Teaching Philosophy and Lesson Overview
I have been teaching violin to students of all ages and levels since 2010. I teach using a specific ergonomic method (Wronski and Gertler inspired) that is focused on pursuing physical freedom and relaxation while playing in a manner that is as close to one’s natural body position as possible. While my approach is tailored to the particular student (age and skill level), what remains constant is my attention to the importance of establishing the correct technique i.e. with proper technique, tension and discomfort disappear, allowing one to make music freely. Many violinists struggle with a variety of tensions while playing which impacts their intonation, ability to perform difficult pieces and it can be easily corrected.
Incorporated in my teaching philosophy is a strong belief that studying music helps students establish a variety of skills that are essential to mastering an instrument, and yet can also translate to being more effective in other parts of their lives. My students learn that music helps them develop a variety of skills that lead to being successful across a multitude of endeavors i.e. responsibility, commitment, discipline, focus, time management, patience and learning to express themselves.
When working with children and adolescents, I have learned that it is essential to recognize where a student is developmentally. I believe that is it important to recognize the interaction of the cognitive, physical, and emotional development of a child and to adjust my teaching to complement their stage of development. Younger children may possibly benefit from more structure while an adolescent may need more freedom to determine their course of study and expression. Keeping abreast of psychological and social developmental studies both fills out the whole child I am teaching as I incorporate their developmental needs/tensions into my teaching. I have found over the years that this wholistic approach to the student helps boost their confidence, teaches them how to set and reach achievable goals, develop patience, and ultimately find a voice through their playing.
I have also found that keeping in reasonably close contact and communication with a student’s parents often increases the likelihood of my student’s being more engaged and successful in learning to play violin. Through encouraging parents to be involved in their child’s learning process, their involvement tends to maximize their child’s musical and personal development; often I may suggest that the parents listen to violin music together with their child and to have discussions about what caught their attention i.e. what did they like and didn’t like and why.
Beginning students:
Essential to my teaching a student new to the violin is my attention towards introducing my students to music in a positive way where they can discover and unveil their musical talent. I encourage them by teaching them in a playful style that keeps them both curious and engaged throughout their lessons.
When teaching a beginning student, I emphasize violin technique starting with the fundamentals of posture, relaxed fingering hand set up, correct bow grip and position and the right violin position. As a student begins to grasp a bit of technique, I move into tone production combined with breathing exercises. We also talk about violin anatomy and how to care for your instrument.
It is optional for parents to attend the class with their child to observe or actively participate in the class if they so wish. By the end of the semester, my students have a strong foundation in the violin, and they can play several simple songs. My students learn how to practice and see why practice is so important to progress.
In addition, I attend to personal development including self-confidence, self-motivation, discipline, making and keeping commitments, setting goals, developing patience, and approaching music and life with a positive attitude.
I believe that it is also important to teach my younger and beginning students music theory i.e. counting rhythm, knowing musical terms, and note reading. How in-depth I delve into music theory depends upon the student, group of students or class objectives. I give my student lesson notes (assignments) guiding each parent and student on how to approach the assignment for a given week through charting which helps emphasize their weekly progress.
Advanced students:
When teaching older students that already have some experience playing violin, I start with a short evaluation to begin to define their individual needs and goals, and what we should focus working on. If students have a lot of tension in their body and/or struggle with intonation and other technical problems, I often start with teaching them a completely new technique to help them get rid of old and unhealthy habits. As previously mentioned, my teaching method (influenced by Wronski/Gertler which is focused on freedom and relaxation) corrects flaws and imperfections on a fundamental level. Within three to five months, my students learn a completely new technique that releases tension in their left hand, corrects intonation problems and prevents bow trimmers. We also keep working on learning how to use and incorporate correct bowing, fingering and continue learning different bowing techniques along with more complex left-hand techniques i.e. playing arpeggios, double stops and chords with a relaxed hand.
I often work with more advanced students who want to focus on the auditioning. I approach auditioning from the perspective of both having sat on the side of a professional orchestra member with many years of experience sitting in on countless auditions as well as a violinist who had to figure out how to audition and be successful in this process. My coaching is concentrated on elevating their performance and technical skills as well as on relaxation and stress management techniques that help a student achieve success in the auditioning process.
All students:
I tend to approach my teaching from the lens of a teaching semester, much like semesters at a university. At the end of each semester, each student receives an evaluation which summarizes their semester’s progress and my recommendation on what should be the next step in their musical development.
I prepare my students for an End-of-Semester Concert that includes a Dress Rehearsal a few days prior to the concert where we discuss any concerns they might have before performing in public. We go through stress management techniques to make sure they have a positive experience performing in front of a live audience of adoring parents, family and friends.