Violin with Brooke S.

Hi, there! My name is Brooke and I am excited to work with you! I've been teaching private lessons since 2014 and have loved helping my students learn to read music, make progress by setting weekly goals, and working on performance skills to build confidence. I am currently available to teach lessons at my retail location and online. Below you can view my teaching policies as well as FAQ about lessons with me and learning violin. I look forward to helping you meet your goals! ***Teacher Responsibility*** As your violin teacher, it is my goal to provide students with the following: 1. Building a detailed lesson plan that is customized to the student and will foster their learning through a mixture of technique, listening, and instruction. 2. Encouraging regular practice by creating a schedule that benefits the student. 3. Communicating lesson assignments with the parent and student. ***Student/Parent Responsibility*** I highly encourage parents of young students to participate with them in lessons. This can be anything to observing lessons, taking notes, or even learning along side your child. The more invested you are in your child's music lessons, the more motivated they will be to learn. I ask that parents of young students will be supportive in the following ways: 1. Provide an instrument and any other required books or accessories needed for lessons. 2. Encourage a consistent practice. 3. Be on time for your lesson. 4. Communicate any questions or concerns with me. ***Lesson Details and Preparation*** Please be prepared when logging on. Your lesson is time for instruction, not practice. For online lessons I suggest logging on in an environment that is quiet and free from distractions and has a strong internet connection. To make the most out of your lesson time, I suggest logging on to your lesson with your assigned music, completed assignment(s), instrument tuned, a pencil, and notebook. ***Required Music*** To start out, I recommend that beginning students purchase Essential Elements Volume One for Violin before the first lesson. This book will cover basic note reading, rhythm, form, and more. Then, we will work in whatever you would like to learn as you become more comfortable and confident with the basic fundamentals. Learning the basics is critical to learning the violin, but I want to do everything I can in my power to make your lesson experience fun and memorable! Students with prior experience may have different music suggestions when starting out. ***FAQ about Lessons*** Q: Can anyone learn the violin? A: Yes! I have worked with students as young as four years old, and as old as eighty. You can learn anything regardless of age! Q: Where should I purchase my violin from? A: If you can, I recommend going to a music retail location and trying a violin out for yourself so you can get a proper fitting. I understand that purchasing a violin online is convenient, but it is hard to know for sure what the quality of the instrument you are purchasing is. Some things to make sure of when purchasing a violin are strings that properly fit the violin, a bridge that curves from the lowest to highest string (not the same height for every string) and pegs that stay put when playing. You also want to make sure your violin will be able to stay in tune for the length of a lesson, which is something a music specialist can help you determine at a retail location. Q: How often should I tune my violin? A: You should check to make sure your violin is in tune every time you play it. You can purchase a tuner from most music stores or download a tuning app for free. To make the most out of your lesson time, I strongly recommend tuning your instrument before logging on for your lesson. (I go over how to tune the violin in the first lesson.) Q: How often should I practice? A: One of the most common questions I am asked as a teacher is how much a student should practice during the week. I recommend that beginning students practice a minimum of 120 minutes (or two hours) a week. This can be divided into 30 minutes a day for four days a week. I have found that these numbers have provided excellent results for students during the first six months of playing.