All About Violin Classes and Teachers
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Campbelli:
:thankyou: Campbelli!Hi angel,
You can try Doreimi music school if you wish to go for one to one violin classes. Most of their lessons there are one to one as they focus on accurate techniques which you can't get from group classes. they also organize a lot of other activities within the school to let the students have more exposure. I think the violin teacher still have some available timings on weekends. They also offer trial lessons at $30 for 30min if you want to see if your child can get along with the teacher, but by appointment only. Hope your child have fun learning the violin!
Worth giving a try!
Link: http://www.doreimi.com.sg
Its located at blk 342 jurong east street 31, #03-01.
I think my playful DS who is almost 4 and a half is finally ready to start violin lessons, could all the experienced parents out there please kindly recommend good 1 to 1 teachers? Anywhere in Central, West or South is fine. -
Lynn2010:
Pm you already.[/quote]Hi Lynn2010,
Hi,yippie131:
[quote=\"Lynn2010\"]My dd violin teacher quite good. Taught her for more than a year. He is some times too passionate, teach more than the \"contracted hours\"
The previous violin teacher we had - all he knows is $$$. If we cancel a lesson, very difficult to do replacement, and when i ask for prorate, he refused and said he will make up. He will come 2 lessons at one go; he doesnt care if the child is learning or play till fingers sore!! Or he will call you one hour before and say \"I can do the replace in the next hour\". I never see him play the violin before! Having said that, he did guide my dd lah
Can u share your violin teacher contact? Many thanks!
Could you please also PM me your violin contact. TIA. -
Hi lynn2010
May I check with you after coaching yr DD for about a year did the teacher mention about going for grading?
I wonder how long does a kid takes to take his grade 1 & 2
My son has been learning violin for nine months.
I feel the teacher is too easy with my son. His teacher is very friendly and too friendly to the extent that my son don’t feel the “push” to practice leh…
Don’t know should I continue with this current teacher or change. -
Blessedwife:
Hi Blessedwife,Hi lynn2010
May I check with you after coaching yr DD for about a year did the teacher mention about going for grading?
I wonder how long does a kid takes to take his grade 1 & 2
My son has been learning violin for nine months.
I feel the teacher is too easy with my son. His teacher is very friendly and too friendly to the extent that my son don't feel the \"push\" to practice leh...
Don't know should I continue with this current teacher or change.
You should talk to the teacher. Both my dds skip grade 1 & 2. This was with another teacher. They started with Grade 3, 5, then 6. DD took Gr 6 when this tutor coach her. Now preparing for Gr 8, that is, she is skipping Gr 7 based on the tutor's recommendation.
Apparently, many students skip grade 1 and do not do all the grades (sequentially), so your teacher may just be doing that. Ask the teacher which grade she is preparing your ds, and when does she think your ds can take the exam.
We have a total of 5 teachers in all, sometimes the change is due to the sch change the teacher (so beyond our control). Subsequently, we hire teacher to teach kids at home. I usually discuss with the teacher what grade to prepare and when is the target exam so that both teacher and student can focus and work towards it. Otherwise, it will be waste time waste money. There are times that my dds are not ready, then we will discuss to postpone to the next exam date -
Hi Lynn2010,
Thank you for your kind advice
I think my biggest problem is I do not have any music background and hence I cannot help my son much non give him proper guidance when he practices his violin. I can just comment if the music is soothing to the ears or is out of tune.
Must we parents also needs to learn and understand the basic in order to supervise our kid? Maybe I'm just plain lazy too not like other mummies who also join in the learning process.
You see by now coming to 10 months of learning violin he still cannot read the note by himself. He still depend very much on the teacher to indicate A1 , A2 etc for him.
This teacher never force him to learn. He thinks that he should go easy with him since he is only 6. Is this right?
May I know at what age your DDs started violin and estimate how long for them to reach to their current level?
Also, are you able to recommend your DD violin teacher?
I can't seem to get any recommendation from other parents here.
Looking forward for your reply
You may PM me if you can thank you !! -
phankao:
Hi, read that your son is doing violin diploma. May I ask what is the advantage of doing diploma if one is not keen on performing or teaching? Trying to decide the next course of action for my dd who just finished her grade 8 exam in Aug. She's now taking a break due to the PSLE. The thing is she's doesn't like to perform and is not part of an Ensemble.If your son's teacher thinks he can be ready by then, I would think to trust him! Taking exam in March of PSLE year is ok. Much better than taking exam in July-September session (like one of my son's classmate).
then at least in Sec 1(end of sec 1), he can do his Grade 8. Would be just nice. It gets busy in Secondary school, so it'd be good to have completed these early. My eldest son did his Gr 8 in Sec 1 ... and so busy ever since then, he hasn't done his diploma exam yet! Aiming for next yr, which is already Sec 4. JC too busy, hope not to do it then.
Thanks! -
musette:
Actually since still taking lessons, might as well do diploma, right? He's been doing the pieces anyway.
