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 – January 6/7, 2021
Happy new year! I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful winter break!
Jaron
– Reminder: if you can, please purchase Suzuki Violin Book 1
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (continuing to do a posture and bow hold check each time before playing), Go Tell Aunt Rhody (last phrase in last 2 measures with no pause during the string crossing from E string to A string, and make sure to play 2 C#s not 3!), and O Come Little Children (starting with up bows for each phrase).
Olivia – congratulations on playing through Mozart’s Mirror duet!
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: review 2-octave major and minor scales (especially those with shifting and the A minor scales), Avatar State (eighth-note section and double stop at the end), and Mirror duet (re-familiarise with beginning and end section, play through second section slowly – ignore bowings for now and just focus on the notes).
Amaia – congratulations on learning a scale and a new variation!
– Reminder: your A string is out of tune, see if you can take it to a music store like Long and McQuade to get it tuned
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: do a posture and bow hold check before playing (make sure bow hold has a circular shape and curved fingers), 0-1-2-3-2-1-0 fingering pattern on each of the strings, and G Major scale (going up and going down on G and D strings), and Twinkle (theme and variation A – pepperoni pizza rhythm!).
Hendry – great job sight-reading Minuet 1 today!
– Reminder: save the Zoom link and try to be on time for next class
– Recommended practice time: 20 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: C Major scale (2 octaves), G and D Major scale (1 octave), do a posture and bow hold check before playing scales, Etude (prepare for final run-through next class with notes polished and practice first and second ending repeats), Minuet 1 (slowly play through and get familiar with the notes, watch out for when there is F# and F-natural), Question, and Starting the Case (we did not get a chance to play these today but we will get to these next time!).
Thank you and happy playing!
