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 3/4, 2021
I hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather so far! Just a reminder that ABC is keeping our March break so we will not be having lessons on March 17 and 18.
Jaron – congratulations on finishing O Come Little Children today!
– Reminder: if you can, please purchase Suzuki Violin Book 1 (but please don’t stress about it, you can keep on using the pdf I sent in case you are not able to!)
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (making sure to squeeze your second and third fingers together and also making sure to do a posture and bow hold check each time before playing), May Song (practice the dotted quarter note rhythms at the beginning), and Long Long Ago (first two lines, just slowly play through and get familiar with the notes).
Olivia – congratulations on finishing Avatar State!
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: review 2-octave major and minor scales (and try to memorise fingering patterns for each scale), Avatar State (no need to practice consistently anymore but try to revisit once in a while so we can play together whenever we’re in person again!), and Mirror duet (take some space from the second section so that you’re not over-doing it).
Amaia
– Reminder: if you can, please get your violin tuned. I know lots of music stores may be closed in-person, but hopefully sometime soon there will be more options!
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: window washer bow hold exercises, 0-1-2-3-2-1-0 fingering pattern on all strings, G, D, and A Major scales, and Twinkle (theme and variations, with focus on variation B – try singing “bacon and” before playing!).
Crosby – welcome to ABC! We are so happy to have you here!
– Reminder: your violin is quite out of tune, and unfortunately, since we are not in person, I can’t tune it for you. I recommend seeing if your music teacher at school is able to tune your violin for you, and if not, perhaps calling ahead to a music store like Long & McQuade and seeing if they will do curbside drop-off for tuning. Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions about this!
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: keep an eye on your bow hold and make sure your hand is at the bottom of the bow at your frog, practice 0-1-2-3-2-1-0 fingering pattern on each string (with your left hand in a 2-3 fingering pattern, and on the second, fourth, and fifth stickers), and see if you can remember how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star from your previous lessons!
Hendry
– Reminder: if you have more music from the play you’re in and want to go over it in class, feel free to bring it to our lessons! Just make sure to take a picture or scan it first so that I have a copy.
– Recommended practice time: 20 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (1 octave), C Major scale (2 octaves, and make sure to keep on doing your bow hold and posture check before each scale), Minuet 2 (with focus on the second section and watch out for the G# or high third finger), and Starting the Case (with focus on the last 3 lines and fingering pattern for E-flat Major scale).
Thank you, happy playing, and stay safe!
