Earlier this month I attended a masterclass with the famous string pedagog Mimi Zweig. If you don't know who she is, shame on you; go look her up.
The masterclass was held at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, just a 20 minutes drive from where I go to school. Almost all the members of my university orchestra attended at least some of the masterclass. Only two students (myself included) and my orchestra director - who was enthralled and engulfed in the whole masterclass - stayed until the end.
The younger violinists went first, and I believe the first girl to perform was 4 years-old. These pre-school kids were incredible; they had their pieces memorized, they had outstanding technique for their ages, and their intonation was impeccable. Mimi was so kind and gracious with them, and usually only proposed one or two changes for them. Before her propositions she of course complemented them enthusiastically and opened her thoughts to the audience and explained to them how impressed she was with the child's playing.
Things to take from her interactions with the young children:
She sat on a low stool and talked to them in order to make eye contact and not "lord' over them.
She was sweet, but still quite direct; she had goals she wanted them to accomplish and wasn't satisfied until they accomplished what she wanted them to. Surprisingly, they all could fulfill her demands in a short amount of time under pressure.
She only had one or two goals for each young student.
