Category: Free Inquiry

These past few months of relearning the violin has been a really rewarding and also humbling experience. At the beginning, I felt confident because some of my prior knowledge came back quickly, especially with reading notes and basic rhythm. However, I quickly realized that relearning isn’t just remembering, it’s rebuilding. I had to spend more time than expected focusing on fundamentals like finger placement, bow control, and keeping a steady tempo.

Consistency was probably my biggest challenge this semester. As I got busier, I struggled to practice regularly. I noticed that when I didn’t practice, I lost confidence and momentum, which made progress feel so much slower. This really reinforced to me how important consistent practice is when learning or relearning a skill.

Finishing the first book was a big accomplishment, but starting the second book showed me that I still have a lot to work on.

Overall, this experience has taught me about persistence, time management, and setting realistic expectations. Even through my progress wasn’t always consistent, it reminded me what it feels like to be an early leaner again, which is something I can carry into my future teaching.

This week my progress with the violin has remained slower than I anticipated. I have remained really busy with it being the end of the semester and we have begun preparing for our practicums.

Despite this, I did start working on the second book. I was excited to move forward, but I quickly realized that without regular practice, it’s harder to feel confident with the new material. The pieces are a bit more challenging than the last book and I found myself needing more time to go over the basics than I expected.

Since I didn’t have a ton of time, I paid more attention to my technique, specifically finger placement and keeping tempo. While these are skills I practiced a lot in the first book, it still felt like I was making some progress.

Overall, this week has been a big reminder than consistency is really important when learning a skill. Since I haven’t been able to practice consistently for the past few weeks I feel as if I’m falling behind. Moving into the second book feels like a big step but I think I need to manage my time a little better so I can actually keep up with it.

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This week my progress with the violin was much slower than I had hoped. I’ve been very busy with school work and was only able to practice once. Because of this, I decided not to continue into the new book and instead keep working on the basics.

I thought it would be fun to try something I used to do when I played violin as a kid. I couldn’t find the exact video my music teacher used, but I found one similar. The idea is that I follow along to the video playing the violin without pausing, restarting, or looking ahead. This gives an added challenge when practicing notes of staying on rhythm while making sure I keep proper bow positioning.

I really enjoyed doing this as it helped me work on sight reading my notes, and be okay with making mistakes and moving on. I did this activity twice, the first time I made it to level 7 with no mistakes, and the second time I made it to level 9 with no mistakes!

Link to the YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9qynMmBz30

This week was exciting because I finished my first violin book! After falling behind the past few weeks I have been working hard to move on to the next book. It felt very rewarding to reach the end of the first book, especially knowing how it felt when I first began. Starting the second book made me realize how much I have actually learned, as I am able to approach pieces with more confidence than before.

That being said, I do not feel 100% confident with everything from the first book yet. There are still certain songs and transitions that feel shaky, and my tone is not always as consistent as I would like. Because of this I have decided to hold off on continuing the second book for a couple for days while I continue to revisit pieces from the first book. I do not want to rush ahead a leave gaps in my foundational skills.

This week had been a great reminder that learning is not linear. Moving forward does not mean abandoning material, but going back and strengthening what you have already learned.

I did not have a chance to record myself this week so I will update this post with a recording when I am able!

Over the past week, I have continued working through my first violin book and focusing on improving consistency in my playing. I spent time practicing scales and playing songs I already know while playing closer attention to my bow placement to reduce squeaking and creating a smoother sound. I can hear gradual improvement compared to when I first started.

I’ve been continuing to challenge myself by reading notes without writing in the note names first. Although this was frustrating when I began, I am starting to recognize patterns quicker, and my confidence is improving. This process has been a bog reminder that persistence and repeated practice is key in learning or relearning a skill.

This experience connects to my educational practice because it has helped me reflect on what it feels like to be a beginner learner. As I work through mistakes and gradual improvement, I am reminded of the importance of patience, encouragement, and proper scaffolding when teaching others. Relearning the violin has shown me how small, achievable goals help build confidence and motivation over time!

For the past 2 weeks I have been working through my first violin book. I began by just working on my scales, and I have learned a few songs. I’ve already been noticing an improvement in my playing the more I have been practicing. I also decided to challenge myself by blind reading the notes, without writing in the note names before hand. When I first tried this it was a struggle, but it is starting to get easier! I have set a goal for myself for next week to work on staying consistent with playing on the string (sometimes it gets squeaky if my bow placement is off). I have attached an audio clip of me playing London Bridge. It’s still a work in progress, but definitely an improvement from the first time I played!

Link to Kennedy Violins – How to return after years of not playing:

https://kennedyviolins.com/blogs/education-center/how-to-return-to-the-violin-after-years-of-not-playing?srsltid=AfmBOoq6iZmgWS04XX3Wn2GJQpAK7DcTTjeyG5BAMZ3CV2vdXkof6LQ8