All About Violin Classes and Teachers

[sylpha]

Starrenee:

Hi. Can anyone recommend a good violin teacher who can come to house to do 1 to 1? My gal is 6yo. I live at the east near Parkway. Pls pm me. Thanks in advance.

Heya

Can call Synwin (Head Office) and ask for a recommendation. I got my teacher from there. Currently, learning from 2 teachers and trying to inspire my 16mth gal

[Starrenee]

Wow! your gal is only 16 mths and she can hold a violin?

[phankao]

Starrenee:

Wow! your gal is only 16 mths and she can hold a violin?

She only says she wants to inspire her 16mo.

My 22month-old can hold a box violin though. Very real too. haha.

[HyperKiasu]

Dear fellow parents,


My son will attend violin courses. Can any parents advise how to choose violin? any recommended brand? and price range?


thanks in advance

[mum05]

HyperKiasu:

Dear fellow parents,


My son will attend violin courses. Can any parents advise how to choose violin? any recommended brand? and price range?


thanks in advance

How old is your son? Actually, you should ask his teacher for recommendation. Let him/her know your budget. Unless for a full size, it is usual for the teachers to suggest a basic one for young beginners 'cos 1st of all, we/they're not sure how long will the kid be interested in learning the instrument, 2ndly, they'd need to change the size of the violin very fast - say, within a year til they hit the full size. So unless u have the means, they'd usually ask you to get a relatively cheap one to start with.

[fristrom]

HyperKiasu:

Dear fellow parents,


My son will attend violin courses. Can any parents advise how to choose violin? any recommended brand? and price range?


thanks in advance

My daughter started violin at a music school middle last year and we bought a violin from the school for about $120. I didn't realise something is not right until I heard the sound of the violin from her classmate. Late last year, we switched to a private teacher and he pointed out that the violin's bridge was not of the correct shape: the side close to the G-string was too high so that it was difficult to press the string properly.

Anyway, as my daughter outgrow the old violin, we bought a new one for her birthday. We paid the teacher about $300 and he chose it for her. According to the teacher, each violin sound different even for the same price. My daughter is outgrowing her violin so looks like we will have to get her a new one for her birthday this year.

[HyperKiasu]

Hi, Fristrom and Mum05,



thanks for your replies.

my son (6.5yo)'s school offer violin class in about 2 weeks. yesterday just received the letter. if buy violin + shoulder pad + book, will cost $135. if buy book only, cost $20. no detail about violin....

initially my thought is just let my son experience it as a fun only(he quit piano one year ago, so i didn't expect him to love violin ) , no need to b so particular about the instrument, but later i think my daughter (4yr) might love violin...so i think it is better for me to buy a good one....

may i know how old is your daughter now? what is the brand of the violin that the teacher bought for your daughter? what kind of violin are you looking for? or you might let the teacher to choose a new one for her ?

thank you... :thankyou:

[smurf]

May I know where is Mr Kang teaching now? :?

[fristrom]

HyperKiasu:

initially my thought is just let my son experience it as a fun only(he quit piano one year ago, so i didn't expect him to love violin ) , no need to b so particular about the instrument, but later i think my daughter (4yr) might love violin...so i think it is better for me to buy a good one....

may i know how old is your daughter now? what is the brand of the violin that the teacher bought for your daughter? what kind of violin are you looking for? or you might let the teacher to choose a new one for her ?

thank you... :thankyou:

My daughter is almost 5. The brand is \"synwin\", and she is using a 1/10 size. We will ask her teacher to help when we need to get a bigger one, as I really don't know how to choose.

If I were you, I will get a cheaper one for your 6.5 years old. You can always progress to a better one if he is serious. Violin is quite a delicate instrument. If your daughter is going take up the violin, she won't be able to use this size until she is at your son's current age i.e. you will have to keep it in a good shape for the next 2.5 year.

[watmekiasu]

fristrom:

My daughter started violin at a music school middle last year and we bought a violin from the school for about $120. I didn't realise something is not right until I heard the sound of the violin from her classmate. Late last year, we switched to a private teacher and he pointed out that the violin's bridge was not of the correct shape: the side close to the G-string was too high so that it was difficult to press the string properly.

That's a good point that you've brought up. A good music teacher, imo, apart from being able to teach practical, should know what makes an instrument sound good. Hence, there should be some technical knowledge on the built of an instrument. I'm surprised that your daughter's first violin teacher didn't notice the problem with the bridge esp during tuning. Yes, the bridge sometimes need to be shifted slightly or shaved down. Same with the sound post - it may need to be shifted. If the teacher does not have the technical skill, you can send it to Synwin. They wil charge you a small sum for the service.

Here are a few other tips which should be useful :

- make sure all the strings have fine tuners as the pegs are very difficult
for the child to fine tune
- if the strings go out of tune easily, rub a bit of chalk on the peg. It
will help give a better grip, therefore less slippage
- if the peg is too tight, rub it with the lead of a pencil. That should
help smooth it out
- rosin can build up on the strings, affecting the sound. Remove the
rosin with a cork
- buy the best strings you can afford. You'll be surprised by the
difference it makes. However, if you child is like mine who broke strings
like every month in the early days, just use the cheap strings and
change to the best strings (we like Dominant) about 2 months before the
exam.
- do not pull off broken bow hair. You may loosen all the hair. Cut it
off with scissors close to the bow.