Is my child old enough to start violin?

Somewhere between four and eight years is the best time to begin a violin journey.

That’s a wide range, and your child will fit in based upon a number of factors such as the child’s maturity, motor control, available family time and most of all: your level of patience as a parent.

Beyond these factors, parents can use the following simple test  to determine musical readiness.


1. Physical Robustness
Have your child extend her arms and hands fully in front of her body. Can she support a loaf of bread placed in her hands for any length of time? Place a full margarine box on her left collar bone. Can she support and maintain it in this position only with her chin and/or jaw bone? Try for 30-60 seconds.

2. Ability to Focus
 Is your child able to focus her attention on a particular task for at least 5 minutes without being distracted by internal or external stimuli? That’s a skill she’ll need to benefit from structured violin lessons.

3. Tempo and Rhythm Awareness
Can your child repeat rhythms? For example if you vigorously clap the rhythm of “Happy Birthday to You” can they repeat it accurately and with similar vigor?


4. Pitch Awareness
Can your child accurately duplicate the pitches of a simple song?
Ask you child to sing along with a familiar song such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” If you have a keyboard, use middle C as the starting note.
When singing a new song, does you child easily follow the contour of the melody, even if the pitches aren’t 100% accurate?


5. Taking Direction
Will Your Child Consistently Take Direction from a Teacher?
To be ready for structured music lessons, your child must be willing to follow directions and exhibit appropriate behavior while in the presence of an adult from outside his family. This is especially critical for students of age six and below.

Ideally, your child should be able to achieve all five parts of this evaluation. Doing so, will make your violin journey more rewarding and enjoyable. Even if you child isn’t quite ready for structured music lessons today, there’s plenty that you can do to prepare them for lessons in the future. Explore a musical enrichment program in your community. Attend concerts as a family. Sing, clap and bring music to the center of your family’s activities. The rewards will be many for your budding little violinist!

Tips for Buying a used Musical Instrument

Tips for Buying a used Musical Instrument

There are advantages many to buying a used music instrument. Mostly ,  you may be able to find a good quality instrument at a lower price than buying a new one at a retail music outlet. On the other hand, there are also some risks involved when buying a used instrument if you're not experienced at finding a good deal. 

When buying a used musical instrument there are three things you should keep in mind:


Who previously owned it?? If you're buying it from a garage sale, then you might be able to meet the owner and ask him why they are selling it, how long it was used, etc. If you're buying it from an online shop, make sure they have a good customer satisfaction rating or even better, a return policy. If you're buying it from a music shop, ask the salesperson if it's possible to know the name of its previous owner, how long it's been for sale, etc.


If possible, ask someone who knows about music instruments to accompany you. Maybe you have a friend who plays the instrument you want to learn or your music teacher may be willing to help you. They can help assess whether the instrument is in good condition by playing it, listening to how it sounds and how it feels while they're playing it.


Make sure that the money you're paying for the used instrument is worth it. Research first how much the instrument costs if it's brand new; go to different shops, compare prices, compare the condition of the used instruments and assess whether it's truly a good deal.

Try not to rush into a sale if you can help it...there's a substantial amount of knowledge and research to be done to ensure you get a good deal!

any other tips out there?

Teaching methods and styles

When searching for a music teacher for yourself or your child , its good to consider what type of learning method you'd like to start off with. The difference in methods in just violin tuition alone is so wide , that I'd go as far as saying that no two teachers are the same; and even in my case , I change my approach with each student , sometimes combining information from 2 methods in order to get the message across , or choosing to avoid some aspects of a method all together , depending on the student's learning capabilities , learning style and learning needs.
As a basic guideline , there are 3 main methods practised , they all differ in their philosophy , technique and parental assistance. Here they are:




Traditional Method: "The Art of Playing on the Violin" by Francesco Geminiani came out in 1751 and is believed to be one of the first violin instruction books. In the book, Geminiani covered basic violin playing skills such as scales, fingering and bowing. The method recommends the child must be at least 5 years old before taking music lessons. Students are encouraged to work alone on their skill and there may or may not be group activities. Unlike the Suzuki Method which emphasizes rote learning, the Traditional Method stresses note reading. Lessons begin with simple tunes, folk songs and etudes. Like the Kodaly method, parents play a passive role, often their presence in the classroom is not an integral part of the learning environment. It is the teacher who plays the primary role as educator.

Kodaly Method: Although the method wasn't exactly invented by Zoltan Kodaly, there is no doubt it developed under his guidance during the 1940's and 50's. Zoltan Kodaly was born in Hungary and learned how to play the violin, piano and cello without formal schooling. He gained critical praise for his works, especially music that was meant for children. The philosophy is that , music education is most effective when started early and that everyone is capable of musical literacy. Singing is stressed as the foundation for musicianship and the use of folk and composed music of high artistic value. Students listen to native folk songs that will expand to the great music of other countries and cultures as the lessons progresses. They will play musical instruments, sing and dance from memory as they achieve mastery of musical skills. Children will learn how to read music and compose. Some of the tools used in the Kodaly Method are the sol-fa, hand signals and rhythmic duration syllables. The parent takes a passive role, it is the music teacher who will be the primary instructor. The method is sequenced and structured, closely relating to a child's natural development.



Suzuki Method: The Suzuki method was developed by the accomplished Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki. He played for the Imperial Court of Japan and formed the Suzuki Quartet with his siblings , and then went on to start a music school and in 1964, the Suzuki method was introduced to the United States. The method was based on Suzuki's observation of children when he was in Germany. He observed that children are able to learn their mother tongue with no difficulty. He noted that children who are born in German households naturally learn to speak the German language. Children who are born in a Japanese household would naturally adapt their native language. He concluded that a child's environment greatly influences his/her development. Using the "Talent Education Movement," children start taking violin lessons by age 2 or 3. Suzuki students are first exposed to great classical recordings and music pieces that they will eventually learn. Background music will constantly be playing while children are at school to immerse them in music. The belief behind this is that children will learn to develop good musical ears, able to detect changes in pitch, timing, tone, etc. Students learn by observation, they often (but not always) learn as a group. Social interaction and cooperation is fostered among students. The Suzuki method stresses the importance of parental influence and involvement. Parents and teachers work together to achieve a common goal. Parents are expected to attend lessons and serve as teachers at home.

Its good to get recommendations from friend , local schools and teachers to see which system would suit you best as a beginner.

Looking for a music teacher in your area?
check out the following websites:
www.musicteacher.com.au
www.allmusic.com.au
www.victoriaviolin.com.au