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The Foundation for the Advancement of String Education, Inc. was the vision of Dr. George Bornoff. When he established this non-profit educational organization in 1978 he conceived of it primarily as a vehicle for teaching teachers how to apply the principles, and use the materials, that he had developed over fifty years as one of the leading figures in the world of String Education. Even though he clearly was an out front kind of person, he was also a mover and shaker from behind the scenes. Dr. Bornoff said one time, “The greatest thing you can do for a person is to help him be right.” That is what he endeavored to do by founding FASE, Inc. He endeavored to give the string teachers in the field the skills and materials to produce outstanding results in their work. He did so boldly with conviction, as well as quietly with an endurance that spanned the careers of many teachers. Born in Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada in 1907 as the eldest child of Russian immigrants, he began his violin studies at the age of five. He started teaching his own students at the age of thirteen. By the time he was sixteen he was a serious solo and orchestral performer in Western Canada. In the 1920’s and 1930’s Winnipeg was the major stop for all cross-Canada railroad transportation. This meant that the famous touring violinists of the day, such as Kreisler and Heifitz, all had to stop in Winnipeg as part of their eastward or westward travels. Understandably, while they were there they gave concerts. Using this reality to his best advantage the young Mr. Bornoff, whose buddy was the manager of the concert hall, arranged not only to have optimal seating for critical observation, but also to have private discussion and instruction with these great violinists following their performances. As well as being a precocious violinist and teacher, his varied interests, experiences, and studies qualified him for career options as a hockey player, a clergyman, and a mathematician. In some way each of these domains prepared him for the creative work he would do in developing his unique system of Sting Education. He often said, “I have invented nothing. I have merely re-organized the presentation of materials.” As with so many things in life, the genius is in the packaging. This genius was expressed as he created and refined his system while head of the Bornoff School of Music that he founded in Winnipeg. From that base he then moved to New York where he was appointed to the staff of Teachers College at Columbia University in 1945. While at Columbia, he formalized and published his work, and began sharing it with other teachers throughout the area. In 1953 he made the move to become Professor of Music Education at Boston University. By this time his workshops and Bornoff-oriented programs were being established around the continent. After his retirement from Boston University in 1970 he continued his interest and efforts in the field, as he continued to help initiate string programs and develop young teachers in the Boston area. By 1980 he had formed a new teacher support organization, FASE, Inc., located in Newton, Massachusetts. Among the first projects of the fledgling organization were the establishment of the Bay State String Camp (for students), the Bornoff String Workshop (for teachers), and the publication of several instructional books for the intermediate level of his String Education curriculum. Never ceasing to refine his own teaching philosophy, approach and skills as a teacher, Dr. Bornoff continued training other string teachers until his passing in 1998 at the age of 91.
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