The general concensus is that to get to a high standard on a stringed instrument you have to start young, say six or seven.

Liz

Pretty true that you need to start early in order to get to a high standard. I wish my parents might have recognized that I liked music when I would always play the piano in my first grade classroom when we had free-time. I did start piano lessons in first grade, but I recently started violin 3 months before I turned 15 (I am 16 now with a summer birthday). The note-reading experience from piano has really helped, but it wasn`t until I had decided that I really really wanted to play the violin that I actually started.

I think I would have enjoyed the violin at a young age, and I sure had time for it (with all the video games I played then, I`m surprised they didn`t see if I wanted to play another instrument). Now I am playing catch-up. I am learning Sarasate`s Romanza Andaluza right now, but really am working on polishing my technique, things that take real time. Learning notes is easy, but changing your technique is harder. And then some other music teacher was asking me if I ever considered going to a conservatoire (sp?) after high school, is it possible if I`m in 10th grade and have been playing for 1 1/2 years? I would really like to, but I`m not sure if I`m good enough...

-Tim

Hi Tim!
That`s great that you`re so interested to continue your education in music! As for telling if you`re ready or not by the time you graduate, it all depends on what level you`re at when your there. No two auditions are alike , and you never really know what they`re looking for. Some like accepting students who have a raw talent in which they can train from scratch while other institutions are there to polish your technique and musicianship.

Depending on your current location, you might want to consider a prep school catered to the arts. I know there are several here in NY, while I know North Carolina School of the Arts and Berkely have a high school program. Your studies revolve around your music, not the other way around. It`s a great way to really concetrate on your instrument and your technique, especially if you want to perform professionally down the road. On the other hand if you have an incredible private teacher in which you study with currently, there`s a very good chance that you`ll be accepted into an arts school or conservatory.

Oh, another option would to take a summer session. I`ve been to Curtis and NCSA `s and both have been crutial to my performace training.

If you`re really interested, I might be able to send you a more detailed list, and I could call up a few friends of mine in the industry to see which would be best for your instrument and level of training.

Hope this helps?

I know how you feel about not being good enough to go into a conservatory: I`ve been playing for eight years (I`m in grade 11 at school) and I don`t feel nearly good enough. I really love the violin though and I have some talent I think (maybe..a little).
I wish I had an incredible private teacher, mines ok but then again he`s the only one really that there is. There is one other violin teacher around that I know about, she was my first violin teacher and she was pretty good but I am allergic to her house. I remember vomitting on her floor during a private lesson when I was like 7.....not a happy memory. The teacher I had last year was awsome, but she moved away I actually had a dream last night that she came back and started teaching me again, and that`s pretty freaky.

Anyway I say if you really love the violin go for it! Even if you havn`t played for very long your piano playing will help and you can take a couple years of prep school to get better and learn more.

It`s good to start early. But dun expect too much from a kid, caz sometimes overpushing them will jill their interest instead. U can start as early as 3-4 yr old. But basically this is the general guidelines and objectives. 3-4...Basic Musical interest and posture. 4-5...Ear training and rhythm feel. 5-6 Imagination/creativity training. 7 onwards...basic technic. Plan yr way of teaching from here. Note one thing though...esp. for young kids(3-4) learning the piano, and that is dun force them to curve their fingers properly, or play with the most accurate hand position and so on. Or give them too much notes to play, as their hand muscles have not fully developed by then. The best age to really `work` their fingers is around 6-7. Before that is all...fun learning and basic rhythm feel...not so much on the technical aspect.