Expressivity in the Melodic Line

This treatise is a pedagogical study that violin teachers can use to help their students develop and transmit musicality in their performances. Due to the broad nature of the topic, the treatise focuses on teaching violin students to approach melodic lines through an expressive "lens." The treatise is based on the assumption that musicality is a learned skill that students can, with guidance, obtain and develop. It provides methods for developing musical intuition, making musical choices based on theoretical analysis and historico-cultural context, teaching expressive playing through the application of violin technical tools, and creating strategies for expressive practicing. The presented methods incorporate sources from violin methodology, physiology of violin playing, music theory, music history, and music psychology. In order to demonstrate the practical application of these methods, I provide an analysis of musical examples representing various styles and genres. These examples include solo violin works, concertos, and chamber sonatas by Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Ravel.