Journal of the American String Teachers Association

Journal of the American String Teachers Association is a peer-reviewed periodical produced by the American String Teachers Association that addresses pedagogy for violin, viola, cello, double bass, and related chamber music practices. Founded amid mid-20th-century developments in music education and musicology, the journal situates practical pedagogy alongside scholarship on repertoire associated with figures such as Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and modern composers like Igor Stravinsky.

History

The journal emerged from postwar professionalization trends linked to organizations including the American String Teachers Association, the National Association for Music Education, and conservatories such as the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, and Eastman School of Music. Early editorial leadership often included faculty from institutions like Berklee College of Music and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and practitioners connected to orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Over decades the publication reflected debates involving methodologies associated with pedagogues like Shinichi Suzuki, Paul Rolland, Ivan Galamian, and Dorothy DeLay and repertoire rediscovery tied to ensembles such as Juilliard String Quartet and soloists like Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Anne-Sophie Mutter.

Scope and Content

Contents span practical articles on technique and pedagogy, historical studies of repertoire, instrument maintenance, and reviews of editions and recordings. Typical topics reference canonical works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, and 20th-century repertoire by Béla Bartók, Samuel Barber, Dmitri Shostakovich, Benjamin Britten, and Alban Berg. Articles often engage with performance practice linked to traditions represented by figures such as Niccolò Paganini, Giuseppe Tartini, Joseph Haydn ensembles, and historically informed performers like Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Christopher Hogwood. The journal also publishes research on pedagogy intersecting with institutions and events such as the Tanglewood Music Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and competitions like the Queen Elisabeth Competition, Tchaikovsky Competition, and Naumburg Competition.

Editorial and Publication Details

The editorial board commonly draws editors and reviewers affiliated with conservatories and universities including Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Conservatoire de Paris, Manhattan School of Music, and state universities like University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance and University of North Texas College of Music. The publisher, the American String Teachers Association, produces the journal alongside conferences and symposia held in partnership with organizations such as the Music Teachers National Association and venues like Symphony Hall (Boston). Publication formats have evolved from printed issues to digital delivery concurrent with developments at publishers and platforms used by institutions like Project MUSE and libraries such as the Library of Congress and university repositories.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in bibliographic services that catalog music and performing arts scholarship, alongside databases and indexing services maintained by entities like RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, International Index to Music Periodicals, and multidisciplinary indexes used by EBSCO Information Services and ProQuest. Libraries that hold archival runs include the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the British Library, and university special collections at institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, and Oxford University.

Impact and Reception

Scholars and practitioners cite the journal in studies of pedagogy, performance practice, and repertory, contributing to discourse alongside journals such as The Strad, Early Music, Journal of Musicology, and Music Educators Journal. Its influence is visible in curricula at conservatories including Curtis Institute of Music, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Conservatorium van Amsterdam and in professional development programs run by orchestras like the Berlin Philharmonic and festivals such as the Aldeburgh Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Critical reception highlights its role in bridging practitioner knowledge from figures like Paul Rolland and Ivan Galamian with scholarly methods used in historical musicology and applied research appearing in doctoral work from institutions like Indiana University and Peabody Institute.

Category:Music journals Category:String instruments