Starting a child or yourself on a string instrument (violin, viola, cello or double bass) can be a scary endeavor. Especially if you are not familiar with the instruments. Where should we get our instrument? Should we rent or buy? Who has the best deal? Are a few questions that you might find yourself asking. Generally speaking, I recommend renting an instrument in the beginning. This is a good way to avoid spending a lot of money for an instrument that could get played for 3 months and then sit in a closet for the next 3 years. Renting also prevents younger students from having the wrong size instrument, because as kids grow, their instruments do, too. Several local shops have a rent to own program as well. But in some cases buying an instrument is a better choice. For example, after a couple years of lessons or if you are already full-size!

So, why not just go with the cheapest rental place or buy the cheapest violin? The answer is because if you want to develop good technique and continue an instrument, you have to be able to make a good sound. Having an instrument, not an instrument shaped object, in good working condition is the first step to becoming a musician. Some less reputable rental places will buy instruments that will never be able to make a decent sound or be in tune. This begins a self fulfilling prophecy. “I sound bad and am not getting any better so I quit.” Beginners are not going to make beautiful sounds from the start, but it will get better in a couple weeks! For example, the bridge should be wooden, not plastic, and have grooves for the strings. This will improve tone and help so that the bridge won’t fall off, which is a problem. Another give away for choosing an instrument or to decide if the instrument is not a toy is purfling, which is a narrow edge engraved into the instrument to show where is it glued together. ISO’s (instrument shaped objects) will often not have purfling or it will be painted on.

A couple questions that you should ask yourself as you are shopping around for a place to rent an instrument or to purchase an instrument are:

Does this place primarily deal with orchestral strings?

Do they have a luthier (a person who repairs/makes instruments) in shop?

Do they have regular hours?

Do they offer a rent to own program?

These are a couple general questions that can help narrow down choices of places to check out. If you still feel uncomfortable making a decision, you can give the studio a call and I will do my best to help you!

“How much should I practice?”  Probably the most common question asked by students, or more accurately, their parents, is difficult to answer.  Given all the variables at play (age, skill level, goals, etc.), there is just no one size fits all response.  I typically reply to the question with a question of my own: “How good do you want to be?”

The beauty of learning an instrument is that the process is intrinsically fair: the more you practice, the better you will become.  An alternative to simply investing time in an instrument does not exist.  This truism, however, is incomplete without the realization that the quality of practice is equally, if not more, important than the quantity of practice.  So, the more useful questions to ask are “How should I practice?” and “When should I practice?”

How one should practice is probably the easier to answer of the two, if for no other reason than it is less dependent on other variables, like age and attention span of the student or the amount of time one has to devote to practicing.  How should you practice?  To borrow a phrase from a previous teacher of mine, with “musical intent.”  That’s an academic way of saying that you should practice with purpose, fully invested and aware of what you’re playing and how you are playing it.

To always be invested this heavily in practice is a demanding and lofty goal, one that I’ll readily admit to often falling short of.  In fact, I’ve spent hundreds (probably more like thousands) of hours playing guitar in front of the TV, running through scales, arpeggios, and chord progressions, all while taking in my favorite shows and movies.  While the amount of time I invested in this type of practice inevitably contributed to my development as a guitar player, the reality is that that time would have yielded better results if I had been concentrating fully on my playing rather than dividing my attention between music and media.

No matter the age, skill level, or attention span of the student, practice will always prove most effective when it is done with musical intent.  But what about the question of when you should practice?

Another short answer is in order here, but requires a lengthier explanation.  So, “When should you practice?”  When you feel inspired!  This sounds like one of those overly whimsical, head-in-the-clouds sentiments, but allow me to explain.  While I usually recommend that my students try to practice some each day, I realize that this is an unrealistic expectation, given their hectic schedules and other commitments.  I’m also well aware that students, especially younger kids, don’t normally have an overwhelming desire to sit down and focus on practicing their instrument, at least for any extended period of time.  Understandably, parents are often forced to monitor their children to make sure they practice, in the interest of their development and future growth.  I would simply advise anyone learning to play an instrument that practice will never be more productive and fulfilling than when you learn to capitalize on inspiration.

In other words, whenever you feel the desire to pick up your guitar or sit down at the piano, do so without abandon and without concern for time.  Simply engulf yourself in the music that you’re playing and enjoy the ride.  You won’t always feel this way, so capitalize on the times that you do.  This may mean practicing intensely for 2 hours one day, and not playing at all the next, but I think you’ll find that this kind of practice will be incredibly satisfying and extremely productive.

If you haven’t experienced a practice session like this before, I would recommend exposing yourself to more music; watch videos of talented musicians, listen to your favorite albums, and definitely take the time to go see live music, whether it’s the free orchestra concert at your local college or the pricey trip to see your favorite rock band at a venue 2 hours away.  It’s worth the time and money!  Most importantly, be prepared to capitalize on the rush of energy you get from this experience by carving out time afterward to practice.  Go home, pick up your guitar, and start writing your own riffs, feeding off the experience of watching your favorite axe man carve up the fretboard just minutes before.

When you are faced with other obligations from school or work, try to plan your week in a manner that allows time for you to follow your musical whims without restraint.  It’s a terrible feeling to have to cut short an inspired session on your instrument, so pay attention to the times you tend to feel motivated to play, and adjust your schedule in order to maximize these times of inspiration.

