tips for finding a teacher

I believe that the most important thing for any violin student is to find the right teacher. I thought that it would be good if one of my very first posts address that very issue. I, personally teach more adults than children. So the following list is geared a little more toward adult students, but most of the tips apply to any student.

Here is what I recommend when looking for a violin teacher, or any music teacher:

1. Look for someone you can reach easily. A teacher that provides an email and responds quickly will be helpful for you.
2. Find a teacher that has some experience teaching adults. Teaching beginning adults is different than teaching children.
3. Look for a teacher that has a great deal of experience performing and playing in various groups and settings.
4. Find a teacher that will start right away. If they expect you to wait too long to start, that is not worth your time.
5. Find someone who is affordable and fits in your budget. Some teachers can be pricey!
6. Look for a teacher with expectations and a pretty solid set of policies and plans. An organized teacher is very important for your learning potential.
7. I recommend looking for a teacher that can offer a wide variety of styles of music.
8. I also recommend finding a teacher that will have an adult student begin playing their violin right away. For most children it is common to wait on actual playing for a few weeks, or months depending on the child. With adults, I feel this is not necessary and they should be ready to start playing right away.

I like to offer a first lesson for free, that way my potential students can make sure they are finding someone who is a good fit for them. Some students like a more strict environment than I offer, or sometimes we just don't entirely get along. If you can find a teacher that offers this, it can be helpful as well.

Good luck with your search to find a teacher! It is not always an easy task, but hopefully these tips will help.

tips for dealing with nerves

Every music student will be forced to deal with some nerves and anxiety for performing or even just playing for lessons. It can be really nerve wracking to play in front of other people in any type of setting. Here are some of my tips for dealing with those nerves:

1. Yoga/stretching. I do some sort of yoga or stretching before I practice every day. I find it relaxing which helps with my playing as  a whole, but it can also be calming and can help with any anxiety.

2. Breathing Exercises. Similarly with yoga, this can be extremely calming and can help. I have one student in particular that has a difficult time with her nerves before and during lessons. We always do some slow, controlled breathing to help her relax and calm down.

3. The 100 count. I love this. I do this anytime I am nervous before a performance. Lay flat on your back with your eyes closed. Count down from 100 slowly, breathing with every count of 5. Repeat as necessary until you feel under control.

4. Visualization techniques. It can help to visualize your performance. If possible, a practice session where you will be playing can help with later visualizing.

5. On the day of your performance, don't play the song! I know! It sounds crazy, but I swear it works. Whenever I have a big performance coming up, I play a bunch of other things. Anything except the song I'm going to perform. For me, it kinda takes the extra pressure off.

Well, that's about it. If you have any ideas to add, please comment or send them to me. I would love to get a nice big list!