Hey you cool cats and kittens (that intro doesn’t date this article at all…) – this post is response to a really good question from one of my students asking about building up finger dexterity. One of the biggest mistakes a developing violinist can make on their way to mastery is approaching technique with too…
Tag: teaching violin
An Exercise for playing in all 12-keys
Hey violin friends! Here’s an exercise that can help with a very important skill that can be one of the main things that can really help take your playing up to the next level, enable you to perform with different kinds of musicians, and discover new ways to express your musical voice confidently – the…
Recovery From Traumatic Music Lessons
Music lessons may not always be a positive experience, but don’t let that stop you from being creative and gentle with yourself.
the gift of permission to fail
One of the main challenges of learning the violin is the lack of instant gratification. You will not be able to play perfectly after one lesson. Or two, or a month’s worth. As a student, you may spend several weeks practicing nothing but bow holds, or playing a single note on an open string…
free and creative from the beginning
A teacher is always continuing to learn, and must always be open to new ideas and challenges. Learning is a lifelong process of continuous evolving and tweaking how we do things. I once heard in a class that one of the more important sentences for a teacher is, “I used to think ___ but now…
how to become your own teacher…
In my own musical journey, I have been deeply blessed to have the patient, knowledgeable, and supportive input of many great teachers. By walking beside me, encouraging what was good, challenging what was lacking, and helping me change the way I approached violin playing, they brought me to a level where I can comfortably realize…
Why we need both a Suzuki and an O’Connor method….
… I was prepared to not make a comment on this at all, but recent discussions about violin pedagogy and which method books to buy have reached a level of passion and vitriol I usually associate only with religion and politics (and that usually sends me looking for the door.) For those of you too…
Maintaining a love for the violin even after the secret’s out on how hard it is…
I remember getting my first violin, and feeling enchanted from my 6 year-old eyes, the cloth covered, curved box made of wood stained with a dark orange hue. It seemed almost scary in its unapproachable fanciness, as if it possessed magical properties. So I just kind of looked at it with a sense of awe,…
Violin Lessons with Michael Fox 