Portillo Violin Studio

Beginners really can sound good from the start - it's all about how you approach the bow hold!

What's one of the main things you're aiming for when you practice something?

With the violin, developing muscle memory is so important! If we're not able to turn many skills over to muscle memory, the number of things we need to think about and manage while we're playing becomes overwhelming as we progress to the next stage of learning. And once you're overwhelmed, you won't want to practice anymore! So it's worth taking the time to practice small skills until we can turn them over to muscle memory - it frees us up to do other things!

What are some of the reasons most people consider the violin one of the "hardest" instruments to learn to play? These are just a few, but don't let them deter you! There are so many ways to develop each skill you need to sound great even right from the start!

This captures the feeling perfectly! 😅🤣🎶

I have actually seen this firsthand...more than once! 🤣 A+ for time and effort...but that violin is not going to work. 😉 Ask a violin teacher, we will help you!

Noooo, just no!

Details are worked out! 😁 There will be a one-week summer camp in late July, meeting in Lancaster, for kids who would like to give the violin a try. Just a couple days left for the early registration discount - use the coupon EARLYBIRDVIOLIN for $40 off!

This camp meets in person, and no prior musical experience is required. It’s a great opportunity to try out something new over the summer! Students will be playing real music by the end of the week - and sounding good!

Happy to answer any questions you might have - feel free to comment or PM me!

It's summertime! And I’m offering a one-week online summer camp in July for beginning violinists. (And an in-person camp in Lancaster after that 😉)

This camp is great for a student who has been playing for up to a year or who is brand new to the instrument and would like a quick jump-start. Students learn how to develop the sound they’ve been dreaming of, play fun songs, and meet other young violinists like themselves!

If you register before June 25, you can use the coupon EARLYBIRDVIOLIN for $40 off!

I'm so excited to announce that we have a location for in-person lessons! (Still offering online lessons too!)

🤣😂
Which is why I usually don't have my students practice a ton of scales until they've reached a point where they have lots and lots of interesting music to play (which happen to contain very fast scales 😉)!

What if we taught kids to read before allowing them to speak?
Or only allowed them to say words they could accurately read?

🤨 That would be crazy, right? And it wouldn’t be a very effective way to learn the language!

So why do we expect it to work that way when learning music?🧐

Why not learn how to “speak” with an instrument - how to say different things, interesting things, tell a story - before learning how we represent the beauty of that music on a piece of paper? 🎼

And then once they’re comfortable with the instrument and they can “speak the language” a little (play some real songs) - then, introduce them to the world of reading music.

I think kids who are learning to play an instrument for the first time would have a much better time, learn more easily, and play more fluently. 😁

Actually, I don’t just think so - I KNOW so, because after 10 years of teaching it the other way around, I switched to teaching beginners this way (all thanks to a very wise retiring teacher who dared me to give it a try). I’ve been teaching with this “play first” approach for nearly another 11 years now, and I’ll never go back! 😍I love giving kids (and adults) truly enjoyable experiences and real success with an instrument that everyone says is “one of the hardest” - the violin!🎻🎻🎻

Anyone can learn to play the violin - AND sound great from the beginning! Learn to play real songs right from the start and sound good while you're doing it! Preschoolers to adults are welcome!

It's not important if a violin is shiny or even new - what matters is if it's playable, even if you're just a brand new beginner!

Sometimes I say this ten times a week 😉