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For the start of the school year, check if you have enough rosin and if your bow may need a change of hair.
Check your instrument for open seams and cracks, and for the shape of the bridge: is it leaning, warped, is your E string for violin or A string for viola embedded into the bridge? If adjustment or repairs are needed, set up an appointment with a luthier.
Thoroughly clean your strings, or, if needed, get a new set of strings.
If you took time off during the summer, set up a “getting back in shape” routine, which, in addition to helping you get back to playing, is designed to avoid injury.
Create a goal/concert/project/audition/competition timeline for the school year and schedule a series of preparation milestones for each event.
Have a great September and a wonderful start to the School Year!
As the audition requirements for local NAfME chapters are being posted, along with providing information for my students on specific requirements, I wanted to share some of the most effective preparation tips for these auditions. Although these suggestions are specific to local county and district requirements, many of these strategies are useful for most audition situation.
Our local District audition is scheduled for December 10, 2022. While it may seem a long way away, getting an early start will help pace preparation, leading to a more musically expressive and technically confident performance. Specific links, videos and PDF files are located at the end of this post.
Preparation tips:
I hope you will find this information helpful as you prepare for upcoming auditions!
Victoria
Throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to work with wonderful violin and viola students of all ages and levels! From teaching those just starting out as kids or adults in my private studio, to working with players who are in the early stages of their musical careers when they were studying at the Juilliard School and Mannes College of Music among others, to helping out professionals looking to alter their technique or recovering after an injury, I am always inspired by seeing students’ playing evolve, as they gain greater insights into the musical and technical aspects of playing, and develop a more meaningful connection to music.
In all this time one of the facets of learning to play violin that has interested me is Motivation, not just to start learning, but to continue playing for years to come, especially among young beginners who start between the ages of 4 and 10. With a variety of teaching methods and many wonderful and dedicated educators who work with this age group of kids, I still heard time and again from my students and their parents that among their peers half, if not more, quit playing after less then a year. Of course many factors contribute to that, but one thing kept coming up: after the initial excitement wore off, students who stopped playing violin felt unmotivated and didn’t want to practice.
The reality is that the motor skills involved in producing a beautiful tone on the violin take time to develop. For a child the process of acquiring these skills can be especially tough. In the early stages and with younger players it is crucial for parents and teachers to be able to recognize when child starts feeling frustrated, and to have tools at their disposal to help a child regain their excitement and continue to learn and improve.
Here are my go-to strategies which I use during lessons and encourage parents to use when they practice at home with their children:
Variety: in working with young students in addition to playing violin I make sure to spend time on singing, clapping rhythms, interval recognition, physical motions involved in playing violin but without holding the bow or the instrument.
Anticipation: there is always a “treat”: maybe a song they’d like to learn or a particular task they enjoy during lessons. I remember having a few students that actually loved working on music theory during portions of their lessons, and so that was their special “treat”. “My First Violin Solos” books and digital supplements, described later in the post, were in part inspired by this approach.
Timing: When it comes to practicing at home most of the time consideration starts with when a child and parents are actually able to work together. Often the practice session becomes part of a daily to-do and over time can turn into a chore instead of a productive time spent learning and improving. A few keys to preventing the “chore” effect are: trying to find times when both, the child and the parent have the energy to practice; being willing to stop without covering all that was planned, or continuing to go if a child is up for doing more; related to prior part, not defining a specific time frame as a must do amount of practice, but rather for the parent to leave a window of time for the practice session which will be 10 to 15 minutes greater then a typical practice session duration.
Positivity: it is crucial to for a parent and a teacher to encourage a child when they are at the lesson or practicing at home, and making sure that a child understands that something that is not working out can be improved with a combination of problem identification, problem solving and thoughtful repetition. Asking questions, thinking about the causes of something get the child away from feeling bad about how something sounds to feeling in control of making something better.
