Here is a tune to sing whilst you bring the violin into playing position. Try it without the violin first!
Download it from the library page:
Or view the lesson in Course A:
Bear Dance (Course A) is great for practising rapid string crossings and quick, short, energetic bow strokes on open strings! It's not so great for downstairs neighbours, as you'll see...!
Download it from the library page:
Or view the lesson in Course A:
This Rhythm Bank from Course B introduces Mixed Rhythms in 2/4 Time. Feel a count of two beats in each bar as you clap and play these rhythms!
VS Members can download it from the library, or practice it in from the lesson page in Course B.
Play this beautiful duet as expressively as you can!
Practise all the big intervals slowly, until your slurred string crossings are smooth and perfectly in time!
Here's the Lesson Version:
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... and here's the Library version!
Yes, absolutely!
In fact, a lot of learners at ViolinSchool do take private 121 lessons with a local tutor, as well as working through the ViolinSchool courses and curriculum, and attending our events and group classes.
It's a great way to to learn, and many people appreciate having a personal relationship with someone they know, to keep them accountable with their progress.
Your tutor doesn't need to be associated with ViolinSchool. Everyone is welcome here, whether you're learning on your own, or elsewhere!
If you don't have a private tutor, or want to learn mainly on your own, then the ViolinSchool Coaching Program is a good halfway option.
You still get accountability and support when you need it, and some 121 coaching time as well. It's significantly less expensive than regular private lessons.
But it's not 'either / or'. If you take part in our Courses and Coaching Program, you'll probably still benefit a lot from having 121 lessons with someone you know. And if you want to learn super-fast, it's a must-have!
The ViolinSchool team also teach 121 lessons privately, outside of ViolinSchool. Caroline teaches children and their parents via Zoom, Simon and David run a private teaching studio together in Westminster, and Marisol is available for private tuition in Southeast London (and via Zoom).
If you'd like private 121 tuition with any of the ViolinSchool team, just send an enquiry via ViolinSchool ([email protected]) and our advisory team will forward it on!
Alternatively, ask around for a good teacher in your area. Local music shops or orchestras are often a good place to start. ViolinSchool can often recommend a tutor to you (particuarly useful if you're using ViolinSchool coursebooks and course material).
Then you can get the best of both worlds - a strong, well-tested program and resources with class-based learning from ViolinSchool, and a personal, 121 relationship with a good 121 violin teacher to help you reach your goals.
Find out more today about how ViolinSchool's Courses and Curriculum can help you to achieve your goals, and reach a level of violin playing beyond what you dreamed was possible!
Give us a call on +44 (0) 20 3051 0080, or email [email protected] today for a free setup call with one of our learning advisors, and we'll recommend the best place for you to start!
p.s. does your teacher know about ViolinSchool Teacher Services? We offer a whole series of support options for teachers too, including an annual Teacher Training course, personalised book orders, and teacher access to the ViolinSchool library and course material. Please let them know!
Time for some dynamics! Go from quiet to loud, to quiet, to very loud, to infinity and beyond!! In this lesson, we practise changing the speed, weight and contact point of the bow.
Click here to play the backing track:
VS Members - download this lesson & MP3 backing track!
An Adventure in the Air! Can you fill in the note names to discover what happens to the hot air balloon? Only those who know where the notes go can find out the end of the story!
Click here to download the story!
The Creative Strings Workshop with Christian Howes closes today - it's your last chance to enrol!
The course, which is highly recommended by all of us here at ViolinSchool, will lead you on a 7-week creative adventure through the world of harmony and improvisation.
We particularly like Chris's approach, because he draws such profound connections between different styles of learning, and gets you playing instinctively, whilst feeling the most fundamental elements of rhythm, and harmonny.
He's also one of the first violinists ever to produce a comprehensive framework for understanding harmony and improvisation - extraordinarily, this wasn't considered to be an important part of traditional ('classical') violin training up until just a few years ago - and in some places, still isn't!
Creative Strings Workshop puts this right, which is why we recommend it so highly. Check out this exclusive lesson below from Christian (you can play along right now, with your violin!):
Enrolment closes today, so it's your last chance to take part in this season! Click on over to Creative Strings Online right now to find out more about the course!
Welcome to the first of our daily lessons! Every single day, there's a new lesson at ViolinSchool for you to explore. Today, it's ...
Super Speedy Super Fly!
Test the speed of your left hand fingers, as Super-Speedy Super Fly flies high into the sky!
Click here for the lesson - don't forget to log in!
How was your summer? We spent about 80% of it locked in a dark room, hunched over computers and violins, writing and editing a very large number of lessons for you ... it's been a lot of work, but totally worth it, we hope!
