Back to School

School in our area started yesterday, which means my students and I are Back to Lessons today. I'm really revved up about it! In the past I never took the summer off; somebody always wanted summer lessons, Christmas break lessons, etc. and I agreed to do it. This year I felt totally burned out by the end of May. We were in the process of closing our shop. I wasn't even sure I would ~ever~ teach again. So I took June off, which pretty much turned into June and July both. 
Wow! What a difference that made. I made necessary choice about which kids to keep, and the ones I have this year are all MOTIVATED and INTERESTED and....they practice. Yayyy!
So. I can't wait to see you guys.

(note to self: Don't wait 3 years to take a break next time.)

Violin/viola/cello practice - it's a journey

Today's post is written specifically for beginning players.If you play cello or viola instead of violin, please just insert your own instrument name for "violin." There's no point in me typing them all out every time........

 A lot of people say that at the beginning of your violin journey, it is important to set a certain goal every day to make you learn faster. I actually disagree with this. You have probably already found that your biggest goal is to make your sound better and better. It's okay to let this be your main purpose for the day; other things will come as you practice.

Learning to play the violin helps you to learn more about your own personality. With the violin, you need a lot of patience and persistence. If you don't have those things, working to have more becomes part of your goal. If you are not persistent, you will eventually decide to quit.

When you're learning to play, you will inevitably make mistakes. Don't ignore them and move on, but stop and play that small part again. (See the last post about dividing the music into small chunks). If you will do that section about five times before moving on, it will be much better the next time you play. Again, persistence is key.

I would also like to talk today about distractions. Some of my students are distracted by the smallest thing. When I used to teach at home, the traffic driving by on the street outside would make their heads turn.This is not okay! You can't make good music If you are this distracted. I suggest that you practice alone, not in front of your family, and in a room that provides the least distractions for you. If something outside catches your eye, close the blinds. Remove anything that might detract from your practicing.

People who play the violin have been proven to have better math skills and to have better concentration in other areas of their lives. So this hard work that you're doing will benefit you in many areas. Violin mastery does not happen overnight, but by approaching it slowly and carefully, you can move from being a beginner to becoming a skilled violinist.

Happy practicing!

Making the Most of Your Practice

When practicing a piece of music, it is always important to break it down into chunks. This requires self-discipline; it's much easier to wander through the piece, often with your mind traveling off somewhere else, than to work hard. I understand this.

So, how do you decide to break the music down? If you have been with me for more than five or six weeks, I should have already showed you how to do this. If you're not sure, first we have to backup and make a definition. A phrase consists of a small part of music. When you sing, you usually breathe between phrases. So a phrase is the part between breaths. Let's say that you are singing "Doe, a deer, a female deer." That is a phrase.

Now, let's pretend that you are playing the notes for that song. Doe, a deer is easy, but you're having a little trouble with the last four notes. If you just run through the whole song, and you're still getting stuck on the second half of the beginning phrase, you aren't doing yourself a lot of good. You can practice the first phrase alone for better results.

Even better, break the phrase down and only practice the last half. Do those four notes repeatedly until you've got them. Now go back and play the entire phrase a couple of times. If that goes well, start at the beginning and plan to the next phrase. This is how you break music down into chunks. If you have enough discipline to do this every time there is a problem, you will play much better.

Happy practicing!

Tools for better practice (violin, viola, and cello)

Hi everyone,
Thank you for hanging in there with me through weeks and weeks of illness and interruptions! I think the sinus infection is gone now (knock on wood) and we can get back to the business of making music.

I've noticed that not everyone has the proper tools to do their best practice at home. So I want to talk about that today. The tools you need are:

A music stand that extends to the proper height, so you can see it comfortably while standing.
A metronome.
A tuner.

An optional item is a stand that holds your violin or viola (or cello) so that you don't have to pack it away every time; here's one option. We have some that are $15, $29.99, other options and yes we have cello-sized ones too.

That's not much, is it? You need to use the tuner every time you get your violin out for practice. If you're not exactly in tune, your practice will go as well.