In my own studio, when I’d notice that a student seemed to be losing motivation, one of my go-to strategies many years ago was to supplement various method books with songs I illustrated with cute drawings and characters. I was always thrilled to see kids’ eyes light up when I would take one of these songs out, how excited they were to practice these pieces in particular, and how eagerly they anticipated when the next illustrated song would be used in the lessons. In fact, since the illustrated songs were among easier to play, they’d quickly outgrow the level of these pieces, and subsequently, when playing Vivaldi A Minor would ask if I could illustrate songs that were more difficult! I continued to use these illustrated songs with kids who were just starting out, and always wanted to someday create a book, adding supplemental animated videos, piano accompaniments, and harmony arrangements to play during lessons and practice sessions with friends or family members.
Around April of this year, feeling inspired by hearing about the upcoming Cherry Blossom festivals in the US and Japan, I began to illustrate “Sakura”. As I was working on the drawings I decided that I was going to go through with creating the book and videos and all other materials that became part of this series. I combined the songs I’ve taught in past, created a cohesive story line, added some new songs to the mix, and got to work.
After spending the past months on these creations, it is my pleasure to present to you “My First Violin Solos” books and supplemental materials! You can get a free sample at violinforbeginners.net and Individual Books are available in Digital or Paperback formats. There are also 2 different digital bundles, which include the Books in PDF format, along with Videos and Audio Tracks.
Check out VIOLIN FOR BEGINNERS WEBSITE and get to know more about the Violin for Beginners digital tools and and paperback books.
Enjoy your musical journey and I look forward to hearing from you!
Victoria
Practice Booster Truffles: a great way to Energize for a Practice session!
What can be better then starting your practice session with a quick delicious chocolate truffle? Combine its taste with its energizing properties and that it’s vegan, and you got yourself a perfect pre-practice snack!
Here is a recipe, something you can prep at home! I like to prep this vegan ganache in the evening and roll it into truffles next morning.
Servings:
Dependent on your desired truffle size (these pack a big caffeine punch, so I keep mine small) this recipe yields 12 to 15 truffles
Ingredients:
Dates: 100 grams, finely chopped
Cashews: 55 grams
Hazelnuts: 45 grams
Cocoa powder: 10 grams
2 oz. shot of espresso at room temperature
Process:
Consume prior to practice sessions, or as a quick energy snack for any time of day :)
Enjoy!
Victoria
If you’re interested in making these yourself, scroll down for links to ingredients and a downloadable PDF of the recipe.
The links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to purchase any of my recommendations through these links, you won’t pay anything extra, but part of your purchase will help support redviola.com
Whether you share your home with family, roommates, 4 parakeets, perhaps a very demanding chihuahua, or all of the above, when one is at home, especially now with many living under the same roof 24/7, going to school in their bedrooms and using kitchen counter as their office, confronting distractions and being interrupted is unavoidable.
The moment you pick up your instrument and begin to play, there is always a phone call, someone yelling, doorbell rings, and your involvement is integral anywhere and everywhere other then with your instrument in hand in your practice space. If only you could make someone a quick sandwich, and maybe a few other little things that of course take no time at all, or lend a pair of pliers to a neighbor, urgently find a homework assignment that was due yesterday, or clean a mess that was left by one of the four legged family members. And when you finish saving the world, re-energized by all you have just accomplished you can joyfully prance into your practice space and immediately begin playing beautifully, to the utter joy and bliss of all those around you!
No? Really?
Well, if you aren’t supercharged by the sort of activities described above, and if those near you aren’t exactly on board with your desire to have time with your music, read on for a step by step guide to how you can cope with realities, and possibly maintain your sanity :)
Step 1: Keep an interruptions log for a few days to one week
You’re practicing, writing, studying, working, exercising, and you need to be and want to be fully present and engaged while doing this. This is what you need to recharge, make a living, evolve, or feel balanced. Everything is in progress, when you suddenly get interrupted, for any reason, by anyone.
