Positive experience
Music is to be enjoyed, by both the audience and performer. While practice and growth can be frustrating, the rewards outweigh the cost. As my mother always said, “the more tools in your toolbox, the easier it is to build a home.” Each bit of technique is a tool: the looseness of a fiddler’s wrist will help your Classical playing; your Classical finger placement will make playing pop songs a walk in the park. The first few beginner lessons are always focused on basic technique, with some short songs added in to make practice a little more interesting. Once the technique feels solid, bring some song ideas and we’ll see what we can start with.
This violin studio is focused on the student’s goals, not the teacher’s. If you become able to play a song that you wanted to learn, I will be thrilled. Bring ideas! Bring curiosity! Do you have an obscure neo-jazz riff that you’ve always wanted to play? Bring it! Want to play “Wagon Wheel” at the family reunion? Bring it! Film music? Bring it!
Performance Opportunities
Time for a confession: I had debilitating stage fright until about age 22. That’s right, I had shaky, nervous, stomach-turning performances all through college and it didn’t abate until I was playing in public 3-5 times per week for a year. With this in mind, recitals and performances are absolutely not mandatory. There will be some volunteer opportunities if students want to experience the stage, such as guest spots with my band, and possibly a summer recital if enough are interested. As a teacher, I prioritize my students’ mental wellbeing above the reputation of the studio. It’s a safe space to fail, pick yourself back up, and try again. That being said, if anyone wants to work on overcoming stage fright, we can work on that as well, although honestly, my cat is a horrible audience member. He never applauds.