Learning to play violin -- what to expect?

[Strix]

That's it really. DD (6, year 2) has just started taking violin lessons. I know nothing about it and just wondered what to expect.

When do exams begine?
How many are there?
How long until she will be world famous? (just kidding)

The feedback so far from her teacher is very good. But, obviously it's very early days. I just wonder what level of commitment I have just signed myself up for.

I kind of wonder why you are spending money on this. Seems odd to deliberately hold her back.
I also wonder why you are asking about it all if you are so determined to swat away advice from people who have gone through this and think practice is actually pretty important.
To be honest I'd just stop it all and come back to it in a couple of years as there's not a great deal of point in just going to the lessons.
As an ex-music teacher I would be gritting my teeth every time a pupil turned up with minimal or no practice.

I think that the OP's suggestion of 10 mins practice twice a week is fine for a 6 year old and is not being held back.

I am perfectly happy with this amount of practice from my own dd who was 6 when she started piano. She has not become frustrated, if anything though she has not ploughed to the end of her book she has a much nicer touch than most her age (though it might be as I am overly picky about hand position and tone.

Practice is important, but the OP's dd has other commitments and surely it is better to avoid burnout but allow her to start something she enjoys.

OK

All my dcs have learned violin. Its really, really, tough. Eldest sounded spectacularly awful for 8 years then it clicked. Violin teacher refused to teach middle child after two and a half years - it just wasn't the instrument for him. dd got a good grade 3 within 2 years of picking up the violin - but she doesn't really enjoy it.

I agree with splodge above - be prepared for daily practise. and the cost - lessons, and if child gets good then decent bow. We haven't been particularly bothered with grades.

I'm trying to think of something positive...I suppose it has been all worth it for teenager who now plays purely for the love of it and enjoys orchestra etc. But what a slog.

Caffieneaddict - but it isn't for everyone, and OP's daughter appears to have a bit of a knack for it...

BUt yes, the string family are fantastic once you get reasonable, and you can continue playing when you are adult in orchestras - its much more difficult if you are a wind or brass player as there are only normally two of each instrument of these compared to twenty odd violins, and a good number of violas, cells and dbs - its rare to get a full complement in fact!

Glad your DD wants to play with her friend - the social side of an orchestral instrument was why my parents signed me up for violin rather than piano (which they'd both found very lonely as children). I probably would have dropped out had it not been for joining a youth orchestra, which turned out to be one of the best things I ever did - still playing in orchestras 35 years later! If the lessons are private, your DD probably will do grades, but I know of at least one professional violinist who did none (went to Chethams in Manchester, then auditioned for the RNCM). Good luck to both of you. And there are worse noises (thinks of DS's "Bob-the-Builder" quad bike which has mysteriously disappeared).

Okay, I think I have a reputation as a bit of a pushy parent. She goes to Kumon whether she likes it or not. She takes dance which likes when she is there but we have wobbles whenever a friend drops out. She is doing well on her spelling in school (they are streamed) and I push her to stay in the top group. Now violin... I think it's time for me to chill just a little. I talked to her this morning and said she needs to practice Tuesday morning (the only morning she doesn't do Kumon because she goes to Kumon that day after school)and Saturday or Sunday morning. That's her requirement. And by all means, I am happy for her to go dig out the violin and play it at any moment of boredom. I smile and say "well done". But if I grill her to do this every morning and then do Kumon as well, she will grow to hate them both... and my favourite ever nanny would probably resign because she didn't want to work for a control freaky mum.

REally, we need balance. But, if the teacher ever comes to me and says Hannah is not progressing and needs to practice more, I will find a way to get in line. For now, the teacher has told me she is doing great. So, I shall leave it at that until otherwise instructed by the teacher. I have every intention of following her lead (as I do with the dance teacher -- I also know nothing about dance).

I can't believe I've been accused of not pushing her hard enough. The mind boggles.

Crikey - just googled Kumon! She's only 6, I think I would ease up a bit if I were you (and my personal choice would be for her to drop the Kumon and keep the violin). But I guess we all do our parenting differently. (apologies for temporary donning of judgey-pants). Hope she gets as much fun out the violin as I have (I fluctuated between not practising at all and doing 4 hours a night by the time I was 18, but the push came from me, not my parents).

I am not saying you should "push" her further Strix. I am trying to point out that an instrument such as the violin requires a certain degree of committment and if there's not time for that then it might be better to abandon for now.
Maybe wait a few years and try it again, or another instrument that is quicker to pick up and play, becuse stringed instruments are the hardest at first.
Committing to practise is not being unecessarily "pushy" - it is doing what is required for the desired result.
But if you reckon it's working on playing twice a week then fine.

Sorry, I'm sure you are right that really learning the violin is a bigger time commitment. But, it does have to fit in with other commitments. Perhaps I'll have a proper chat with the violin teacher next term and see how we are getting on. And maybe over the summer we will practise more violin when we don't really have so many other things going on. 10 mintues of violin a day when there is no school is surely doable.

And, I am also keeping in mind that violin might not always be her chosen instrument. When I asked what instrument she wanted to play, she paused and replied "electric guitar". She is too small to play the electric guitar now, but in a few years she well be more of budding rock star... I want her to dip into music and see what she like and I want her to enjoy it.

PS No way we will give up Kumon. Come find me on the Kumon thread if you want to know why I love it. It has been so good for DD.

Incidentally, I understand learning to play an instrument is also good for one's math skills.

Not sure which way round it works, to be honest - whether music makes you good at maths or good mathematicians make good musicians. There are a lot of good amateur players who are mathematicians/physicists. (Einstein was one - apparently he and the pianist rubenstein were playing together for fun one day, and after Einstein messed up for the umpteenth time, Rubenstein turned to him and said "for heaven's sake, Albert, can't you count?")

Interesting - the connection between maths and music. My dd is very good at maths and doing well in music (piano and violin). And when asked what her favourite subjects are, then she'll answer maths and music .

I had always thought that maths was analytical and music more creative/emotional, so am very intrigued at the relationship between the two subjects, and that strength in one can encourage the other.

Strix - I'd be interested to see the threads on Kumon - can you point me in their direction, thanks? Glad your dd is starting the violin quite early; I'm sure someone's already pointed this out, but given the level of motor skills needed both string instruments and the piano need to be started early - tho there are some very rare exceptions to this).

Re maths and music (don't want to hijack the thread) - both are both analytical and emotional experiences. It may sound odd to describe maths as eliciting an emotional response, but perhaps not so much so when you realise that seeing something like the Taj Mahal and seeing it as beautiful is partly an emotional response to symmetry - an emotional response to something mathematical.

There is one here: Kumon what happens at the assessment

If you post something I will happily respond.

Oh, and I loved "for heaven's sake, Albert, can't you count?".

Made me laugh out loud.

Sorry to hear about your DD's antediluvian teachers - but very glad that you're taking such positive steps to counteract their attitudes! I've made a mental note of Kumon for later reference - looks interesting (sorry about earlier post - only previous experience of a child of that age having "private tuition" didn't come out well, but Kumon looks quite different). My DS is still very little so not something to be thinking about yet.

I think it serves some kids and not others. DD it definitely serves. I'm not sure about DS. He's more into books and just learning lots of things about dinosaurs, spiders, and so on. Whereas DD has better spacial relationship, problem solving, and leadership skills. So, I think math is up her street. But, not sure math will be DS' thing. So we might have to find something else for him to excel at. He wants to be a "Dinosaur Explorer" when he grows up. Som mabey he's more aof a natural sciece kind of guy.

Anyway, I am blabbing...