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 – December 2/3, 2020
Everyone should have gotten their fall reports by now! If you have any further questions or concerns, please let me know!
Jaron
– Reminder: if you can, please purchase Suzuki Violin Book 1
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: A, D, and G Major scales (with posture and bow hold check each time before playing), Go Tell Aunt Rhody (watch out for eighth-note rhythms and string crossing from E to D on E string to A string), and O Come Little Children (slowly play through and get familiar with notes, and make sure to start with up bow!).
Olivia – great sight-reading today!
– Reminder: print out the Christmas music so you can write in fingerings next week!
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: review 2 octave major and minor scales (A Major for Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, also especially those with shifting. Choose 1 or 2 different scales each time you practice, before you start playing your pieces), Avatar State (eighth note section counting and parallel double stop at the end), Mirror Duet (get familiar second section of the piece), and Christmas songs (watch out for rhythms and accidentals in Rockin’).
Amaia – I hope you finger feels better soon!
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: bowing down and up bows on all open strings and 0-1-2-3-2-1-0 fingering patterns on each string, A Major scale, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. If you are confused about A Major scale, that’s okay, since we couldn’t have you play today! I’ll explain it again next time. If your finger still hurts, practice just holding up your left hand and putting down fingers in the air like we did in class, while singing the notes for a scale and for Twinkle.
Hendry – Congratulations on finishing Bohemian Folk Song!
– Reminder: put away all distractions, like your phone, before class, and make sure you have your shoulder rest ready!
– Recommended practice time: 20 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: D, G, and C Major scales (2 octaves for C, with posture and bow hold check before playing), Etude (watch out for A with 4th finger and stretch pinky high, and 1-2 finger pattern on D and A strings), Question (first page, listen to song to help with rhythms, and make sure to start opening phrases with short-short-long), and look ahead at Minuet 1 and Starting the Case if you’d like!
Thank you and happy playing! Just a few more weeks until winter break, so hang in there!
