Frequently Asked Questions for Violin Lessons

I do start my students with the actual violin from day 1, but before you rush to buy an instrument, there are a few things to consider! Quality is very important to your success, and I recommend only going through a violin shop that specializes in stringed instruments for that reason.  I can recommend some violin shops that are online that have low price points while maintaining quality and offer rental and rent-to-own programs, too. I also recommend Benning Violins in LA. For children, make sure you get the right size - not too big!

Or...if you're in the AV, you can request a one-time Violin Discovery Adventure Session, and I'll bring a violin for you to try out and experience it for yourself before you make any decisions!

Within in-person lessons, in the very first lesson, we will tune your violin, learn about the parts and care, practice holding the violin and the bow, and even make a little music!

Generally, we'll focus on making music without worrying about how to read music for the first couple of months.  That way, you know how to "speak" the language before you learn to read it, and you get to really enjoy playing the violin because we will be playing real songs from the beginning.

If you have already been playing for a while, we'll talk about your current repertoire before the first lesson.  Then at the beginning of your first lesson, we'll assess your technique through your current repertoire and go from there!

You will need rosin (this almost always comes with the violin) and a shoulder rest, which you might have to buy separately. 

For in-person lessons, I supply sheet music and will tune your violin for you until you learn to do it yourself.

For online-only lessons for beginners, you will need to get Suzuki Violin Book 1 and a tuner.  You can buy a stand-alone tuner, or you can download one of the many tuner apps that are available for Android or iOS. (I will still help you with tuning though!)

There is SO MUCH to learn with the violin!  But it does not have to be hard to learn everything. I believe anyone - yes, anyone! - can learn to play the violin if their teacher knows how to break everything down into very small steps. This way, you can master each step, grow your confidence, and ensure that you learn to play with good technique. 

I have successfully taught students with a variety of challenges to play the violin, including dyslexia, audio-processing disorder, other learning disabilities, autism, and cerebral palsy - just to give you an idea.  Anything is possible if you have a committed teacher who understands the instrument and the learner!

My policies for practicing are a little different that most music teachers.  I don't require a certain amount of practice - only that you aim to pick up your violin and play it 5 or 6 days each week. Even if it's for just 5 minutes, this is still okay! And in the very beginning, you will only need about 10 minutes a day - I do this on purpose because it takes time to build up endurance. Of course, once you begin to progress, you'll progress faster if you practice more than 5 minutes a day. But I understand that sometimes life gets crazy, and 5 minutes is all you might have. During those times, the important thing is that you keep going! For those considering a career in music, I encourage a much more rigorous practice routine.

I'm happy to answer all your questions!  Feel free to send me an email or leave a phone message (text or voicemail) - click the button below for the details.