• How long are the lessons?

Lessons are one hour long. I am often asked if I teach half hour lessons. Half hour lessons are only for the very young (3 to 10 years old). There is much involved in just the preparation of the instrument prior to playing. Tightening the bow, applying rosin to the hair, installing the shoulder rest (a device that aids in holding the violin properly), tuning the violin, etc. All these activities make a difference in the final product of excellent playing. I give my students complete details and assistance in this preparation. Then, of course, is the actual study/mastery of technique and interpretation; all facets of violin playing must be refined.  Violin playing is a fine art; it requires a proper amount of lesson time.

• With what frequency?

Most students require one lesson per week.  I have discovered, however, that beginners profit greatly from two lessons per week. It's akin to learning to ride a bicycle;  the more chances at success that are provided, the sooner one will succeed.

• Can the lessons be in my home?

  I am teaching only in my studio.

• Are the lessons private, semi-private or classroom style?

  I teach only private lessons.  In small group or classroom-style lessons, there is no time to correct and/or avoid bad habits of all the students.  All students are different;  with private lessons, students get the personal attention that encourages their strengths and eliminates their weaknesses.  Violin playing is a fine art which requires individualized instruction.  
  

• How long will it take to learn the violin / my first song?

Most students can learn a simple song by rote in about thirty minutes.  They can generally learn to play a song from reading music by the third month.  However, to reach one's potential as a violinist takes approximately ten years, depending on the talent and practice habits of the individual. Violin playing is a big world. There is much information to learn and much to master physically as there are many things going on beneath the surface.  We hear beautiful music but the violinist is actually executing many actions and thought processes at once. For example, when reading and playing a piece of music, the violinist is carrying out the following mental and physical processes:

1. Playing the correct notes including correct string and finger
2. Playing the notes in tune. This includes position (how high up on the instrument to place the left hand) and interval (whether fingers are placed touching or apart).
3. Playing the notes for the correct duration (rhythm)
4. Playing the correct style; each composer is interpreted differently depending on what period of music history he lived. (I teach all styles/interpretation of music.)
5. Correct volume of the music (Dynamics)
6. Correct direction of the bow
7. Correct pressure of the bow
8. Correct bow speed
9. Playing the note in context of the melody (the level of importance of that note in the musical phrase)
10. Interacting with other musicians
11. Being sensitive to the conductor (his/her role is to unify the orchestra in a common direction)

In reality, there is much more going on.  The good news is that many of these processes become implicit allowing multitasking to improve.  Implicit actions (habits) take time to solidify; sometimes years.
Incorrect technique also becomes implicit.  It is important that one learn an excellent system/school of violin playing from the start. I teach such a system.
 
• What equipment does one need to start?

• Violin: Must be of correct size (full-size, 1/8, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 etc. exist) for children under 10. Check with the seller/renter. Must have four fine-tuners (small devices that allow one to tune the strings with precision).
• Bow: Fiberglass is OK but the hair must be horsehair.
• Shoulder rest: A device that allows one to hold the violin properly and with correct posture. I recommend the KUN shoulder rest. It must be the correct size for the instrument. Example: a 1/2 size violin requires a the KUN shoulder rest that will fit a 1/2 size violin.
• Case: Not important as long as the violin is safe. 
• Rosin: A tree sap product that makes bow hair sticky and makes string vibrate.
• Cleaning Cloth: Any soft cloth will do; for cleaning rosin dust off of the instrument

• Stand: For holding up music.
• Electronic Tuner: For tuning the strings; vital time saver for beginners. Must be a chromatic tuner.  A chromatic tuner is able to tune all the notes, not just the instrument's four tuning notes. 
• Metronome: A device that produces a 'beat' that the musician can follow. Excellent in the development of accurate rhythm.  

 

• Will I/my child have performance opportunities?

Performance opportunities are available from a variety of sources:

        Twice per year I organize concerts for all my students.

Youth Symphonies

Call the local symphony or your child's school orchestra or band teacher and they should be able to put you in touch with a local youth symphony.

All-State Contest

Contest is held once a year in a chosen city where all the Jr. High and High Schools get together and are rated. Solos are also rated.

County Fairs

Youth fairs will  sometimes award trophies or medals for outstanding performances.

Community Orchestras

Adults or advanced teens can participate in local community orchestras. Community orchestras are also a great source of connections for chamber music (small groups such as quartets and trios).

Charity

One can volunteer for local hospitals and/or retirement homes.  Music has an almost magical healing effect on people.

I recommend the above activities only after the student has studied the positions on the violin (1 to 3 years into private lessons).

Home

A performance after dinner is nice. When a child performs a couple of short pieces and is greeted with great enthusiasm and encouragement, it can work wonders not only for their playing but for their self esteem.  

 

•  What's a good age to start?   Is it too late to begin or continue?
   

Children

I recommend that students begin at age six. I do have students younger than six and am always willing to try a few lessons to see if a child progresses.  If a child is talented and/or mature, it is often possible to begin early.  I use a different teaching style for the very young that incorporates a variety of activities.

Adults

It is never too late to begin, or continue what was started in the past. There is much cognitive information and discipline that is required to play the violin and adults usually have the advantage in these areas.

• What about Suzuki? / Is reading music important?
   

The Suzuki Method incorporates rote into the study of violin. This rote method makes it difficult for violin students to multitask (perform more than one activity at once) when they eventually are required to read music.

Imagine that you teach a child to recite a rhyme from memory while holding the text in front of them. If you then present that same child with a book that uses the same words as the rhyme, he/she will not be able to read the text. This is because they cannot read; it is an illusion. The same applies to music making.  Imagine if students in a school could not read.  The teacher would have to teach everything by memory and there would be very little material covered. The same is true for music making. It is well worth the time investment at the start of a child's musical development to teach musical notation.

Suzuki students may sometimes play a song sooner but in the long term tend to fall behind.  Students who are taught to read at the onset acquire the correct mental processes that allow them to progress quickly once they become good readers.

Parents often want quick results but should understand the importance of reading the music that is played.  Reading music frees the student to play any music that they desire. It creates a sense of independence that inspires confidence and success.

Violin is an ancient art form and much can and must be learned from the past.  The school/system I use, in both performance and instruction, dates back to Carl Flesch.  Flesch lived during the "Golden Era of Violin Playing" when many schools were established.  He is considered the authority on violin teaching and playing.  His "Scale System" is used by all successful violinists throughout the world.  He was the author of "The Art of Violin Playing," a highly regarded book by violinists and teachers.