 150 educational sessions for organizations such as the Midwest Clinic, American String Teachers Association, Technology Institute for Music Education, Association for Technology in Music Instruction, and at music conferences spanning 23 states. He regularly presents professional development in-services for school districts across the country and has presented internationally at Colegio Menor San Francisco near Quito, Ecuador. His performing experience includes seasons with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the Nevada Chamber Symphony, the Columbus String Quartet, and a collaborative solo-performance with several members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Laux remains in frequent demand across the nation as an orchestra clinician, conductor, and adjudicator. He enjoys giving back to the string and orchestra community through “The Orchestra Teacher” website, YouTube channel, and podcast.
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