Methods

Ages 8 and up: I use standard classical repertoire, method books, scales and etude collections with my students, depending on their age and skill level. Typically I use All For Strings (with workbook), Essential Elements, Spotlight on Strings or Strictly Strings for beginners, supplementing with the fun Fiddle Time series for younger kids and Suzuki Book 1. I progress through the Suzuki graded pieces for most students up through about book 5 before branching off into more advanced, graded repertoire. Technique, scales and etude books by Herfurth, Whistler, Anderson, Hrimaly, Wohlfahrt and eventually Flesch and Kreutzer form the core of my technical curricula.

If students have an interest in alternative musical styles (fiddle, pop/contemporary, improvisation etc.) I am happy to recommend and explore other music selections with them. Classical training provides an excellent technical foundation for all types of music for the violin.

Much of the music I use is available at Ted Brown Music in Silverdale. Music can also be ordered online; see my Bookstore page.  Sheetmusicplus.com is a comprehensive, inexpensive supplier.

For Young Beginners:  Early mastery of music reading by my students is an important goal to me. Although I use the Suzuki violin books (among others), I do not teach the Suzuki method of learning-by-ear at first. Many students taught this way become so good at playing by ear that they find it difficult to learn to read music later. Instead, I have developed a unique curriculum with color-coded music notation and have taught preschoolers to read music with this method. Most 4- to 7-year-olds generally know their primary colors, numbers at least up to 5, and can probably recite the alphabet. Colors, numbers and letters are where these lessons begin, and building the 5-line music staff is where they lead. Most students are ready for standard music notation method books after just 12 to 16 weeks of lessons! Find out more here.

Required Accessories

Please purchase a Kun-style shoulder rest for the violin; it greatly aids the student’s ability to hold the violin properly. These are available for about $20 and can be purchased in local music stores or online. In the local area I recommend Peninsula Violin Co. in downtown Poulsbo for instrument sales, rental and repair needs.

Each student should provide a small top-bound spiral notebook of lined paper for me to write assignments and technique reminders during your lesson. Weekly practice time may also be recorded here. Students may also need a 1" 3-ring binder for supplementary materials to be provided; you will be informed if a binder is needed.

Also required for home practice: A music stand; something to tune the violin strings to (a piano or keyboard, accurate pitch pipe, or electronic tuner); and eventually a metronome, for most students after the very initial stages. The links provided here are example products, not necessarily the only ones I recommend.

Compensation

Contact me for current lesson rates. Half-hour lessons are suitable for up to 3rd or 4th year students, after which time a longer lesson is recommended for advanced technique instruction. Lessons are to be paid for a month at a time in advance based on the number of lessons to be taken that month. I request 24 hours’ notice of a cancellation in order to credit you for the missed lesson time. Emergency cancellations sometimes happen and a credit may be issued on a case by case basis. Cancellations made by me will be credited to your next month’s lessons. If at some point you decide to discontinue lessons, I will reimburse any prepaid lesson fees.

Other Fees: There is a $15 studio fee per lesson year for all students to cover administrative expenses (handouts, awards, supplies, accompanists, MTNA membership etc.). For students in 5th grade and under, my Elementary Incentives program includes earning points and rewards for practice and progress. Rewards include the "Treasure Chest," gift certificates, custom items and more. There is an additional $5 to $10 supply fee per 12-month lesson period to participate. Participation in "Boomer Bucks" is required for grades 4 and under; "Joey’s Ladder" is optional for elementary beginners; details provided upon registration. Annual fees are for any portion of one lesson-year (Sept. through Aug.) and are non-refundable. Students must bring their incentive charts and completed practice record to lessons in order to receive any points earned that week. Any other music or supplies procured for individual students are to be reimbursed at my cost.

Inclement Weather: If the North Kitsap school district cancels classes due to weather conditions, lessons for that day will also be cancelled and you will be credited for the missed lesson. If North Kitsap schools are on a two-hour delay, then afternoon lessons will be held but morning lessons may be cancelled at your discretion. If you are travelling from another part of the county and your schools have a different weather response than the NK district, please call about any changes in your plans.

Performance Opportunities

I arrange for performance opportunities for my students several times a year. I hold a full studio recital at the end of the academic year. Special performances such as group recitals, adjudications and the popular Ribbon Festival are also available to interested students through the Kitsap Music Teacher's Association. I encourage students to join local youth or school orchestras for additional performance and ensemble experience. Check into the Bremerton Symphony Youth Orchestra, Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra, or Homeschool Strings.

P.A.R. Program (Progressive Achievement Recognition)

Students will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the goals for each ASTA (American String Teachers’ Assn.) grade level near the end of the academic year or whenever they are ready, and awards will be presented annually for progress made. More info here.

Early-Learner Readiness

Learning to play the violin involves multiple fine-motor skills, reading or pre-reading activities (decoding written symbols and left-to-right tracking; I teach even young beginners the building blocks to reading music) and the ability to persevere even when encountering frustrations. So when parents ask me about violin lessons for their young children (ages 6 and below), there are a few things I look for before committing to teaching them. First, I'm looking for a child who is independently motivated to learn to play the violin--and able to focus during a 30-minute lesson period and for at least 10 minutes at a time when practicing. I do break up lessons with different activities for the youngest students to help "get the wiggles out," but have found that focus is the single biggest contributor to success at the younger ages, followed by maturing reading or pre-reading skills, followed by a natural ear for music or innate desire to play the violin. If a young child struggles or becomes frustrated with fine-motor activities or has a short attention span, they probably need to wait a year or two to begin violin lessons. In the meantime, encouragement to sing or pick out tunes on a keyboard is a great place to start! The piano is also a more forgiving instrument for very young beginners as each note is always "in tune" (as long as the right key is pressed) and "in tone" (no scratchy sounds!).