The metronome is not used all that much, but it's very important. If I am not standing there clapping, and you feel like you don't have the beat, you need to use the metronome. Many students purchase one, try it out once, and conclude they can't use it. This is incorrect. All you need to do is get used to it. Use some old songs that you know well and practice playing with it. Students who play in an orchestra usually do this a little easier than those who doubt, because they're used to following the conductor's beat.

I know that some people are propping their music up to play, but you'll do much better if you have a real music stand. We have some that are only $19, and if you're more concerned about the look, there are also some wooden ones.

That's all for today. Happy practicing!

Three Tips for Better Listening

I have a confession. I'm so frustrated this week. It's summer, of course, so nobody's practicing. That's a tiny bit of the problem. I wonder why parents insist on bringing kids all summer if they're going to make excuses for them when they don't practice....but I digress...

The big annoyance factor is that nobody is listening to their CDs. I would type that in all caps, but shouting on the 'net is rude. So I'll just say it quietly. Nobody is listening. So I want to share with you a few ways you might listen, and use listening as a way to play better music.

1. You know those CDs that come in the back of nearly all your music books? Play them. You don't have to sit with your hands folded and listen like you're at a stuffy concert. Just put them on and let 'er fly, while you're playing, eating, exercising, working, doing homework...... play them in the car while you're going to dance classes..... play them all the time. Hearing the music played correctly makes it much easier to learn! I looked in the back of somebody's book a couple days ago, and her CD was still sealed up in there. The seal wasn't broken. But she was complaining about NOT GETTING THE TUNE. Imagine. Listen to the CDs.

2. When I'm working on a piece, I like to listen to it being played by different artists. Now, a lot of you are going on youtube and just randomly finding people playing your pieces. I'm really proud of you for having the initiative to go looking up your music. But I would caution you that there are lots of very bad musicians on youtube. So how about looking up the greats and listening to their versions? Even Menuhin, Heifetz, and my favorite all-time player David Oistrakh --the old recordings can mostly be found on youtube. Listen to them -- don't waste your time with somebody who knows less than you!

3. Also, if you're working on a piece sit down with that track of the CD and listen to it critically before you play. Follow along in the sheet music if that helps. Consider whether you play it exactly like the recording. If not, who do you think is right?

OK I appreciate you hearing out my rant. I feel better now, and hopefully you understand what to do when you're assigned a listening exercise.

Happy violining!

Practice at the best speed

How do you select the best speed for practice? When I say “slow down,” most students slow down maybe a teensy bit. Maybe even an entire metronome marking. But the majority do not practice violin/viola/cello at a truly SLOW speed. And if they aren’t doing it for me, I know they aren’t doing it at home either.

To find slow, try setting your metronome at 40. That means your quarter note beat will equal the “tick” of the metronome. Now choose one phrase of the piece; let’s say you’re working on Minuet 2 in the Suzuki book. The first phrase is the first two measures of the piece. Work on this phrase over and over with your metronome. Are you right on the beat? Is your intonation good? Are the first and fourth notes exact the same tones as the three notes in the second measure?

Now go over it a few more times, maybe 5 times. Is your left hand relaxed? Is your bow arm moving smoothly and in the correct place? Are your teeth clenched or is your brow furrowed? Relax!

If you’ve done all this, it’s time to move along to the second phrase. Repeat the above. The goal is to learn what “slow” really means. Come to your lesson and show me!

Til next time,
Happy violining

Last night two of my students, Sherry Keene and Josie Rogers, joined me in playing violin for the "Flowers on the Lake" celebration. This is a remembrance of victims of domestic violence put on by our local Safe House. It is a beautiful concept -- we all put flowers into the water at the end and watch them spread and float away gently.

Anyway, Sherry and Josie both did a great job. We did a medley of Celtic tunes, some of the ones from the first student CD (for those of you who are students, and therefore learn from my CDs.). The point is, these are fairly easy tunes but they make great entertainment pieces. Both Sherry and Josie learn classical as well as Celtic music.

I've set up this blog mainly as a place to post hints for students: practicing, learning, choosing a direction, etc. Please let me know what else you'd like to see. Thanks!