The current issue of Teen Strings magazine has a story titled How To Train For A Fiddle Contest. It’s written by John Boulware, who at age 19 is the 2006 Tennessee fiddle champ.

Teen Strings is a quarterly print magazine from String Letter Publishing, who also publishes Strings Magazine. The magazine is produced in cooperation with the American String Teachers Association, and focused on the interests and needs of young string musicians.

His article is written to help young fiddlers prepare for entering a fiddle competition, especially if it’s their first time. As you might expect, he insists that practice is a key factor.

Do as many people have told me to do: “Play the song until you are absolutely sick of it, and then play it some more.” However, it’s important not to aim for quantity while losing sight of quality. Always stay focused when you’re practicing your piece, even if it’s the 2,873,465th time.

You can read the full article on the Teen Strings web site, where a free trial issue is available for the asking. Individual issues can be purchased as well.