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 – March 2/3, 2022
Just a reminder to everyone that next week will be our last week of lessons before March break, and then we will have one week off before we resume lessons again!
Jaron – nice work playing G Major 2 octaves for the first time today!
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (1 octave, doing our usual posture and bow hold check each time before playing), G Major scale (2 octaves, just going up the scale – watch out for whether your hand position is 2-3 or 1-2), and Andantino (prepare for final play-through next week and make sure to hold out half notes for full two beats).
Olivia – great job sight-reading Spring today!
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: review 2-octave Major and minor scales (try to memorise fingering patterns for each scale, and focus on E Major and shift to fourth position, and B-flat Major with low first finger), Go the Distance (focus on last 2 lines and shifts to third and fifth position), and Spring (first page and first violin part, play through slowly and get familiar with the notes).
Amaia – good work on keeping up your posture and bow hold!
– Reminder: whenever you have time, make sure to get your violin tuned at a shop!
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (doing our usual posture and bow hold check each time before playing), and Long Long Ago (watch out for long short-short rhythms and make sure to hold out half notes for full two beats).
Isabella – welcome to ABC! It was so nice to meet you today!
– Reminder: if you can, please purchase a shoulder rest and Suzuki Violin Book 1
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week (more so once we start playing more with the violin)
– Practice: review parts of violin and bow, and feel free to experiment with the sounds of the violin by plucking and bowing!
Grace – good luck with the essay and hope you get some sleep!
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: 2-octave Major and minor scales (with focus on E and F Major shifts to fourth and fifth position, and try not to mix up harmonic and melodic minor scales), and Musette (make sure not to put too much weight on the bow so that the sound comes out less scratchy, and work on keeping those slurs smooth) .
Hendry – congratulations on finishing Witches Dance!
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: C, D, E-flat, F, and G Major scales (2 octaves, doing our usual posture and bow hold check each time before playing, especially watching out for intonation in F and G Major), D minor scale (2 octaves for all now: natural, harmonic, melodic), Gavotte (play through first five lines slowly and get familiar with the notes), and Catharsis (play through second half with consistent tempo to prepare for playing together).
Thank you, stay safe, and happy playing!
