Archive for Violin Teaching
Private music lessons or learning an instrument at school, advantages and disadvantages.
Many parents automatically apply for their children to take musical instrument lessons in school as they feel that this is the most convenient way of fitting them into a busy school life. I’ve had the opportunity to experience both over a period of almost 20 years and have come to the conclusion that the best value [...]
New Year’s Resolution – Learn an Instrument….!
Alongside losing weight, getting fit, giving up smoking and learning to speak a foreign language, apparently one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions is to take up and learn a musical instrument……which is why in early January, violin teachers and presumably others who teach music very often receive several enquiries from potential new students [...]
Teaching at Junior Trinity School of Music
A couple of weekends ago, I was asked by a colleague from our string quartet to step in and cover his teaching commitment at Junior Trinity School of Music, down in Greenwich. This specialist music school takes place every Saturday throughout term time. It attracts talented and motivated pupils who give up their Saturday mornings to have [...]
String Players – Eliminating Anxiety and Tendonitis….a workshop
As a violinist, I’ve been very lucky to have had the opportunity to study and develop my musicianship with a wonderful teacher – Kato Havas OBE. Kato has developed a method of teaching and playing (called the New Approach) which enables string musicians to play without tension and to connect fully with the music. This way of [...]
Playing Fifths
Yesterday, I was asked to play the ‘Lark Ascending’ during a wedding ceremony, accompanied by a piano. It was a beautiful occasion and whilst we played it, the wedding guests sat spellbound. This is such an evocative piece and quite an unusual request but it was absolutely exquisite on this occasion. The piece contains many [...]
Adjudicating a string prize….
Yesterday, I did something that was completely new to me – I was asked to adjudicate a string competition at Charterhouse, my old school. I remember vividly entering this same competition myself over 20 years ago and playing the ‘Praeludium’ from Bach’s E major Partita – and I think I won a book token! Interestingly, [...]
Deputising for teaching….
It’s always been the case that a lot of professional musicians regularly teach, work as session musicians as well as perform in string quartets and orchestras – either privately or at schools or music colleges. Due to the sometimes erratic nature of work, it’s not always 100% possible for full time players to meet their [...]
The Power of Words when teaching a stringed instrument
Over the last few years, in my own journey of learning the violin and the viola, I have been very privileged to take lessons with a wonderful teacher – the Hungarian violinist, Kato Havas. One area in which she has given me much to think about – especially with regard to the way I teach my own [...]
Teaching Adults the Violin or Viola
I’ve taught many adult violinist and violists, some who have come to me as a total beginner (perhaps who had always wanted to learn a stringed instrument but had never had the time or opportunity before), and others who have played for many years or wish to take it up again after a long break. [...]