Every day from 1st September, we'll be releasing a new lesson for you on ViolinSchool.com ... and you'll find everything right here on the blog!
We'll have lessons from across Courses A, B, C and D, as well as our new Starter Course, and ViolinSchool members will be able to log in and download beautiful new printed sheets for every lesson.
Simon, David, Marisol and Caroline will be teaching the new lessons throughout the term, and as all classes are now recorded, we'll take the video highlights of each class and add them as tutorial videos to every lesson of the course.
Why not bookmark the blog right now? Then it's easy for you to check in and see what's new.
Also, take a moment to subscribe to our YouTube channel ... we've got some fun videos coming out in the next few days ... so watch this space!
One of the outstanding presentations at our Teacher Training Course in Ireland this week was from legendary jazz violinist and creativity educator Christian Howes.
Christian took the participants - all teachers - through a series of exercises that were truly transformative for everyone in the room (and on the call).
Understanding harmony and improvisation as Chris teaches it can truly liberate you in the way you approach the violin.
We've been big fans of Christian and CSW for years, and have hosted him as a guest workshop leader on several occasions at our school in London.
But now that the pandemic has brought an entirely new structure to the way we teach, ViolinSchool is affiliating with Creative Strings in a new online partnership.
The CSW online workshops are now becoming a recommended part of our curriculum, and we suggest ViolinSchool learners to join in with Chris's curriculum from approximately Level 2 of our courses.
(ViolinSchool receives a small referral commission for each enrolment, which goes towards supporting our own online program development. We are incredibly picky about what we recommend, which is a testament to the quality of Christian's teaching!)
The next series of workshops begins on 1st September, and you can find out more about the program here.
For ViolinSchool learners, if you would like a personal introduction to Chris, email [email protected] and we will introduce you to him directly!
Chris has put together an exclusive free lesson to give you a sense of what CSW is like. Grab your violin, and follow along here!
If you'd enjoy more sessions like this, click here to find out more about CSW Online - the session begins 1st September!
We're sooooo excited to introduce to be introducing fully updated courses for the Autumn Term!
The Starter Course - for first-time beginners - this is available online via Zoom, every Thursday! Find out more and get started here with your first Beginner Class: https://www.violinschool.com/beginner-class/
All other courses are available as part of the ViolinSchool Coaching Program. When you register, you can choose the course that's right for your level. Your enrolment includes a full colour coursebook!
Courses we currently offer:
Course A - which takes you up to playing fluently in G, D and A Major
Course B - which will get you playing to the equivalent of Grade 1 level at any major exam board
Course C - which introduces minor keys and a wide range of different repertoire styles
Course D - which goes up to the equivalent standard of Grade 2
(Course E will be available from January 2021!)
Here's a recent guide which shows you roughly how the levels work out:
All our courses are now available remotely, wherever you are in the world! Or you can come to our school in London and take part in person.
Get in touch with us today for a free setup call with one of our friendly learning advisors ... and make this the day you begin to move forward seriously with your learning!
September again ... How did that happen?!
Anyway, as the world continues on its crazy journey through 2020, some things still remain certain ... September is one of the most popular times of year for starting to learn the violin!
Here at ViolinSchool, we've just finished our inaugural Teacher Training Course in Dublin at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and we're now looking ahead to the Autumn Term, which begins on 21st September.
The first batch of our new Coursebooks have arrived (they're gorgeous!), and we'll be opening pre-orders for the books in the coming days.
Our popular Zoom Practice Sessions shift to Thursdays from this week, and are open to learners anywhere in the world ... just send us an email if you'd like to drop in on a session!
The Coaching Program is now open for learners anywhere in the world to take advantage of the guidance that my amazing Coaching Team (including David Worswick and Caroline Lumsden) has to offer.
And if you're in London, you can find out more about what's going on at the London school in our Autumn 2020 welcome letter.
Now's a perfect time to get started with the violin, so get in touch with us today at [email protected] or give us a call on +44 (0) 20 3051 0080, and we'll recommend the best place for you to start!
We're delighted to announce the NEW ViolinSchool Coaching Program, which is now open for registration for the Autumn (Fall) Term through December.
The Coaching Program is a great option for serious learners who want accountability and support with their learning. As well as full ViolinSchool Membership through December, you'll benefit from:
For learners in the UK, there's an option to replace the Reviews/Coaching Calls with in-person group classes in London - visit our London school website to learn more!
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Registration for the ViolinSchool Coaching Program is open now! Find out more here:
https://www.violinschool.com/coaching/
Did you know, we now have a growing selection of multi-level ensemble repertoire for string instruments?
