It's a good question, but why should we miss all the fun? Creating this from start to finish, actually took years. There was the music, writing, illustrating, animating, editing, recording...but there's nothing like the fun of putting it all together. Of course there are great tools these days to help. I use GarageBand and Ableton Live to record, MuseScore to arrange, Adobe Fresco to illustrate, iMovie to edit out the blue screen, Adobe Indesign to format the books and covers and this video was created using Adobe Premier. There are a lot of things that don't require technology that go into creating too. Practice, mask making and the whole process of imagining a magical tale. While it's true there are faster ways, I for one, wouldn't enjoy it half as much. This video is from a magical musical tale called Pierrette le Bon and All the Magic of the Universe. You can view more videos here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV5sXjvLZhvJeO_ZHQRAMtBs_DGcSRk7_ To find out more: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com #violin #violinvideo #animatedvideosforkids #creatingstoriesthroughmusic #joyofcreation #paganini #paganiniviolin #classicalmusicforchildren

These are just a few handy things I've discovered using Adobe Fresco to recreate a 19th century wallpaper. Why bother when AI could do it? Well, anyone who has ever created anything will tell you, we don't do it for speed. Even though these couple of hacks make it faster, I often draw in my notebooks. I colour in every flower and like writing words, or playing music, it might not be perfect, but it's the joy you find in those quiet moments that make it all worthwhile. This illustration is part of my next short story - the third in a series accompanying Violetta's adventures in time. To find out more visit https://alexandralouiseharris.com You can contact me at alexandra@alexandralouiseharris.com and I love to hear from you. The music in this video is from Violetta and the Paganini Poltergeist. The second of Violetta's adventures in time. Saint-Saëns, Satie, Ravel and of course Paganini. #classicalmusicforchildren #adobefresco #childrensbookillustrator #childrensbooks #childrensbookauthor #middlegradebooks #creatingstoriesthroughmusic #violin

This week is all about recording my violin and adding tracks to Abelton Live. A little slow going, but I'm remembering creative projects take time and it's also about finding joy in the process. 00:00 - Introduction to my favourite room 00:55 - Practice time. 01:26 - My recording set up. 02:09 - Boxes and violin position 03:09 - Interface setting 03:39 - Screen recording of Ableton Live 04:12 - Making sure the track is 'armed' 04:35 - Recording sul pont and pizz 05:29 - Reflections and finding the joy in the process 06:22 - Creative pep talk 07:06 - lets cheer each other along. Some things in this episode: Although I've been working on this for a couple of weeks, today I'm recording in my favourite room in our house, with teacups, a painting that my uncle made and my masks all boxes. I spent the morning playing with Ableton Live 12 and entering all those Midi parts in, but first some practice....only it was a bit trickier than I thought. My microphone and my recording setup uses a RODE microphone NT1 AI - 1 and I prop in on a couple of boxes. I face my G string, and that's because it's a little bit warmer and the ease sometimes gets a bit harsh. And that's just something I've experimented with and prefer the sound of. I've recorded my screen so you can see what I'm putting into the computer, toggling between the arrangements and session view and making sure the track is armed. By the way, I'm doing a technique which is meant to sound horrible. Mess ups and deletes, but finally a few bars are finished.It's taken me a long time to get a few bars down, but I wanted to try something new, which I think is always good. If you've like me, there's always a point where you go, oh, you know, maybe it's no good and I should start all over again. I heard somebody say this week that you are allowed to follow your dreams. And that's what I would say to you, which is what I need to say to myself. And also, you can do what you love. And it's not selfish to do that. It's important to enjoy the process. As always, if you have any questions that I can answer, please email me and I'd love to help you in any way. Let's all come together and cheer each other on. I hope you have a great time creating whatever you are making! To find out more about Violetta's world visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com To purchase the Violetta books: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop And you can listen to the Violetta albums on Alexandra's website or here on YouTube: #violin #violinstudents #violinteacher #musicalstories #classicalmusicforchildren #writingabook #writingchildrensbooks #middlegradebooks #musicteacher #creativechronicles, #creatingstoriesthroughmusic

