Choosing the right violin teacher is one of the most important steps on the long journey to becoming a virtuoso musician. Because music is a form of art, not science, the approach to selecting a music instrument pedagogue is different from choosing, for example, a math tutor or a language tutor. In this article, I am sharing professional guidelines on how to choose the violin teacher that would be right for your child.
When it comes to music, especially music education, people can be divided into two groups: professional musicians and non-musicians. It might surprise you, but professional musicians consider different factors when choosing music teachers for their children. So, how do most people, those not in the professional musician category, approach the question of selecting a music teacher?
Much like choosing a fitness trainer, driving instructor or language tutor: conducting some Google research, asking friends and colleagues for recommendations, etc. As a result, children will likely end up in a local music school, conveniently located in close proximity to their home. There’s nothing wrong with this approach; as long as you view music tuition as a means of general child development, or just a hobby, any music school can serve that purpose.
However, if you or your child is pursuing a professional music career, in most cases, this path won’t lead you there, and professional musicians understand this better than anyone else. Therefore, they choose a violin teacher differently.
Professional Approach to Choosing a Violin Teacher: 5 Major Points You Should Look At
When it comes to professional musicians, especially violinists, they generally consider the following five factors of the teaching process:
- Violin class: Professionals observe that all students in the class should play equally well for their ages. If they do, the teacher is really good. Conversely, if one student excels while the rest of the class struggles to play, it suggests that there might be a musically gifted student who would succeed regardless of the teacher’s competence.
- Ages of the students in the class: A true professional can work with children of all ages, starting as early as four or five when a child is physically and psychologically prepared for violin lessons, up to eighteen and nineteen-year-olds. However, there are certain violin teachers who can’t or don’t work with five or six-year-olds or even start with the age of ten or so. To the professional musicians, this signals that the pedagogue does not know how to establish the foundations of violin technique. Moreover, the teacher lacks the didactic methods that allow for the development of the student from simple children’s songs to more complex musical compositions.
- Regularity of lessons: Make sure that the teacher works regularly, and your little one will be able to have violin lessons 2 or 3 times a week. In the early years, the consistency of lessons is vital for systematic development of a child.
- Belonging to a distinguished and respected violin school: As the most acclaimed examples of such violin schools (please note that by ‘school,’ I mean the unique teaching methodology rather than a physical institution in its traditional understanding), I could list the violin school of Professor Zakhar Bron, the school of Professor Boris Kuschnir, and the school of Professor Augustin Dumay. If the violin pedagogue you are considering for your child’s tuition was taught by one of these esteemed world-class professors and continues their teaching traditions, your child should be in very good hands.
- Concerts and competitions: Ensure that the young violinists regularly, at least once a month, perform in concerts, either as soloists, accompanied by a pianist, with an orchestra, or as a chamber group. For a highly professional musical education, regular concert performances are an integral part of the learning process. Additionally, it’s important to encourage participation in national and international music competitions. This can be highly motivational for the students, especially if some of them demonstrate ambitions to become the next Maxim Vengerov, David Garrett, or whoever else inspires them.
Step-by-Step Guide: Check Bios, Attend Concerts, and Book a Trial Lesson
Now that you know how professional musicians choose a violin teacher for their children, you may find this step-by-step guide useful:
- Check bios: If a teacher has graduated from an acclaimed and respected violin pedagogue, you’ll likely find this information in their biography. In today’s digital age, most teachers have some form of online presence, whether it’s through their own website, a music school’s site where they teach, an Instagram or Facebook account, a YouTube channel, or a combination of these. This is the first place you should look.
- Pay attention to details: If there’s something to be proud of, such as performances at concerts and winning prizes at competitions, you’d likely find it there too. Pay attention to the names of the students and their ages: there should be several students from the class, spanning different age groups – that’s a very good indicator of the teacher’s qualification. If you can trace the development of some students from the class over a few years (the longer, the better), that’s another point in favour of this teacher.
- Attend concerts: Most music schools organize open concerts for the public. Do yourself a favour: attend these concerts, listen to the young violinists play live on stage. You might learn more from one such concert than from hours of online research.
- Book a trial lesson: Finally, book a trial violin lesson with the teacher you have in mind, and attend the lesson with your child. If everything goes well, you’ll see it in your child’s reaction. (NB: While there are many things to pay attention to during a trial lesson, that’s a topic for another article.)
There are many gifted violin teachers in the world today, doing incredible jobs with their students. They represent different violin schools and have various teaching approaches. Some have developed their own methodologies, while others continue the traditions of great professors. I genuinely hope that this article helps you find the right one for your child – whether in your city, country, or even, who knows, on your continent!
If you have questions or want to share your thoughts, please leave a comment below. I’ll do my best to respond, but keep in mind that my schedule is pretty tight, so it might take a few days. Thanks for your understanding!