Enter: interruptions log! Whether you have a computer, smart tablet or phone nearby, open an app such as notes, or any other you may prefer, and write the following: “interrupted by so and so at such and such time and day, for the following reason while doing such and such a thing”. After you jot that down, if you have a chance, write a quick follow up: took such and such amount of time. Try to be as specific as possible about the time when interruption occurred. Also make sure to use the word “interrupted”, or another keyword representing an interruption, because you will need it later to search your notes. Of course you can use regular paper and pen for the purpose, but I find that having this information in digital easily searchable form to be most effective for me personally.
Step 2: Sort through the log and classify the interruptions
At the end of the few days to a week run a search for the word “interrupted” (or another word you selected) on every device on which you had jotted down the information, or review your handwritten notes, look for notes you took from your starting day on, and begin the sorting process.
First, identify which distractions could have been handled without your involvement (either by someone else, or by the person asking for your assistance). Identify what days and times these distractions occurred, and see if there is a pattern emerging in terms of time of day, duration, or any other factors (pre or post meals or sleep, behavior follows after a particular activity, etc).
Second, identify distractions where you were essential to the resolution of the issue and only you alone could have managed dealing with it, and determine if these tasks could have been performed by you 15-30 minutes later, several hours, or even days after the request. Just as in the previous case, see if patterns emerge in terms of days, times and duration.
Step 3: Tentatively Schedule potential practice session possibilities
Based on the information you collected schedule 2-4 practice session time blocks for the upcoming week which will have the duration you’d normally prefer, whether it’s 20 minutes or 4 hours, and some event-paired mini practice sessions (see prior blog post)
In setting up these sessions, besides considering your own schedule, consider your level of energy at that point in the day, your cognitive abilities (some people feel out of sorts first few hours after waking, while others are not at their sharpest later in the day), and see if you will be disturbing people around you at your chosen times. For the latter concerns, if you feel that your playing interferes with needs and preferences of those you live with or near, you may want to consider purchasing a practice mute. You can also try to plan practicing when nobody is home, but this approach is notoriously unreliable because other people’s plans can change and you don’t want to make you schedule dependent on someone else’s whims.
Step 4: Prepare
Get a stack of post-it notes and a couple of pens to be placed outside your door when you practice. Those living with you can use these to jot down anything that they need to communicate to you while you’re practicing. This way you won’t be disturbed numerous times while you practice, and you can get information about things that need to be taken care of after the practice session.
Get to know your phone: see what you can do to minimize phone calls, various alerts, emails and text messages, while making sure that you can still be reached in case of an emergency. There are a variety of possible settings you can try out to create a distraction free experience, but still have a peace of mind when it comes to those close to you. Once you find these distraction-avoiding settings, schedule a reminder for the approximate end of your practice session to set the phone back to its usual settings.
Decide on a note-taking method: paper, tablet, phone, computer. Maybe there is a particular app you like. Create format within which you can take practice notes, make plans, set goals, etc.
Step 5: Communicate
Let those who share your living space know that during the upcoming week you have scheduled practice times. Go over what these times are, and let them know that if something non urgent comes up, to please jot it down on a post-it outside your door or send an email, and that in case of an emergency you’re still reachable by phone or text, or by just knocking on the door. Also, “we’re out of cheese” does not qualify as an emergency :)
Express to them that you are working on integrating practice into your daily life not only next week, but for the foreseeable future, and would appreciate feedback, support, and if concerns of any sort come up, to please share them with you.
Step 6: Design a Pre-Practice Ritual
Since I was about 6 or 7, before violin lessons I remember going to a small cafe, and having a little cup of coffee (very weak and child friendly version) in a tiny espresso cup, with a piece of chocolate cake. It was a lovely ritual, happy and warm, and most importantly for me at that age, made me feel like a grownup :) During my Juilliard years the ritual became daily, and involved quadruple espresso and a blueberry muffin from a little coffee shop on my way to school, which I had while waiting in the mornings for the building to open so I could get a bit of practice done. Over time there have been some variations. For several years I made Turkish coffee with spices, and briefly I just had to have a cup of earl grey tea before playing. Currently my practice sessions are preceded again by a quadruple espresso, with a small piece of something sweet :) Despite the shifts in my preferences, the things that didn’t change about the ritual are that it always makes me feel happy and more focused.
