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 – April 14/15, 2021
I hope everyone is having a restful spring break! Just a reminder to register for our recital on May 1st if you’ve decided to perform and haven’t done so already!
Jaron
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (continuing to do our usual posture and bow hold check each time before playing), Long Long Ago (with focus on the third line, and playing through without stopping), and Allegro (with focus on keeping eighth notes short, and also the third line).
Olivia
– 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 our new scale, Bb Major), Mirror Duet (second section even eighth notes, and make sure to start phrases with up bows if there’s an upbeat), and Go the Distance (stretch third finger for C# and watch out for long notes, and look ahead at third position phrases if you wish!).
Amaia – I missed you again today, see you next week!
Crosby – tremendous job playing Twinkle Variation A and the first 2 lines of Lightly Row today!
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: 0-1-2-3-2-1-0 fingering pattern on all strings (warm-up, and make sure to do a posture and bow hold check before playing, and keep your bow in the middle of the bridge and fingerboard), G, D, and A Major scales (with focus on playing one note per bow), Twinkle (theme and variation A), and Lightly Row (first two lines, look out for when notes repeat twice or three times, and look ahead if you wish!)
Hendry
– Recommended practice time: 20 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (1 octave, continuing to do our usual posture and bow hold check each time before playing), C and E-flat Major scales (2 octaves, and especially play before Starting the Case), Minuet 2 (hold dotted half notes for 3 whole beats at the end of phrases), and Starting the Case (keep watching out for low 1 and high 3).
Grace – thanks for playing the fun weather forecast song for me!
– Recommended practice time: 20 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (continuing to do our usual posture and bow hold check each time before playing), May Song (with focus on dynamics in the second line and dotted rhythms), and Long Long Ago (watch out for first appearance of D string in third line).
Thank you, stay safe, and happy playing!
