To introduce the violin to new young musicians, try the Beginner’s Violin Quartet. It is a 5-week workshop, covering some basic elements of violin playing for brand new beginners, with no previous experience necessary. Violins provided during the class! This will be a chance for you and your child to be introduced to the violin, and to get on the wait-list for regular private 30-min lessons. Rolling enrollment: classes begin as soon as there are enough students available at the same time for a new quartet. Get on the waitlist for the next class!
If you would like to immediately try a private lesson, I am currently booking individual 45 or 60 min lessons for older or more advanced students. This can be treated as a trial lesson which could possibly lead to regular lessons going forward, or just as single supplementary lesson to whatever learning arrangement you currently have.
Feel free to suggest your own plan regarding ongoing group/private lesson balance, I want to figure something out that works for you and your child!
For families looking for the opportunity to develop the skills for a potential professional track, I strongly recommend weekly private lessons in combination with a group class (if there is one available at the right level). As an alternative to the group class, I encourage students to inspire each other by exchanging videos of their practice sessions. This gives them an opportunity to explain techniques and demonstrate how they solve different problems.
1 hour – Beginners Violin Quartet
$30
Take part in a fun and engaging group learning ensemble with 3 other beginning students, age 5-7. Small violins provided! Participation doesn’t require separate private lessons.
60-Minute Private Lesson
$90 (or $300 for 4 consecutive weekly lessons)
Older students and more advanced students, plus those with long attention spans get the most out of a full hour lesson. You may bring a friend/sibling and do a joint or split lesson.
45-Minute Private Lesson
$70 (or $240 for 4 consecutive weekly lessons)
45 min is good for younger learners. (Weekly 30 min lessons will be $45 each and enrollment can begin after you meet me through the Beginner’s Quartet!)
Some thoughts about group vs. private lessons..
I am currently teaching small group classes at Mount Lebanon School through the Camerata New England Strings Program. Traditionally, private weekly violin lessons are considered essential to make the kind of progress that allows a student to fully develop as a musician and gain fluency, (to get to the really fun stages of being able to play a string instrument.) But because of limited time and resources, and my desire to get more kids starting to play at an early age, I am interested in making group classes more successful. For those who thrive in groups and are inspired by learning with others, they could take the place of, rather than being just a supplement to, private lessons. Much of this success depends on how much support the student has at home to practice consistently and in the right way.
These days, we have easy access to information through the internet, and can find well done how-to videos on youTube, etc. (I can help assess which ones are useful.) I believe that highly motivated students could do well in a group lesson, as long as their home practice is careful, supported by their parents, and they make use of all the resources and do as much guided self-teaching as possible. The group class becomes a place to work on performance skills and group collaboration, and to stay motivated to do the daily home practice.
Another important aspect of becoming a musician and performer is to start composing early on. The act of creating takes the student out of the “student” mindset and allows them to feel ownership of the music they are making. Musical principals start to make sense and students discover this through experience. I create small pieces for my students to play and encourage them to improvise and write their own.