Whether you have a limited amount of practice time, haven’t played for a while, or are just starting out, it is essential to ease into practice session slowly, and keep practice sessions brief. It helps avoid injury, focus your attention, and in the long run increase your productivity.
First, how brief?
I’d suggest starting with 10-15 minute sessions of actual playing. You can take time for planning and visualization outside of these 10-15 minutes too, but physical act of playing is best kept brief. When you feel comfortable after a few days or a week you can either add more 10-15 minute practice sets to your day, or start extending your practice sessions by 5-10 minutes every few days.
And how slow?
The speed you select to play at while you practice any of your chosen materials needs to be guided by what you can control and think of while you’re playing. Can you articulate in your mind what you need to do when you play the next note, change your next bow, move from one string to the next, observe and guide your movements? If the answer is no, then you’re going too fast. A large part of practice needs to be devoted to deliberately working on gaining or solidifying skills, perpetuating beautiful tone, polishing intonation. Awareness of the present and ability to guide your next steps are what will make your practice more effective. Simply repeating things for repetition’s sake, or mindlessly plowing through a checklist of items won’t improve playing and may actually hinder your progress!
So think of it this way: while you practice slowly your mind is doing the opposite, working overtime on helping you learn. What do you accomplish? Steady improvement and greater command of the instrument over time!
2. Pair up with a Recurring Event
Pairing your practice session with an existing recurring event is an effective way to integrate consistent practice into your life. Whether it’s playing soon after you wake up, or before going to bed, before or after a meal or prior to or following a class or a meeting that happen at regular intervals, having practice session tied to something that already happens daily and for which you don’t need to build up a new routine will be more effective then trying to carve out a specific time out of your day, especially a specific hour, which will now be devoted solely to practicing.
Three important factors to consider when you choose what event to tie your practice session to are your likely level of energy at that point in the day, if the space where you’d like to practice will be available to you, and whether you’ll be able to have time to yourself in order to practice before or after your chosen event. Best way to make these choices is to try a few different options over the course of a couple of weeks and see what works best for you. Also try to limit distractions (possibly turn off phone notifications, etc.)
3. Process oriented rather then Goal oriented
What can you get done in 10-15 minutes? This concern is often the main reason people hesitate to do smaller practice sessions. The reality of a small practice session is that it is devoted to general improvement of your playing over time and to gaining the ability to consciously guide your actions while playing.
During my years as a student, a professional performer and teacher I was fortunate to work with many great players, and every one of them, no matter their age or how far along they were in their careers, always spoke of finding new things to work on, old pieces they’ve performed hundreds of times which time after time they saw differently and interpreted in new ways. One of the most amazing things in learning to play an instrument is that there is always something more to do, always another step to take, something to improve, something to reassess. If we utilize these brief practice sessions to the greatest degree, what we are doing is fully committing to the process of working on gradual improvement rather then to the outcome of getting such and such a measure to such and such a metronome marking. These small practice sessions should be devoted purely to enhancement of skills, or general improvement of specific small sections of repertoire. Heightened awareness of your actions, focus on sensations in your fingers and hands, awareness of tone: these are key to making these practice sessions effective.
And the best part is when you will have longer practice sessions, they will be more productive and focused thanks to having had the experience of these concentrated short practice sets.
Hope you will find these tips helpful!
Send me a note on how things go when you try these strategies out!
I have been playing and teaching violin and viola for most of my life, and on a daily basis interact with players of all ages and levels. Frequently situations arise where a student or a colleague needs assistance or advice. Many questions and issues are very specific and need individual approach, but at least a few times a week I find myself responding to concerns which I feel may be more universal in nature. Because of that I decided to start a blog in the hopes that this information will reach someone who needs it and will provide an additional point of view to consider, or possibly a solution!
I hope you will find this blog useful and I look forward to hearing from you!
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