We've had a lot of conversations over the years about what age is best for starting violin.
The "best age" for starting is a subject that is up for debate. The Suzuki method encouraged parents to start teaching children to play at a very young age, as young as two or three. Before that, a more traditional age might have been around age eight or nine, when many school programs tended to offer lessons. And what about starting as an adult? Does that doom a person to limited progress?
I can confidently say that, with steady work and attention, anyone can progress on the violin at any age. I have seen adult starters who went on to play in semi-professional groups and who later taught themselves. (Did you know that Suzuki was a late-starter?) Also, I've seen people who played just a little as a child, then they come back many years later and make great progress and are able to make the violin a special part of their lives.
By contrast, I've known very young starters who burned out by age eight!
The most important thing for success on the violin is a person's level of devotion, persistence and daily practice.
That said, I'm very curious about when people started, and how they feel about that. As for me, I was just shy of my ninth birthday. As soon as I started, though, I was a complete nutcase about the violin and caught up quite quickly to most of those who started before me. I have a few of these kinds of students right now, who did not begin as toddlers but who are devoted and rapidly "catching up"!
Please vote, and then tell us your thoughts about age and violin/viola learning.
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Win Ysaye's violin transcription of Chopin's gorgeous Ballade No. 1 op. 23!
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I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. What I am is a woman who has struggled much of her adult life with depression. And while certainly not medically qualified to diagnose or prescribe, I may have found my own personal antidote. Having thrown numerous darts at the depression board – medication, exercise, binge reading – I’ve only recently discovered something that may well be an effective antidepressant. My violin.
I began studying violin when I was seven years old. I still remember the first time I moved from open strings to positioning a tiny finger on the board. Ouch, it hurt! My tender fingers were no match for the seemingly razor-sharp strings. But I persevered, playing through grade school, junior high, high school, and college. I even stuck with violin while pursuing a graduate degree in voice and the first few years of my professional life as a New York City Opera chorister. Sadly, violin soon took a backseat to other pursuits and I am embarrassed to admit, my instrument languished for over three decades. Without initially realizing it, I had lost a fundamental part of myself. I was always the girl with the violin. It was an appendage, my identity, a constant companion. Yet I had spent 30 years with my violin literally sitting on a shelf. It had become yet another symbol of an abandoned youthful dream.
A few years ago, through the encouragement of friends, I unearthed my violin and began the arduous process of getting back into shape. I can only equate the effort to losing 30 pounds in middle age or scaling Mount Everest when the most exercise you typically get is walking to the refrigerator. It was absolutely humiliating. Keep reading...
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Well it is the end of the season. Schools are wrapping up, and orchestra seasons are winding down. For many musicians, this time either means some serious relaxing and recovering from all that craziness, OR gearing up for a summer festival, and maybe some of both. For others, it may mean staying home and working a job for a while.
This time can be difficult to manage though without the external pressures of lessons, or concerts. If you drift for too long, the summer can pass you by without feeling like you got anything accomplished. So how do we stay focused, stay motivated, but still have some fun and maybe even pursue that romantic interest you’ve had your eye on.
Festival Time!
Here is an all-inclusive list of summer festivals in the US!
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