Hi, read that your son is doing violin diploma. May I ask what is the advantage of doing diploma if one is not keen on performing or teaching? Trying to decide the next course of action for my dd who just finished her grade 8 exam in Aug. She's now taking a break due to the PSLE. The thing is she's doesn't like to perform and is not part of an Ensemble.phankao:
If your son's teacher thinks he can be ready by then, I would think to trust him! Taking exam in March of PSLE year is ok. Much better than taking exam in July-September session (like one of my son's classmate).
then at least in Sec 1(end of sec 1), he can do his Grade 8. Would be just nice. It gets busy in Secondary school, so it'd be good to have completed these early. My eldest son did his Gr 8 in Sec 1 ... and so busy ever since then, he hasn't done his diploma exam yet! Aiming for next yr, which is already Sec 4. JC too busy, hope not to do it then.
Thanks! -
Blessedwife:
Generally speaking, if the parents are proficient in the instruments themselves, obviously they would be able assist and help better at home. If no music background, parents could still help, though maybe not as effective. Especially important at the early stage of learning is development of good technique and practice habits. Picking up good technique initially requires close supervision and feedback from a third party. Good posture, bowing and finger technique go long way and should be emphasized as soon as possible. This is even more important than making sure your DS hits the right note. What you can do is to observe your DS' lesson and ask the teacher questions on what you can do at home to help. Though you may be not musically inclined, you can use your eyes to observe if your DS is doing the correct thing. You can then assist your son at home. Most of my students' parents are not musically inclined, but at the very least they can help with this.Hi Lynn2010,
Thank you for your kind advice
I think my biggest problem is I do not have any music background and hence I cannot help my son much non give him proper guidance when he practices his violin. I can just comment if the music is soothing to the ears or is out of tune.
Must we parents also needs to learn and understand the basic in order to supervise our kid? Maybe I'm just plain lazy too not like other mummies who also join in the learning process.
You see by now coming to 10 months of learning violin he still cannot read the note by himself. He still depend very much on the teacher to indicate A1 , A2 etc for him.
This teacher never force him to learn. He thinks that he should go easy with him since he is only 6. Is this right?
May I know at what age your DDs started violin and estimate how long for them to reach to their current level?
Also, are you able to recommend your DD violin teacher?
I can't seem to get any recommendation from other parents here.
Looking forward for your reply
You may PM me if you can thank you !!
If your son is not able to read basic notes after 10 months of lessons, it may be a cause of worry as he will be overly dependent on teacher to learn pieces. 6 years old is not too young to start reading; I have 5 year old students who can comfortably read up to grade 2 by themselves. You do need to ask your son to be more proactive in reading. Instead of waiting the teacher to write, why don't you ask him to write the letters first and then ask the teacher if the letters are correct? Pick up some really easy pieces outside whatever assigned by the teacher and read more. Good sight reading skill correspond also to faster learning of pieces, so it is in your son's best interest to reinforce this aspect of his learning.
Please note I am writing this from the perspective of a piano teacher. There may be subtle differences in approach that a violin teacher would be able to advise better. -
musette:
A lot of major repertoire for most instruments are only covered in Diploma levels. So students who truly love and appreciate music may be inclined to do Diplomas to be able to fully do justice to those repertoire they love. For teaching, a teaching Diploma such as DipABRSM in Instrumental Teaching would be far more practical. The preparation is quite significantly different from a performance one and normally it is recommended that one be a competent performer first before embarking on learning how to teach.phankao:
If your son's teacher thinks he can be ready by then, I would think to trust him! Taking exam in March of PSLE year is ok. Much better than taking exam in July-September session (like one of my son's classmate).
then at least in Sec 1(end of sec 1), he can do his Grade 8. Would be just nice. It gets busy in Secondary school, so it'd be good to have completed these early. My eldest son did his Gr 8 in Sec 1 ... and so busy ever since then, he hasn't done his diploma exam yet! Aiming for next yr, which is already Sec 4. JC too busy, hope not to do it then.
Hi, read that your son is doing violin diploma. May I ask what is the advantage of doing diploma if one is not keen on performing or teaching? Trying to decide the next course of action for my dd who just finished her grade 8 exam in Aug. She's now taking a break due to the PSLE. The thing is she's doesn't like to perform and is not part of an Ensemble.
Thanks!
That being said, performance Diplomas require major commitments. Students need to be proactive in learning, researching, and performing. A disciplined practice regime over an extended period of time is also mandatory; entry level diplomas such as DipABRSM or ALCM will take approximately 1.5 to 2 years or even more to prepare sufficiently. And it is not cheap either to engage proper teacher for the lessons. Cutting corners for diploma preparation will only result in disaster. A lot of these diplomas have 30%-40% passing rate every year. -
Dreamaurora:
A lot of major repertoire for most instruments are only covered in Diploma levels.
That's what I heard too! Real playing begins after grade 8!Dreamaurora:
Thanks, Dreamaurora for the info. I think she'll be v.busy next year when she's in Sec 1 and if she continues with competitive swimming.That being said, performance Diplomas require major commitments. Students need to be proactive in learning, researching, and performing. A disciplined practice regime over an extended period of time is also mandatory; entry level diplomas such as DipABRSM or ALCM will take approximately 1.5 to 2 years or even more to prepare sufficiently. And it is not cheap either to engage proper teacher for the lessons. Cutting corners for diploma preparation will only result in disaster. A lot of these diplomas have 30%-40% passing rate every year.
Thinking whether we should just let her continue lessons without aiming for Diploma. Will such lessons be less expensive? To stop after getting a distinction in Grade 8 seems such as waste!