Master of Music (Boston University)
Bachelor of Arts (Brandeis University)
Zoe Fong is a M.M. graduate of Boston University School of Music and B.A. graduate of Brandeis University, where she studied music education and music composition respectively. She is a viola, violin, and ukulele player and has performed (primarily as a violist) in Canada, the United States, Austria, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the Philippines. As a composition student at Brandeis, she focused on film scoring and minored in film studies, and additionally went abroad to Vienna, Austria for one semester to focus on viola performance. She loves musical theatre as well and has experience as a music director, conductor, performer, pit orchestra musician, and producer in various community and university productions.
While Zoe has found joy in many musical areas, she has found her true calling in music education. She has taught a range of ages and musical subjects including preschool music, elementary chorus, band, strings, and general music, middle school jazz band and strings, high school strings, chorus, and music theory, and private viola, violin, and composition lessons. There is nothing she loves more than sharing her passion for music and helping her students find their own passion and artistic voice.
Get to know Zoe…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Teaching myself new instruments, dancing, reading
Musical influences: Kim Kashkashian, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Danny Elfman
Favourite food: Dumplings
Least favourite food: Broccoli
Favorite music: A little of everything!
Favourite song: Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Favourite movie: Ladybird
Favourite movie music: Edward Scissorhands – Danny Elfman
Favourite musical theatre/opera: Les Miserables, Hadestown, and Hamilton
Best quote from your teacher: “Don’t leave your baggage at the door. Bring it in and let’s make music with it.”
Favourite quote: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” – Leonard Bernstein
Favourite book: The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon…and also Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Latest Homework from Zoe
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Weekly Homework Post – June 4th, 2020
I hope everyone is enjoying the great weather outside (while socially distancing, of course)!
Jaron – great work today! I know learning new notation can be quite difficult, so I appreciate your patience and attention!
– Reminder: I forgot to check in with you about this in class today, but make sure you have bought/ordered Suzuki Violin Book 1. Hopefully, we can start with the first song next week!
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: Finger patterns (0-1-2-3-3-2-1-0) on G string and D string, and feel free to try them on A and E strings even though we didn’t play them in class yet! Also practice Mary Had a Little Lamb, and when playing, make sure your bow is between the bridge and finger board, and that your bow hand is curved, your left wrist is straight, and your violin is parallel to the floor. Finally, review the name of the strings: (going left to right) G D A E. I use Good Dogs Always Eat to memorise the strings, what sentence can you think of?
Olivia – thanks for being such a trooper with your broken string and replacing it! I’m glad everything worked out and that you can play with all strings again.
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week, or small, achievable goals
– Practice: All A scales (major, minor natural, harmonic, melodic) and try to remember the finger patterns for each scale, Judas Maccabeas (accidentals and bowings), and Mamma Mia (try to play to the end on your own, and listen to the music to before playing! I notice you tend to play better when you take a second to pause and look at the notes and play in your head, before playing on the violin).
Thank you, everyone! Happy playing!
