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Beginning Violin Jumpstart for Teens

In this 2-week course, students will learn all the basics of playing the violin, from tuning and basic care all the way to playing several songs and knowledge and skills for future playing!
Rebecca Portillo
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(41)
Class
Play

What's included

4 live meetings
4 in-class hours
Homework
1-2 hours per week. Students will have practicing "homework" and should expect to spend about 15-30 minutes each day practicing outside of class, on the days that do not have class meetings. While consistent practice is not required for class, it is encouraged as it makes it much easier to build the skills and muscle memory to play the violin.

Class Experience

US Grade 8 - 11
Beginner Level
Whether you need some instruction in violin basics before joining a music program, or just want to learn to play for your own enjoyment, this 2-week class is designed as an intensive to get you a quick jumpstart to playing and understanding the foundational skills and concepts you will need to continue on with the violin, even if you have never touched an instrument before! 

In this class, students will learn how to care for their violins, how to tune using a combination of the pegs and the fine tuners, how to hold the violin and bow with proper form and work with their body to enable long-term playing, the secrets to getting a good sound out of the violin even as a beginner, what intonation is and why it matters, how to play 3 basic scales, how to identify the parts of sheet music and decode notes to learn to play songs of your choice on your own, and more! 

This class is designed to quickly build a good foundation for future playing and enough understanding to be able to make some further progress even without direct instruction. Students will be able to use what they learn to select a song of their choice to work on during the second week of class, with some class time set aside for individual feedback and coaching. 

I will demonstrate all of the skills that we will cover in this class on my own violin, in short, easy-to-follow steps. This is an interactive class, and students will have the opportunity to demonstrate back what we are learning, and ask and answer questions. This class is best experienced when the learner is able to have their camera on throughout class showing both their violin hold and bow hold. Because of the nature of musical instrument sounds on Zoom, students will generally stay muted while we practice skills together, and may be unmuted for individual demonstration and feedback. 

I believe that the beginning stages of learning to play the violin should always be filled with encouragement, and progress should always be celebrated, no matter how small it may seem! Every learner is unique, and it is always worth taking your time in the beginning stages of learning an instrument like the violin, because a good foundation pays off later on. My goal is to meet every student exactly where they are and help them get the best start they can on their instrument!
Learning Goals
Basic care of the violin
How to tune the violin using a combination of the pegs and the fine tuners
learning goal

Syllabus

4 Lessons
over 2 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Setup, Tuning, and Form
 This lesson will cover setting up the violin, including shoulder rests, tightening and loosening the bow, and applying rosin, followed by tuning basics and live practice and feedback for tuning, and ending with learning a good, ergonomic violin hold and bow hold that enables easier playing and good technique. 
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Tone Production, String Crossing, and Left-Hand Fingering
 This lesson will include a brief review of tuning, violin hold, and bow hold, then add bow exercises, playing open strings, troubleshooting tone and developing a good tone, string crossing technique, technique and form for left-hand fingering, basic finger pattern, and learning the beginning of a simple beginner violin song by rote. 
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Scales, Songs, and Music Reading Basics for Violin
 This lesson will cover 2 one-octave scales (A major and D major), learning to play one to two songs using sheet music combined with rote fingerings during class, reading basic rhythms, identifying the basic parts of sheet music to determine if it is at a beginning violin level, and using a "note decoder" to translate sheet music into what string and fingering is used on the violin. 
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
More Scales and Accidentals: Not an Accident, the Key to More Music
 This lesson will cover the two-octave G major scale with a new finger pattern, review the A major and D major scales with expanded understanding of the fingerings for notes outside of the single octave, translating accidentals (sharps and flats) into their respective fingerings on violin, and coaching students on learning songs of their choice in the keys of G, D, or A major. 
60 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Supply List
Students will need to have their own violin and bow in their correct size (typically a full-size, also known as 4/4 size, or 3/4 size for students who are under 5 feet tall), rosin, a small soft cloth, a shoulder rest or foam pad (usually attached with a rubber band) in place of a shoulder rest, and an extra set of strings in case a string breaks during tuning. I also recommend learners have some small stickers (flat, not raised, around 1/4 inch wide or less - little star stickers often work well for this) or finger tapes (which are long stickers) designed for violins, which will be applied on the second day of class, and any free tuning app of your choice or a clip-on or digital tuner to help with the tuning process. 
If you would like additional help with selecting a good beginner instrument, please send me a message - I am happy to provide more information about this!
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined September, 2021
5.0
41reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in Music from California State University Northridge
I have been a violinist for over 30 years, with a BA in Music Education, and my main instrument as violin and extra coursework in string pedagogy. I have taught violin to students of all ages, ranging from beginning to advanced pre-professional levels, for more than 20 years. 

Reviews

Live Group Course
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$38

weekly or $75 for 4 classes
2x per week, 2 weeks
60 min

Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
2-8 learners per class

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