These scores - which will include the entire back catalogue of string music from our publishing house, Musicland Publications - allow string players of different experience levels to play together!
One of our all-time favourites is Ragtime, Serenade and Rumba by Anita Hewitt Jones ... and we're delighted to introduce the very first video recording for ViolinSchool by the wonderful ... Carducci Quartet!
Matthew (violin), Michelle (violin), Eoin (viola) and Emma (cello) have recorded Ragtime so that you can learn the music too, by playing along ... take a listen here!
ViolinSchool members can download the score and parts, and practice the music whilst following along with the score on the digital music player. You can even mail order a printed copy of the music too!
Click here for digital access:
Not a member of VS yet?
Click here to read more about the benefits of ViolinSchool membership!
We've updated that old favourite, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, with a sparkling new piano MP3 backing track, and a useful chord sheet so you can play along with keyboard or guitar. Or indeed, any other harmony instrument!
Download it from the Library
(membership required)
Oooh... scary! Here's a lovely duet (good for Beginner violinists, Level 1 and above) ... and a not so lovely video for you to play along with!
Download the music and try playing it yourself ... find the beetles in the library, here!
Here at ViolinSchool, we've now begun a massive program of recording and filming, which will continue throughout Summer 2020 and beyond.
As well as playalong and tutorial videos, we'll also be introducing new audio backing tracks (or 'accompaniments') alongside all new pieces of music that appear in our Courses and our Library.
Each backing track can be played in the interactive notation player on the page, so that you can follow along with the notation in real time.
Or if you prefer, you can download each backing track as an MP3, so you can load it into your favourite digital music player.
For teachers, we recommend using the backing tracks in the classroom through a bluetooth speaker, so that your whole class can play along!
They're also great for online teaching on Zoom, Skype or Facetime ... we often use the accompaniment backing tracks when playing along together in one of ViolinSchool's weekly Zoom sessions!
Frère Jacques
One of the first to get the ViolinSchool Backing Track treatment, is everyone's favourite oversleeping Friar! Frère Jacques is a lovely French 'round' or 'canon', where lots of different violinists can play together at the same time.
Try playing along with the piano part ... you could even try recording the violin part yourself, then play along with the recording - but start playing at a different time, to create the 'round' effect!
Click here to download the backing track, chord symbols, and piano part >>
We're excited to announce that our ever-popular Beginner Violin Class is now available online! So you can join in from anywhere in the world ... all you need is your own violin and bow!
In just 2 hours, you'll learn the core techniques of good violin playing, including:
Full details here: https://www.violinschool.com/beginner-class/
(and we hope that the offline London versions of this class will be able to restart again from September 2020!)
For nearly 10 years, we've been running the Beginner Violin Class in London at venues all around our home city.
We've always intended to offer it online too ... but we never quite made it happen yet!
The pandemic has changed all that ... throughout the Coronavirus crisis, we've continued to help people begin playing violin for the first time.
New learners have been purchasing violins via mail order, and our team of Learning Advisors has been getting them set up, tuned and ready to play via Skype, Zoom or Facetime!
So long as you have a good quality beginner violin, we'll be able to guide you through the tuning process online - usually in about 20 minutes.
Do you need help getting your instrument set up? Get in touch with us today to request a Setup Call with one of our instrument specialists!
Once that's done, your violin will be ready play ... and that means you'll be ready to take part in the Online Beginner Violin Class!
We're regularly adding different dates and times for this class, so that we can help learners in different countries and time zones to get started.
If you don't see a time that's convenient for your time zone, just email [email protected] with your preferred days/times and we'll do our best to schedule a class for you!
Learning the violin for the first time can be very confusing if you don't know where to begin!
We know this, because over the past 10 years or so, ViolinSchool has helped literally thousands of people to begin playing for the very first time. So we're very familiar with the most common questions you'll have when starting to play.
How do you find the right violin? Do you need to read music? What's the quickest way of learning to play your favourite tune?
We thought it was about time to pull together everything we know about helping Beginner violinists to get started for the first time, so we're pleased to introduce:
ViolinSchool's Beginner Setup process for first-time players!
You can read all about it here:
https://www.violinschool.com/beginner/
We've put together 5 simple steps that will make sure you have a smoooooth start to your learning.
Right now, we're offering a FREE advice service to help you choose a violin that's right for you. Just get in touch with us with your location and budget, and we'll direct you to exactly the right instrument and accessories, so that you don't waste time or money with the wrong setup.
Read more at our new Beginner Violin page here:
https://www.violinschool.com/beginner/
We look forward to helping you get started with the violin!