Having spent 4 years studying music at a collegiate level, I know what it’s like to be unable to experience practice in this way.  I simply didn’t have the luxury of practicing only when the inspiration to do so was present.  But for anyone young or anyone learning an instrument without the intentions of pursuing music professionally, I believe that approaching practice organically rather than obligatorily will be more fruitful and satisfying in the long run.  And if you can manage to frequently find that inspiration that compels you to pick up your instrument and never put it down, then you’ve found something special, something that makes you a musician.

There are many apprehensions that arise when thinking of learning an instrument as an adult.  We are all busy these days. We have careers, we are parents, we are spouses, and we have people and pets who depend on us! We put everyone and everything else before our own needs. At the end of the day, we are exhausted and couldn’t possibly fit anything else into our busy schedule.

This common scenario reminds me of an analogy one of my elementary school teachers made when trying to teach us about what is important and how to prioritize. She brought out a large glass jar, a few large rocks, some pebbles and sand. She first filled it with sand and then she asked us to try and fill it with rocks...they didn’t fit and neither did the pebbles. She proceeded to empty the jar and this time she started filling it with the rocks. She asked us if anything else would fit and we looked confused, so she filled it with pebbles and shook the jar. She asked us again if it was full and we nodded our heads in agreement that nothing else would possibly fit. She poured the sand in, sifted it down and sure enough it all fit in the jar.

The lesson here is basic: if it is important enough, you will prioritize accordingly and find the time despite all the obstacles (mine come in the form form of two little girls ages 1 and 2). The big and important things come first...YOU. “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy .” Much like exercise in that it is not always fun, but ultimately good for you and afterwards you feel fantastic, learning an instrument is invigorating! Self improvement in the form of learning about music is instrumental (pun intended) in keeping us fresh, using a different part of our brain and feeling good about ourselves that we can still learn with the best of ‘em. Taking music lessons on a weekly basis is a reminder to me that I am still me. I sometimes lose that in the buzz of daily life. I am so wrapped up in trying to teach my children the wonders of the world, that I forget there is a whole big universe out there filled with things that I haven’t explored yet.

What else can combine all the passion and feeling that music evokes along with math, history of the ages and the different cultures of nations. Music unites us, as diverse as we are, and we all love it in one form or another. Learning about reading music and music theory has enriched my love of music and understanding of how multi-layered music can be, even in it’s simplest structure.

So let’s address some common fears. Am I too old to learn an instrument? Never. Since I have the pleasure of being a musician’s wife, I get to witness the wide range of students coming through the music studio and I can say with certainty that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! Plus, I know from my own current experience of learning the piano as a 34 year old women. Now I did take lessons for about a year as a youngster, but I basically had to start from scratch because I didn’t remember a thing except how to play “Heart and Soul”. That song stuck with me.

Will I have time to dedicate to this new hobby? This is tough because again, we are over scheduled and under pampered! And until recently, I felt downright guilty about taking time to do something for myself. I will refer you to above rock/jar/pebble story and tell you that I really look forward to my lessons each week. First, they are a guaranteed half hour that is all about me. Second, I love my kids, but it is nice to have a break here and there. And lastly, I get to have adult conversations about something that excites me and is interesting! The other thing I will suggest is that you work out a schedule that makes sense for you. Perhaps weekly lessons are hard to commit to...then do an hour every other week. For me, a half hour every week keeps the information fresh in my brain and gives me about the right amount of material that I can practice in a week’s time. To be honest, there are weeks when I just can’t get much time to practice, but I figure it is better to make slow progress, than none at all.

I will leave you with one final thought. The most surprising benefit in learning an instrument myself, is that my kids see me learning something new. This has had profound effects on my children even as young as they are. It is hard to make time to practice, but I usually find myself doing so while the kids are playing in the basement...since that is where our piano lives. Well, something wonderful happened: my kids climb up with me and try to play themselves. They are interested in what I am doing. Sometimes they just dance and sing to whatever song I am learning. My one year old pretends like she is reading music and turns the pages and hits some keys. And the best part is they cheer me on. One day, I was working out a new song, struggling to get it right and play it smoothly. When I finally nailed it and played it to completion, my oldest jumped up and down yelling “good job, mommy!” I hope that in a year or so, I will be learning right along with my kids, practicing together and playing songs as a family. What better way to inspire music and learning in your kids, than leading by example.

There is a quote in the studio by Plato “I would teach children music, physics and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns of music are the keys to learning”. This is true for adults too! So put your fears aside and jump in! I promise it will be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.

A few months ago, my husband and I went to see Andre Bocceli. It was amazing! His singing was incredible, along with that of his colleagues with whom he shared the stage.

While leaving the concert my husband said, “why don’t we do this more often?” “Do what more often?” “Go to performances”.

It made me stop and think. Why don’t we “do this more often?”

When we were in college, we were surrounded by music. It was apart of our everyday life. We would roll out of bed in the morning and go to music theory, or piano class, followed by music history, then choir, then conducting, then maybe in the evening we would go to someone’s recital. Music was everywhere! I didn’t realize it until I wasn’t surrounded by it anymore, what I was missing.

Every time you watch somebody perform, you learn something, so why don’t we “do this more often” my fellow musicians? Not only do you learn something, but it reignites your passion for your art and what you do!