Get Better Every Day

Dr. Nathan Groot learned an important lesson from a former music teacher as a young person learning to play the viola — focus on improving each day.

Groot began playing the viola in 2003. He and his twin sister started taking lessons from a local music teacher in their small Tennessee hometown on a whim and “because our grandpa always wanted someone in the family to play the fiddle.”

Groot — who now serves as conductor of ASMSA’s String Ensemble and as a music instructor — chose to learn the viola to be different from his sister who chose the violin. After a year of playing, they formed a bluegrass band with some fellow elementary school children called the Pint-Sized Pickers.

“I didn’t tell anyone that my ‘fiddle’ was actually a viola,” he said.

Eventually his parents were no longer able to afford to pay for lessons, but he tried to continue playing without a teacher because he enjoyed it. A local retired violinist heard about their situation and offered the siblings free lessons. His new teacher had been the first violinist in the President’s Own String Quartet for the Nixon and Carter administrations.

One of the lessons the teacher shared was, “It’s not about practicing for some performance; it’s about becoming just a little bit better each day.” Groot took that lesson to heart.

“There’s something meditative to playing an instrument. Focusing on constant and incremental improvement each day on any skill can be incredibly rewarding. The longer I stuck with the viola, the more it came to become a part of my identity,” Groot said.

The teacher’s generosity allowed Groot to improve rapidly and eventually join a local string ensemble in a town about 45 minutes away. That experience lead to a professor from the town’s local university encouraging him to apply for the school’s music program. Going to a four-year university for any subject wasn’t in his plans.

I’ve found in recent years that I really enjoy playing music by living composers. I think there’s something very special about interpreting a piece of music and knowing that I can ask the composer directly about their own work.

“It wasn’t something our family had done, and it was far too expensive,” Groot said. “But the professor was persuasive, and I did apply and audition. He gave me a full scholarship to attend, and it changed my life entirely. That opportunity to attend college led me to graduate school, performances in the U.S. and Europe, and eventually this position as a music teacher.” want to just play music, we have to prioritize technique first.”

There is something that just feels cleansing and rejuvenating about his music. When the pandemic hit and we were all stuck inside, I often alternated playing Bach, going for a walk and then playing some more Bach to help stay sane.

He proposed adding the Applied Lessons course, which allowed him to help individual students improve in the same way his former teacher had helped him.

The String Ensemble is a relatively new musical group at ASMSA. When Groot started in the fall of 2022, he didn’t know what to expect. There were no guarantees on the number of each instruments (violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, and bass) would be balanced.

“All of these variables meant that I had to be ready to improvise. When the semester started, I was pleasantly surprised. I had a good number of skilled cellists, a really strong violist, and some very motivated and talented violinists,” he said.

He was missing a bass player, but he soon remedied that by teaching a flute player from the Wind Ensemble how to play the bass. She learned so quickly that she joined the ensemble in the spring.

He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a bachelor’s degree in viola performance and pedagogy followed by a master’s degree in music performance for viola from Miami University in Ohio and a Doctor of Musical Arts in music performance for viola from the University of Georgia, where he was a Presidential Fellow in 2022.

Groot just completed his first year at ASMSA leading the String Ensemble as well as teaching an array of courses that included Applied Lessons. The position was added this year as a reflection of the growth of the music program and student interest in strings.

“I started teaching individual lessons in my free periods and lunches when I first arrived in August. I felt that it should be added as a course. Through it, I’ve been able to teach beginning string players the basics of their instrument and help refine the technical skills of more advanced players.”

The course also includes having technique tests as part of his course curriculum. He said that was among the biggest challenges and adjustments his students had to make initially. The goal of the test was to help them understand that repertoire must follow technique in terms of difficulty.

“Just like athletes go to the gym to train, musicians must build and maintain their technique. So, even though we (myself included) really

“I’ve never seen students grow and learn more quickly than here at ASMSA. I think that one thing that makes teaching String Ensemble at ASMSA special is the unique level of motivation and drive that the students have. They are very bright and are extremely teachable,” he said.

The String Ensemble had 15 members in the spring and lost only two to graduation. Groot would like to see the group grow in numbers —hopefully double in the coming years — as well as in technical and musical ability. His other goal is to continue supporting the students in their growth as musicians.

“Playing an instrument is very hard and very few people can do it without constant guidance from a teacher. Through Applied Lessons and technique assignments in String Ensemble, I hope to support them in that journey to build a solid technical foundation.”