How To Stop Rushing When Using A Metronome
Here's a clapping game that will help you to stop rushing when using a metronome! We'll use subdivision - dividing up notes into shorter (but still regular) units of time - to help us feel the beat more accurately.
Follow along with Simon from ViolinSchool as you clap and play crotchets (quarter notes), quavers (eighth notes), and semiquavers (sixteenth notes) in time to the metronome ... without rushing!
Do you follow ViolinSchool's YouTube channel? If not, click here and subscribe today ... don't forget to click the notifications button to be the first to hear about our latest videos!
Using your fingers to place the notes on the violin can seem daunting at first ... after all, the violin doesn't have any frets, like the guitar does!
So how do you learn where to place your fingers?
One of the easiest and quickest ways to learn how to get the right notes is by learning Finger Patterns.
Once you know which note pattern you're using (the key signature tells you this!), then you'll be able to work out which hand shape you need to get the fingers falling in the right place!
Finger Pattern 1 is the first hand shape that violinists usually learn, because it works for the easy-to-learn keys of G Major, D Major and A Major. It looks like this:
Check out this video about Finger Pattern 1 on ViolinSchool's YouTube channel:
If you're a member of ViolinSchool, you can find the lesson about Finger Pattern 1 at the beginning of Course B. Click here to download and print a diagram, then practise the exercises until your hand shape is secure!
for Learners, Parents, Teachers and Schools
At ViolinSchool, we’re obsessed with the sequence of our violin curriculum, because we know that the smoother the sequence, the quicker and more easily a violinist can learn.
That's why we continually upgrade and refresh the sequence of learning materials that we publish.
Today we're announcing a major upgrade to our curriculum, several new courses, and a series of new coursebooks, which will be available to pre-order from late June 2020.
For now, we've focused on Beginner and Intermediate levels. Next will be the Violin Teacher Training course (available from August 2020, in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy of Music), followed by Advanced level courses in 2021.
If you'd like to know more, here's a deeper explanation of the new course structures ...
A Holistic Approach
ViolinSchool courses are built on the principle that you're not just learning to play the violin ... you're also learning to be a musician and a performer too.
As you build up your technical violin skills using our courses and ever-growing library of learning resources, you'll also be developing your rhythm, musicianship, music theory, sight-reading ... and many other topics that are essential for good violin playing!
Each one of these important areas of skill is completely integrated into the course structures.
Changes To Expect
If you're already learning with ViolinSchool, or you're a teacher who's already using our books and course materials, then here are the changes you can expect from our recent upgrade:
For Learners, Teachers and Schools
We’ve spent a enormous amount of time refining the sequence of activities, skills and tutorials that move learners smoothly from beginner to intermediate level and beyond.
If you're a learner (or parent), you can use all of these resources on your own, or with the help of our coaching team, or with your own teacher.
If you're a teacher, our new courses come with lesson-by-lesson teacher notes, so you can save time and help your school class or private students make amazing progress really really quickly (also - keep an eye out for our new Violin Teacher Training Course, which will be available soon in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy of Music).
The new course sequence will be fully mapped to the major Exam boards such as ABRSM, Trinity, AMEB and RIAM, so that you can take an exam with confidence. For example, if you've completed Level 1 at ViolinSchool, you'll be at a level where you can take take a Grade 1 exam with any of the major exam boards.
We're rolling out the new courses to existing ViolinSchool members from today, and new lessons are being added daily on ViolinSchool.com.
Each new lesson and video tutorial will be featured on the ViolinSchool Blog, or you can join our mailing list for a weekly update on new lessons as they become available.
Membership: Full access to all our new Courses and Library resources is available from just $19/month with a ViolinSchool membership - click here to join!
Coaching: If you need more guidance and accountability to help achieve your goals, then can enrol with our Coaching Team from US$479 per term, or we can refer you to a local teacher or music school in your area.
Or come and join us at our school in London, England!
Violin Teachers and Music Schools - supercharge your teaching with our educational licenses!
This delightful traditional song in the key of C, often known as 'Come Follow Me', can be played as a round, with each player starting at a different time.
Try playing along with the digital music player, but wait four bars after the recording starts. When the recording reaches line 2, you start from the beginning!
You can even play it as a round yourself, by recording yourself three times, starting on a different line each time!
Come, follow me to the Greenwood Tree!
We're adding more and more resources to the ViolinSchool Library, to help you with your teaching and learning, including new multilevel ensemble music, technical exercises, and much, much more!
To help you find what you need as quickly and easily as possible, we have added new 'filters' to the library, with more on the way soon.
You can now browse by Level, Composer, or Instrumentation, or by the Type of resource that you'd like to look at. Try it now:
