Helen Marla Mutschler (b. 1935): Her Life and Contributions to String Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the life of Helen Marla Mutschler (b. 1935) and her contributions to string education. The study is divided into a prologue, five chapters, and an epilogue. The chapters are titled as follows: Beginnings (1932¬-1956), Journey to the Doctorate (1956-1973), Collegiate Teaching (1972-1983), Collegiate Teaching (1983-1999), and Retirement (1999-2012).Mutschler, violinist and string pedagogue, dedicated her career to teaching tension-free playing--the method of Paul Rolland. Mutschler served as a research assistant and later research associate to Rolland during the University of Illinois String Research Project (1966-67). Although her career was not highly publicized, she remained in the spotlight for many years appearing in Rolland workshops in Australia, Europe, and North America. In 2009, the American String Teachers Association presented Mutschler with the Paul Rolland Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing her contributions to the field. Mutschler's contributions to string education include teacher, performer, advocate, and presenter.