5 Ways to Prepare Your Child to Learn to Play the Violin
Has your child always dreamed of playing the violin? While some are ready to dive in right away, you and your child might still need a bit of time to get used to the idea and prepare for this potential endeavour.
Here are some ways you can prepare your child (and yourself) for ‘Step Into Strings’ beginner violin course or beginning with a local violin teacher:
1) Print off this FREE violin parts and bow printable!
Look the diagram over with your child and have them become familiar with the various parts of the instrument. They can colour it, memorize it or just study it so they know what they will be working with.
2) Watch performances of violinists.
Here are some recommendations:
3) Talk to your child about a potential time of day in your schedule that they could set aside time to practice the violin.
Finding a time slot and putting it in your family’s daily schedule helps everyone know what is happening at that time of day. It also helps practice time become something that is consistent.
4) Set up a practice space in your house that is quiet and away from distraction.
Prepare the room by setting up a music stand that will be used to hold the music. Perhaps you and your child can even find an inspirational poster like this one to put up on the wall!
5) Read books about violins or famous violinists.
Some of my recommendations include:
- Ada’s Violin - The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay (by Susan Hood)
- Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (by Lloyd Moss)
- Itzhak: A Boy Who Loved The Violin (by Tracy Newman)
There you have it. I love seeing the excitement on a child’s face as they prepare and begin their journey with the violin. While no one never knows exactly how long a child will end up playing a certain instrument, everyone needs to start somewhere in their musical journey and I promise, the effort will be worth it!