Archive for the "Music Lessons" Category
Practicing Techniques for Intonation
Every violinist needs to work on intonation whether we’re just beginning, or we have made it to the professional realm. Sometimes it can be a frustrating endeavor. We know we aren’t playing in tune, but no matter what we do it doesn’t seem to get better! Hopefully this post encourages you to keep working at [...]
Helping the “Tone Deaf” Student
If you have not read my post Am I Tone Deaf? (http://blog.playviolinmusic.com/2013/03/06/am-i-tone-deaf/) I would recommend doing that before proceeding to read this post. It will give you the necessary preliminary material to get the most out of the information provided here. As discussed in my previous post, Am I Tone Deaf?, most likely your student is NOT tone deaf, [...]
Am I Tone Deaf?
Many people believe that if they aren’t good at singing on pitch then they must be tone deaf. I have had many students come to take lessons and when asked to tune their instrument or match a pitch reply with the fact that they think they’re tone deaf: I have yet to encounter a student [...]
The Practicing Myth
What I call “the practicing myth” comes in various forms, but it always goes something like this: “My kids hate to practice, and I don’t want them to hate music, so taking music lessons must not be for them.” If parents took that perspective with other things it might sound something like this: “My [...]
Tuning at Home
My previous post on tuning had to do with the importance of teaching students of all ages to tune right from the first lesson. It gave helpful tips and outlined my approach. Check it out here: http://blog.playviolinmusic.com/2013/01/18/the-importance-of-tuning/ In addition to teaching students how to tune in the lesson, students must practice tuning at home each day [...]
The First Lesson
The first lesson with a new student is always the most difficult. The student doesn’t know you and you don’t know the student. You may have an idea of the playing level of the student (complete beginner, school instruction only, intermediate student from a previous teacher, etc.), but this information only gives you limited knowledge. [...]
Teaching the Bow Hold
There is more to holding the bow than simply putting one’s fingers in the correct orientation on the stick. The balance of the bow hold needs to be correct in order for a student to use their bow properly and efficiently. This will take years to perfect, but it can be helped by stressing the [...]
The Importance of Tuning
Tuning is the first thing we as musicians do before playing, so we should teach our students to do the same. Many teachers tune their student’s instrument for them, especially younger beginning students. While this may give more time in the lesson to teach other things, I think students are missing out on a very [...]
Teaching Vibrato: A Guide for Teachers
There are a variety of ways to teach violin vibrato as well as several different types of vibrato. The arm vibrato and the wrist vibrato are the two most common forms of vibrato. I teach an arm vibrato. Some argue that an arm vibrato is not as versatile as a wrist vibrato, but I have seen violinists of all [...]
To learn by ear or by reading music: That is the question…
With the introduction of the Suzuki method in the United States came an increase awareness and division between those who learn music by ear and those who learn by reading music. For those unfamiliar with the Suzuki method please read my following post outlining its basic tenants, history and success in the US: http://blog.playviolinmusic.com/2011/01/17/experiencing-the-suzuki-method/. Since this [...]