Even after teaching for such a long time, I still try to think of ways on how to improve my teaching techniques, my approach to students of different levels and to their future potentials. I know what I wish for students during my lessons, I have a clear game plan for each one of them in my head, but I have never been able to sum it up in a few words… until now. Here is someone else’s sentence on it, but it surely fits how I feel and what I try to aim for as a teacher.

…” The students and I share a common goal, which is the development of their potential to the fullest extent. I am for a cordial but intense and purposeful teaching atmosphere…”

Arik Braude, Strad Magazine, February 2010

I have been a private violin and viola instructor since 1996.  Every time I get a beginner student I have a discussion with a parent, explaining that violin or viola are probably some of the hardest instruments to learn. It will take time, work, and patience from both, student and parents.  I emphasize that point especially to those whose children already play another instrument, especially piano. Piano is much easier to conquer in the early stages than violin or viola, and I don’t want parents to assume that it is the same with string instruments.  Even though I am very confident in my viewpoint on that, once in a while I would feel that some parents did not trust me on that, assuming that I purposely make learning violin or viola look harder than it actually is.  In the long run they see for themselves that it does take more effort than some other instruments, especially piano.  Don’t get me wrong – I am  not prejudiced against piano ( I spent ten years in my childhood with my hands on eighty eight black and white keys in addition to violin), I am simply stating that violin, viola (and cello) are more challenging.

After all these years I finally found something for those who might have mistrusted me at first.  This comes from the March issue of the Strad Magazine, very popular in the world of musicians, professionals and amateurs alike.  This is an excerpt from an article by Norman Lebrecht, cultural commentator.  I think he said it the best, which is why I put it here. I hope this will make it easier to understand what we deal with as string players, and to all of you, especially my students : realize how hard it is what you do on the instrument, I am proud of you for choosing such a challenging instrument,  and have patience with it – rewards are on the way!

Here are some photos of our quartets and trios  performing at weddings and different indoor settings in Pittsburgh and its’ surroundings. If you don’t want to watch the slide show of all the photos, you may also double click on any single photo to see its’ larger image.

We also perform for kids at schools, trying to introduce children to string instruments early. We talk about classical music, instruments, different time periods, and play pieces from different eras. Kids seem to enjoy it, and so do we.  We also did a program for students at Grove City College, the string quartet photos are here as well.

 

This one was a lot of fun for all of the musicians! Our string quartet was hired to play there for the Raymond James & Associates Financial Services. It was a great setting, wonderful people who truly appreciated us, and we played pretty much non stop, moving from one beautiful nature spot to the next. Even my husband who came along and carried instruments around ( thank you so much to him! ) had fun. It was a wonderful, sunny day and even a better day to be a musician!

These are photos of us playing at outdoor wedding ceremonies, banquets, and other parties.If you don’t want to watch the slide show of all the photos, you may also double click on any single photo to see its’ larger image.

These are some of my viola and violin students. I have a studio of  over thirty kids in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh. Some take lessons to be a part of their school orchestra, some are aiming towards a career in music, and some – like a photo of my husband with an adult student that I teach – simply tried to play the violin just to see how hard it really is!

I tend to stay very involved with my clients when it comes to selecting music, especially if it is a wedding. The other day a client of ours (we are to have a string trio at her wedding  in April) requested, or rather asked if we could play “Adagio for Strings by Barber “for her processional. Many people, including my husband, know the tune from the movie “Platoon”. It is a slow, solemn piece, funeral – like. In fact, our string quartet had played it at the Pittsburgh County Courthouse on April 6, 2009 where the bodies of  three Pittsburgh Police Officers were laid for viewing after they were shot and killed on April 4th… We played there all day, alternating musicians. Some of us stayed late into the evening. “Adagio for strings” was the piece that we played several times throughout the night. It is also a piece that was played by different orchestras throughout the country after 9-11 attack. For some, it became a symbol on 9-11. It is a wonderful piece and the bride told me  she absolutely loves it. However, I can’t imagine playing it as she is walking down the isle towards her future husband! At first, she seems let down, but after I e-mailed her several videos of where that piece was played – she thanked me, saying she didn’t realized what the piece meant and how people can perceive it.  We finally settled on a piece a bit more upbeat and suitable for a spring day wedding. The point is: you might love a certain piece, but be careful in your decision on where you want the piece to be heard. You n ever know how it might affect those around you, especially if it is a wedding, supposedly a happy occasion. 

I had a phone conversation a few days ago with a bride who hired our string quartet for her June wedding in Pittsburgh. We ended up talking for a long time since she is a musician herself. We talked about her anxiety about the wedding, making sure that everything is ready – the usual stress that comes with it. She mentioned something that she does before any big event: ..” get ready as much as you can, and about two weeks beforehand – step away, don’t do anything having to do with it, give your brain a break, almost a wind tunnel, where things can get settled and aired out. Then, a week before you will see everything with a fresh set of eyes, and will be able to make last minute decisions and changes much easier..” I thought about it later, and felt that it is true: by giving yourself a break – you start seeing things from a different angle, with a fresh outlook. I know without thinking I already do so in teaching kids: whenever I give them a break from lessons for a week or two – not only they sound much better upon seeing me again, but I tend to teach with a different prospective and seeing new trends in kids, things that I might have missed before, or dismissed as unimportant. It turns out – small details are the most important once… So, take your time to “step away” from your projects, give yourselves a break for a while. Things will  become more clear when you come back, just like Sudoku, all the numbers will fit. 

One question that I get a lot from my clients is “..for how long should I hire the musicians… an hour, two..” Obviously, the price will change with the duration of playing. Here is a little lesson from one of the jobs our string trio did this summer. You read it and decide for yourself.

One of our string trios was hired to play at the wedding in Pittsburgh for an hour and a half, from 2-3:30. Beforehand, bride was not sure if she should hire us for one hour, or for 1.5 hours: her ceremony was very short, with guests going to a different location for the dinner. Finally, she was set on 1.5 hours, and stated so in the contract. Our string trio started playing at 2:30, fully expecting to start the music for the ceremony at 2:30, after 30 minutes of prelude music. As it turned out – we didn’t start the ceremony music until 3:05, 35 minutes later than was scheduled: bride’s father fell ill right before, and had to be attended to. The lesson? If she booked us only for one hour, from 2-3, we would have had two choices: either walk out without playing for the ceremony at all, or stay and charge the family overtime ( which is more than a regular fee)… Again, I am not attempting to scare clients  and force them to book us for longer than needed. However, unexpected circumstance do happen, and it might be prudent to keep them in mind, especially for such events as weddings, where you have so many people involved that you don’t know much about. During another wedding, we had a minister coming 45 minutes late, almost giving a bride a nervous breakdown. Again, this bride did book our quartet for two hours, leaving enough time for the unexpected…