Finally, parental involvement is crucial. For beginning students under age 8, I ask their parent or caregiver to observe their lesson and help them with their practice time each day. This is the only way to ensure that the correct playing position is maintained to avoid learning bad habits (see below). The parent may also need to help the child read their assignment notes and complete all practice tasks, track written music left-to-right at first, play notes in tune, etc. The students with the most involved parents are the ones who progress fastest!

To learn to play the violin, students must be trained in three distinct but related functional areas: the MIND, the MUSCLES and the EARS.

MIND: Decoding printed notations and producing the sounds they indicate on the violin uses the entire brain! Students are constantly striving to understand and follow rhythm patterns, relative note positions, finger placements and string/note naming conventions (collectively called "Music Theory"). More advanced students will learn to interpret complex music notation, including phrasing, dynamics, tempos, fingerings and bowing styles. It's no secret that students with early and ongoing musical training tend to excel in math and language subject areas in school!

MUSCLES: Learning to hold and manipulate the violin and bow is not easy. Just as an athlete must constantly pay attention to the correct physical form and movements for their sport, repetition of correct positions and movements with the violin is the only way to train our MUSCLES to automatically provide the right responses every time. Any new or existing poor habits of posture, finger/hand/arm positions and playing technique must be attended to so new pathways can be learned and correctly stored in "Muscle Memory."

EARS: A violinist must listen to every note he/she produces to see if each one is in tune, immediately adjusting the fingers as necessary. Creating a clear tone and dynamic variations with the bow can only be done by carefully listening, experimenting with the movement and pressure of the bow to achieve the tone one wishes to produce. The student must always be using their EARS to see if their fingers are in the right places, if the bow is pressing down too hard (or not hard enough), etc.

Practice Guidelines

Weekly lessons are times to learn something new, not practice what was assigned the previous week. Forming a regular habit of focused individual practice is key to progress on a difficult instrument like the violin. Students ages 6-8 are encouraged to practice at least 15 minutes per day, 5-6 days a week. Students in this age group will need parental assistance when they practice to follow the instructions in their notebook and maintain correct physical form and intonation; therefore parents of young beginning students should attend their lessons. (Any exceptions will be made on a case by case basis.) It is better for young students to practice less with more supervision than to practice a lot with none.

Older students should practice at least 30 minutes a day; by age 12 or 13 if rapid progress is desired then 45 minutes to an hour, minimum, is recommended. Practice charts and reward incentives are provided for younger students up to the point that they continue to motivate diligent practice habits. Eventually the enjoyment of progressing to new ability levels should be the main motivator!

I do not want to waste your student’s time or mine. Each student will be given a minimum weekly practice time expectation. Students who consistently practice under their minimum time, or habitually do not complete weekly assignments, will be advised that they may want to reconsider taking violin lessons until they are more committed to doing what it takes to make progress.

Caring For Your Violin

• Violin tuning: The lowest note is the G below middle C. Then D (just above middle C), then A above middle C. Highest note is E, one octave and two notes above middle C. These notes are each a 5th apart. A pitch pipe or electronic tuner is necessary if you don’t have a keyboard to check.
• Keep fingernails trimmed short, even with or below the fleshy tip of your finger. This is a must, especially for the left hand!
• Don’t touch the bow hair (horsehair). Oils from your skin will transfer to it and keep it from doing its job--grabbing onto your strings.
• Do loosen the bow hair anytime you’re going to stop playing for 30 minutes or more. This keeps your bow stick from losing its "spring". Twist the metal screw at the bottom of the bow towards you (with screw on the right) a few turns until hair is loose and sags towards the bow stick. To tighten: turn the screw the other way until bow hair is firmly away from the bow stick, but not so tight that the stick is completely straight. There should be a little "give" in the bow stick when the hair is pressed against a string.
• Don’t loosen the strings between practice sessions. If you do, (besides having to re-tune your violin next time you play it,) the bridge will come off and the internal sound post may fall out of place. The sound post can only be reset by a professional with the right tool.
• Rosin the bow about once or twice a week when practice sessions are brief; too much and you’ll get a lot of rosin dust on your instrument. To raise the dust, scratch up the rosin with a key or other sharp object, especially if it is a new cake or very smooth (not dusty).
• Use a soft cloth to wipe rosin dust off your violin and the strings occasionally.
• Put your violin away in its case when you’re not playing it. Protect it from moisture and extreme temperatures. Be aware that sudden changes in temperature (carrying the case outside or in a cold car, then back indoors) will usually cause the strings to go out of tune. Always lay your instrument gently on its back on a flat surface when putting it down briefly.
• Make sure the bow is secured in its place within the violin case before closing the case, or it will fall on the violin and scratch it. Remove or secure any other loose objects in the case before closing.