Thanks @April Ellis for asking about these so I can brush off the dust and these files can see the light of day! It takes some tinkering to figure out your electronics set up for playing along with backing tracks. Another worthy side quest! If you're looking for tips talk to @Graham Acres - he got a very streamlined set up going last year. Hey add that to the 2025 victories!

Okay yesterday we did a little look back at 2025. Y’all crushed it! Now imagine yourself holding your violin, and it’s August of 2026. What’s the dream of how that could be in an ideal violin year? Is there a piece you want to play or an audience you want to play for? Or a new technique you’d like to work more by then? (Cough- vibrato- cough…)

Okay, we started out calibrating things by seeing how far you’ve already come. Then put some visions and plans out there about where you’re headed. (I love how everyone’s answers are different, with some subtle overlap here and there. You are a one of a kind player!) One last question: What challenges (if any) are you experiencing now or could see coming up this year?

I need your help planning activities for this year! I’m going to make 3 posts with 3 separate Qs for you guys. Let’s face it- there’s always some new mountain to climb on violin. That’s the beauty of it! (And can also be frustrating at times. 😅) So first I’d love to hear a little about what you overcame in 2025. Did you try anything new or meet any milestones large or small? If you’d like to do this exercise and give yourself some credit, please list those out and send over to me as a comment on this post.

What did you do to ring in 2026? For me, it was watching the Stranger Things finale and in bed by 10:15p. Slept right through the fireworks no issue! I also lived vicariously through my student who sent pictures of her and her husband at the Goo Goo Dolls concert in Atlantic City NYE. Do you stay up to midnight or are you a sleep enthusiast like me?