Meet the Members of the All Things Strings Community

Jim McKean

Jim McKean is a violin maker and restorer based in Connecticut, as well as a corresponding editor for Strings and the author of Commonsense Instrument Care: How to Look After Your Violin, Viola, or Cello and Your Bow. For the past several weeks, he has posted a popular blog on the All Things Strings Community that is tracking the progress and challenges of making a cello. “It turns what was a monologue into a conversation,” he says of the chance to share with others what usually transpires as a solitary effort in a secluded workshop. “The feedback can be immediate.”

These immediate interactions with the community are wonderful, he adds, because they capture fundamental aspects of music that can sometimes be lost when set in cold type. In addition to finishing the blog and starting work on his next cello, McKean, a published author of novels, is writing fiction that may be posted online—a mystery thriller involving a set of gambas and the French Revolution.

Karis Crawford

Karis Crawford, a violinist, is the head of music in the preparatory division of St. Andrew’s Turi, a boarding school for five- to 16-year-olds in Molo, Kenya. “I love seeing my students become inspired when they hear or see great music being played,” she says.

Great music can be seen and heard in nearby Nairobi, where Crawford performs with the Nairobi Orchestra. Her plans for the future include recording her first CD, performing in recitals, and working toward a master’s degree. She also plans to continue visiting the All Things Strings Community. “I enjoy the variety of information you can get about everything string related!” she says.

Maria Millar

Maria Millar is a New York­­–based violinist, multidisciplinary artist, composer, and improviser who’s racked up some impressive career highlights. She’s performed the role of Solo Dancing Fiddler in Riverdance on Broadway and toured her one-woman show of original compositions for violin, voice, and dance throughout North America in such venues as the Kennedy Center and the Library and Archives of Canada. She performs acoustic/electric violin and vocals in Kilterclash, a trio whose original works and improvisations unify the diverging sounds of world and classical music with the force of rock. “All my questions, thoughts, and beliefs find their truest expression through the violin,” she says. “When I play, I get to experience and share idealism and joy!”

Millar conducts workshops on improvisation with students of many levels, and she’s written an article for Strings Week on the rules of improvisation. “No matter where I go, if I pull out my violin, I’m sure to make an instant friend!” she says. “Violin lovers come in all shapes and forms and it’s great to have an online community where they can unite.”