Held on the 5th Jul 2025
at 10am to
4pm
Join us for this FREE event with one of the world's most prestigious string pedagogues.
Sharpen your string teaching skills with internationally acclaimed educator Jeremy Woolstenhulme (Kjos, USA). Join us on Saturday 5 July for an intensive, one-day workshop designed to empower string teachers of all levels.
Woolstenhulme, known for his impactful String Basics series and his work with prestigious orchestras, will share innovative strategies and practical techniques to create engaging and effective learning environments. The day features sessions on teaching fundamental concepts, rhythmic accuracy, and subdivision, and techniques for addressing the needs of students ready for more challenging repertoire. The day will culminate in a repertoire reading session to introduce teachers to new resources while gaining further, hands-on experience of the techniques discussed throughout the day.
Presented by AMEB Tasmania, in collaboration with AMEB Ltd and Kjos, this is a unique opportunity to learn from a leader in the field and gain valuable insights to inspire your students. Don't miss this chance to refine your teaching and rejuvenate your passion for string education!
Registration is FREE but ESSENTIAL.
Event details
SOUTH: nipaluna / Hobart
Saturday 5 July
10am - 4pm
Hedberg: Salon
19 Collins Street, Hobart
Enter via the heritage façade on Collins Street.
FREE Admission but registrations essential to manage capacities and catering.
Don't forget: Bring your instrument! Music stands will be provided.
Our friends from Modern Musician will be joining us with some freebies and lots of resources for sale on the day.
Catering note: Please let us know about your dietary needs in your registration. Please note that all care will be taken to provide food for a variety of diets however no guarantee can be made. If you are extremely susceptible to allergens, or if you register close to the day, we recommend bringing your own food to ensure your safety and avoid being hangry.
Schedule for the day:
| 9:30am | Registration and cuppa |
| 10:00am | Welcome |
| 10:05am | Back to the Basics: Teach and Reteach |
| 11:00am | Ideas for Teaching Group Vibrato in the Classroom |
| 11:55am | Lunch (provided) and networking |
| 12:40pm | We Learned this Already |
| 1:35pm | Reading session |
| 2:30pm | Afternoon tea (provided) and mingle |
| 2:45pm | Reading session |
| 4:00pm | All concludes |
Please note: We’ll be taking some photos throughout the day to record the event, and post on social media. If you’re coming along and would rather we avoid any images of you, please let us know by 5pm Friday 4 May via infotas@ameb.edu.au.
Who is this event for?
Orchestral string teachers, tutors, and conductors.
You don't need to be an AMEB teacher, or even focus on exams with your students. This is really all about upskilling and sharing new ideas and approaches to help you take your teaching to the next level. Oh, and non-teachers are absolutely welcome, too! Here's a bit more information on what each session entails...
Back to the Basics: Teach and Reteach
Reinforcement is the name of the game, no matter the level of your string students. You often end up reteaching the same concepts over and over. Jeremy will share a variety of tips and tricks to keep the basics fresh and exciting so that reteaching, reviewing, and reinforcement are all positive and forward-moving experiences for your cohort.
Ideas for Teaching Group Vibrato in the Classroom
Creating confident rhythmic readers and counters from day one is a basic necessity for successful ensemble playing. Jeremy has all the best devices to teach note values, pulse, counting, and more. This topic will cover the counting systems that he's found to work the best for him, and will include subdivision and how all these components apply to bowings, bow division, and other performance-based elements.
We Learned this Already
The subtitle for this session is Back to the Basics for Students Who Already "Know It All", which is sure to give you an idea as to what this one is about. Jeremy describes the experience that has led to this topic: "A recent career move brought me to the high school orchestra setting after teaching in middle school for 20 years. Because I taught beginning strings for so many years, I was immersed in the basics and felt those tools were vital to all students and should always be reinforced no matter their age or experience. This session will offer a variety of tips and tricks to keep the basics fresh and exciting so that orchestra teachers can teach and re-teach. Now more than ever, it’s important that middle through high school students head in the right direction with these basics so that they can succeed with more challenging literature placed in front of them." This session will cover a bunch of ways to address bad habits and incorrect technique, to help increase command and capability. It will start with the set up of the instrument, bow hold, and the basics, move onto pitch names and reading fluency. Key signatures, rhythms, and intonation also get some attention before rounding out the session with tips for selecting music to support learning outcomes while balancing performance goals.
Reading sessions
Put your learning into practice! You'll have fun reading through repertoire while you see Jeremy's tips in action. During the reading session, Jeremy will demonstrate various techniques discussed during the day. Don't forget to bring your instrument!
Meet Jeremy Woolstenhulme
Jeremy Woolstenhulme received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Brigham Young University and a Master of Arts degree in cello performance from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Jeremy currently serves as the orchestra director of four orchestras at Northview High School in the Fulton County School District (Georgia, USA). The Northview Chamber Orchestra had the honour of performing at the 2025 ASTA National Orchestra Festival and the 2022 Midwest Clinic under his direction. Jeremy is also the director of the Atlanta Festival Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Festival Chamber Orchestra, both integral divisions of the Atlanta Festival Academy. As an active performer, he is the principal cellist of the Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra.
Prior to 2020, Jeremy was orchestra director for 17 years at Hyde Park Middle School in Las Vegas, Nevada. During his tenure at Hyde Park, his award-winning orchestras performed at the Midwest Clinic and the ASTA National Conference. In 2015 and 2019, his orchestra earned first place honours at the ASTA National Orchestra Festival in the middle school division. Jeremy also travelled with his orchestras to major cities around the United States and Europe. Additionally, he founded the Las Vegas String Workshop, an innovative weeklong summer camp for string students. Jeremy also conducted the Las Vegas Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.
With a growing number of original and arranged works to his credit, Jeremy is a commissioned and published composer, many of which have been performed around the world. His works are included as JW Pepper Editors’ Choice selections and can be found on many state festival repertoire lists. He is coauthor of String Basics Books 1, 2, and 3, and is author of curriculum supplements including Vibrato Basics, Intonation Basics, and a wealth of complementary repertoire collections and performance literature. His specialty is to write for middle and high school orchestras where he composes to teach, challenge, and inspire.
Jeremy Woolstenhulme, his wife Taryn, and their family live in Georgia and are dedicated to church activities, enjoy traveling, and love the outdoors.