This week I started working on arranging the music for the story. For the other Violetta albums I've used GarageBand for the midi instruments and recording, but I wanted to try using Ableton Live. This means lots of learning, but that's always a good thing. Also apologies for the strange colour in this video! :) 00:01 - Introduction 00:52 - Quick weekly wrap of editing, drawing, autumn appreciation and practice. 01:19 - Recording with a visit from our backyard wallaby. 01:55 - Bartok's Swineherd Dance and introducing the ostinato patterns. 03:21 - A view of the Ableton interface and scenes. 03:54 - GarageBand on iPad 04:31 - More animal music inspiration, particularly the fox. 05:55 - The Butterfly mask I wore to the medieval ball and how you can make one too. 06:29 - Next week. Here are some things mentioned in this episode: The music for the first chapter is based on Bartok’s Swineherd’s Dance and I'm working on some ostinato accompaniments. The reason I’m so keen to have these easy to remember lines is that I have an idea for students to dress up as animals and appear from the snowy woods. I discovered you can Ableton Live like a looping station or a DJ mixing desk, so that's pretty exciting. GarageBand is a bit more intuitive, so I would recommend starting there and here are some videos on how I use it on iPad to create music. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV5sXjvLZhvKs6-l2WF3IUAYoh2MamTix I'm also gathering ideas for the next book of violin arrangements, drawing crows and I went to a medieval masked ball on the weekend which was so much fun. I wore a butterfly mask and so many people asked about it, I'm sharing the link here so you can make one too! https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/product-page/butterfly-mask-pdf-download Creating Stories Through Music are a twelve week series of studio vlogs where I work on turning a short story into a book, music recordings, illustrations and violin videos. Oh, and perhaps a pantomime! To find out more about Violetta's world visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com To purchase the Violetta books: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop And you can listen to the Violetta albums on Alexandra's website or here on YouTube: #violin #violinstudents #violinteacher #musicalstories #classicalmusicforchildren #writingabook #writingchildrensbooks #middlegradebooks #musicteacher #creativechronicles #creatingstoriesthroughmusic

Over the next twelve weeks, I’m turning a short story I’ve written into a book and violin videos. Down the track I’m also planning a pantomime in the Italian Commedia dell'arte style. This means masks and costumes made out of clothes I own and some extra bits and pieces I’ve found at secondhand stores. Exciting! Yep, you'll hear a lot of that word mentioned in this video. Creating musical stories means a lot of elements need to come together. First there’s the manuscript, next there are illustrations, then of course, there’s the music. For this book, that means a lot of Bartok. I’m arranging and recording the tracks for each chapter, and I’m also thinking about parts for beginner violinists. I’d love the musicians to be on stage at least for part of the show, and I have ideas for them to become animal characters! I’ll need to make some masks, sew some costumes and then I’ll film the videos using the magic of our blue wall, painted by my husband. Next week the adventure goes back into the mysterious Hungarian woods so I hope you can join me then. To find out more about Violetta's musical world visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com To purchase the book visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop You can find the Violetta and the Venetian Violin album here on YouTube, or to stream below. http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1590665103?ls=1&app=itunes http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1590665103 https://open.spotify.com/album/3auU1gNVW4BBIdldtNjize Oh, and if making your own Venetian-style masks is up your alley, then you’ll find some kits on the Violetta shop too. In the meantime, happy reading and playing! #violin, #musicforchildren, #classicalmusicforchildren, #animatedstory, #classroommusic, #musicalstories, #inspiringyoungmusicians, #creatingstoriesthroughmusic, #violinteacher, #violinstory, #childrensbookstagram #creativechronicles #creatingstoriesthroughmusic

After many years of playing the violin, I've developed a warm up/practice routine...now I wonder if it needs a shake up. Over the next few short weeks, I'm preparing for a performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion. I don't perform regularly, I'm not a concert violinist by any means and much of the work I do is with community ensembles. Nevertheless, my standards for myself are high. This routine is something I've developed after years of Conservatorium study, lessons with wonderful teachers and from learning all I can from YouTube. We're so lucky we live in a time where we have access to the great masters and it's truly inspiring. In case you're wondering, the books mentioned in this episode include: Carl Flesh Scale System Simon Fischer Basics Schradieck school of Violin Technique The Dounis Collection (Fischer) Kreutzer 42 etudes The videos you see popping up are from my Instagram and TikTok channels, and I'll post them on YouTube shorts as well. Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/alexandralouiseharris TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@Violettavenetianviolin Website:https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com Stories are a huge part of why I love music. The books you can see in the background are Violetta's adventures in Venice and Paris, where she time-travels through magical means to meet Vivaldi and Paganini.... I'm living vicariously. As I mention, please do reach out and let me know your practice routine, or email me with any questions you have at all at alexandra@alexandralousieharris.com The podcast mentioned by @balletwithisabella is called A Dancer's Mindset. A fantastic listen for performers in any discipline.

Who says weight lifting only happens in gyms? Those tiny but mighty violin muscles will certainly get a workout with this collection.

The closest I've come to dancing ballet was an adult beginner class. Nevertheless, I believe there is much in common between the two disciplines.

I've never been good at tenths. I blame my small hands, but I wonder if it's just lack of practice? Or perhaps I just need a different outfit.