Posts Tagged "music"
Teaching and World View
The World View of the Christian As a Christian my world view is founded on the Bible and my faith in God. I like to integrate my faith into my teaching, especially with those students who I know share my faith in God or who are being brought up in this faith at home. I […]
Advantages of Being an Adult Learner
Currently my studio consists of about half adult students, most of whom came to me as complete beginners. Being an adult learner has many challenges, and many adult students find learning the violin more difficult than expected. However, there are quite a few advantages to being an adult learner which I feel are important to […]
Additional Expenses?
When starting private instrumental instruction on violin or viola, most parents and students expect to have to invest (either by purchasing or renting) in an instrument, a bow and a case. Most understand that a purchase of sheet music and repertoire books are probably also necessary. However, there are additional expenses, both up front and […]
Performance Anxiety
Performance anxiety and nerves come in varying degrees. They can range from a mild feeling of anticipation to a debilitating fear. Some nerves can be helpful, providing stamina and excitement for the performer. However, performance anxiety can often be crippling as it sucks the joy out of playing, and can cause the performer to be […]
Violin Shopping!
Ok, so you’re ready to purchase a violin! Great! This is an exciting time with the anticipation of having an instrument all your own, that you’ve picked out, and that you love! However, the process can quickly become overwhelming and discouraging. So, to keep this experience positive I wanted to give you a few guidelines. First, […]
Self-Teaching the Violin
Recently I received a request from a gentleman overwhelmed with the options of self-teaching tools available for the violin. While he wanted to take lessons, there was no one in his area who taught, and he was asking my advice on what to do. First of all, kudos to him for asking! I did my […]
Can’t I Learn to Play Without Performing?
A good question—and as someone who has battled with extreme performance anxiety I would like to say “Yes,” however personal experience as well as research shows otherwise. I recently ran across a blog post (Kavbar’s Blog: Recital Retrieval) which does a very good job of explaining why we need to perform in order to learn. […]
Teaching Questionnaire
I was recently contacted by a fellow violin teacher to answer some questions regarding private lessons. She was asked to speak at a homeschool conference and wanted to get her peer’s insights into the material she was going to present. I was happy to oblige and I thought some of you might be interested in […]
Experiencing the Suzuki Method: A Guide to Help Answer your Questions about this Extremely Popular Method—And Why I Don’t Teach It
This blog entry contains the material of a bulletin I made to have available in my studio. Because of this, the material is short and concise. I would be happy to write more on the subject should I get enough interest! First of all I would like to clarify 2 things: Many of my colleagues […]
Picking A Teacher
As I plan on leaving my current students to move to Mississippi with my husband, I have been taking the time to compile a list of teachers to help my students find a new instructor. This is a difficult time for me as I will miss my students and wish I could continue with them. I know […]