Course Content:
- The whys and hows of the anthology creation, and its organization
- Demonstration videos of all 18 pieces in the first volume of Violin Music by Women
- Summaries of the pedagogical teaching points of each piece
- A breakdown of how to teach each piece
- Biographical information, based on new research, for each of the 10 composers in volume 1
- Suggestions for how to incorporate each piece into your existing teaching repertoire
- Historical context for women composers, and the importance of including them in our teaching
- This is an asynchronous course. You can move through the material in any order, at your own pace, and return to it anytime you like.
"Exploring and teaching works from 'Violin Music by Women' has been an inspiration to both me and my students. This valuable resource expands the repertoire available to developing violinists at every level while providing an easy, systematic way to include works by women composers throughout the violinist’s journey."
Rebecca Henry, Peabody Conservatory
"Violin Music by Women Volume 1 has become essential in my teaching. The repertoire is beautifully selected and engaging for students of all ages and is excellent in solo or group performances. Along with the incredible pedagogical value of this volume, there is so much interesting history to learn and so many fascinating composers to explore. It is immensely important and impactful for our students to experience music written by composers that reflect our own lives and communities. The variety of these attractive pieces has kept students (including my daughter) coming back to play them over and over again!"
J. Andrew Miller, Co-Director and Violin Faculty, South Side Suzuki Cooperative, Chicago
Amy Beth Horman, violin professor, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-college
Ethan Hemmings, recent M.M. graduate of New York University
This course is designed for:
- Teachers of elementary and early intermediate level violin students, in Suzuki or traditional frameworks
- Curious teachers seeking concrete guidance to expand their repertoire
- Musicians who value both historical context and practical pedagogical application
We understand:
- It can be overwhelming to know where to start
- Your time is limited
- Adapting a curriculum that already works can be intimidating
- Any new material needs to integrate and enhance-- not disrupt
By the end of the course, you should feel:
- More confident selecting and assigning these works
- Clear about where each piece fits teachnically and musically
- Better equipped to introduce composers in a way that feels natural in lessons
- Able to expand your students' repertoire without losing structural coherence
About the Teachers:
Cora Cooper
A veteran of 50+ years of violin teaching, Cora is a Professor Emerita of Kansas State University, where she taught for 32 years. She earned her master's degree in 1982 from the Eastman School of Music, and her doctorate in 1992 from Florida State University. Cora attended the Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies several times, and is certified in the Sassmannshaus method. Her work with music by women composers led to many performances at the Festival of Women Composers at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and lectures in the United States, England, and Bali. She can be heard on the Da Vinci String Quartet recording of Charles Martin Loeffler’s Quintet in One Movement for NAXOS American Classics, and has had professional symphony experience with the Vermont, Austin, and Tallahassee Symphonies, and the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra. She is the compiler and editor of the graded anthology Violin Music by Women, and lots more music that can be found at sleepypuppypress.com.
Claire Allen
Claire Allen is a violinist and teacher based in northern Virginia. After receiving her master's degree from the Peabody Conservatory in 2013, she was bowled over the following year when one of her six-year-old students asked, "Why are all the composers I learn about men?" She then spent the next many years exploring, teaching, and performing works by women composers. Claire has presented on the topic of diversifying elementary and intermediate violin repertoire at the 2022 and 2024 ASTA conferences, and wrote a feature article, "Creating a Diverse Studio Experience" in the American String Teacher journal in 2023. She has studied pedagogy with Rebecca Henry and completed registered Suzuki training through Book 10 with James Hutchins.
Course Access:
- One-time purchase
- Access for nine months
- Use at your own pace
Course Price: $179
(Special Introductory Price: $129 if purchased before September 1, 2026)
Need to purchase the music, a cd, or a coloring book? Please visit the store at www.sleepypuppypress.com!
