Violin Lessons in Boston, MA

Instruments: Violin Electric Violin Fiddle

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Do what is suggested on the weekly lesson and practice plan. If you cannot cover everything on the list, do what you can, but do it well. Try practicing at the end of the piece first, moving back to the beginning. Find your trouble spots and play with them many different ways. Play scales and scale patterns every day. Consistency is crucial. Fear sneaks in when days are missed. If you are not with your instrument, listen to good examples of your pieces, watch others play, learn to practice with your sheet music alone!

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
If the child is insistent about starting, over time, visit someone's lesson. Meet with the teacher and if possible, attend an introductory lesson. Ages 6-8 are great ages to start, but make sure that the child has the time during the week to devote to practice. Are there other musicians in the family? If the parents or siblings also practice, the child in question may be ready to take on the challenge too. Also, having the parent involved in the lessons and supportive at home will encourage readiness.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
The hardest thing to master on my instrument is the fluctuation of dialogue in my head from insecurity to accomplishment. There are days when I feel I know little about the wood and strings I hold, and others when I go straight to the sound, from what I hear in my head to the sounds coming from the violin, viola or cello. Each day is a new beginning. For me, the reality of six decades of playing sometimes clashes with the how far I have yet to go. There is no rule book for internal expectations.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I started out as an artist. From an early age, I said that I would be one. I did actually win full scholarship to Massachusetts College of Art (1967), but left after only 2 years. If not music, I would have gone on to create large oil paintings, perhaps illustrations for books or would have become an art teacher or a poor starving artist. There are many correlations between the arts and the elements of balance, color, emotion, the inertia of beginnings, and the pride of accomplishment, all of them being wellsprings of music creation.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
At a point in my life I was miserable at my job, feeling that the money did not justify the time spent doing something that was unfulfilling. I began to visualize being happy and fulfilled, warmed by doing something that would connect me to people. After a few weeks I began to add music to my vision. I was playing fiddle at a contra dance one evening when a few PASOW teachers approached me. The Performing Arts School of Worcester was looking for a folk musician to help bring folk music to their established classical program. Things changed dramatically and happily for me then!

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