Gregory Lee

Productive Practice: Guiding Your Students on How to Practice Effectively

Have you ever had students come to their lesson claiming that they practiced, yet you notice that the problems from last week were not fixed or seemingly forgotten? This session will present strategies to help guide your students toward more productive practice. How to practice efficiently will depend on the issue with a particular passage, whether it is intonation problems, untidy string crossings, tension during spiccato, etc. Often the struggle is breaking old habits, whether that is a tense bow hold or simply a bowing that needs to be changed. This session will offer creative practice ideas, giving suggestions on what type of practice is suited for certain passages – for example, when is it beneficial to practice in rhythms. Long- and short-term practice planning will also be discussed, including practicing without the instrument. Audience participation is encouraged as both students and teachers will be invited to share their ideas.

About Gregory Lee

Dr. Gregory Lee is currently a member of the violin section of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and a casual violin instructor at the University of Queensland. From 2007 to 2023, he served as Professor of Violin at the University of Oklahoma and Concertmaster of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.
The Sydney-born violinist is an alumnus of The Juilliard School, where he studied under the tutelage of Dorothy DeLay and Naoko Tanaka. He later earned his masters and doctoral degrees at the University of Michigan, studying with Paul Kantor. Dr. Lee has given recitals and masterclasses at numerous institutions across the United States, including the University of Michigan, the University of North Texas, and Arizona State University, among others. In Asia, he has performed guest taught at Renmin University, Beijing Central Conservatory, Shanghai Conservatory, and the Vietnam National Academy of Music. In 2019, he served as one of the judges for the inaugural Vietnam International Violin and Chamber Music Competition.
He has lectured at conferences for the American String Teachers Association, the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association, and the Oklahoma Violin Symposium. In 2023, Dr. Lee was invited to give a pre-collegiate masterclass at the ASTA National Conference.