Practice commitment

Discipline and commitment from parents as well as students are required to progress on the violin. Families should make sure their weekly schedule allows for consistent practicing. Five days a week is minimum; daily is best so it becomes routine.

For some students I suggest dividing practice into a few shorter sessions of 10-15 minutes, to ensure a high quality of concentration. This is especially helpful for very young students, distractable / high-energy students, and high school students (interwoven throughout evening homework).

Practice guidelines
Young beginners: 30 minutes, divided
Books 1-2: 45-60 minutes
Books 3-4: 60-120 minutes 
Books 5+: 90-180 minutes

Students who are formally studying two instruments (e.g. violin and piano) should practice both instruments daily, dividing their practice time between the two instruments. If the suggested practice time for your child’s level is 45 minutes, plan on 60 minutes of total practice divided between the two instruments. For superior progress the recommendation is 45 minutes on each instrument. Make sure to start alternate days for whichever instrument is practiced first, so that your child is not always more tired when practicing the second instrument. 

Lessons

Please make sure to arrive 10 minutes before your child’s scheduled lesson time. This gives your child time to transition mentally, use the bathroom, trim fingernails and wash their hands, and unpack. You and your child should also tune the violin once you have learned how to do this, so that this does not require lesson time.

All parents attend their child’s lesson and take notes, which their child will use during home practice. For each lesson, please bring two composition notebooks: one for your own note-taking, and another for my lesson notes. Place the composition book on my chair before each lesson.

You are welcome to use a cell phone to record videos of new skills. Please keep your cell phone hidden and silenced at other times; it is easy to get distracted and miss key points of the lesson. Your whole-hearted attention in the lesson honors the space of the lesson and supports your child’s learning.

Other requests

Elise is strongly allergic to fabric softener (asthma reaction); the chemicals in most fabric softeners are considered mildly toxic. Please use a natural type if possible, or wear clothes that have had time to air out.

Please park in front of my house or behind my car. Out of respect for my neighbors’ comfort and Mother Nature, please do not sit outside in your car or leave the vehicle running while your child is in lesson. Please refrain from parking in front of the two-story white house, as this makes visibility difficult for the owner when she pulls out of her driveway.

Communication

Please use email for most communication, reserving texting for time-sensitive matters only. Phone conversations are better than email for certain situations; please just email me so we can find a mutually agreeable time to talk.

When sending emails, please ensure the subject line is descriptive and accurate, and include only one subject per email. This helps me to respond to time-sensitive emails more quickly and ensures that your message does not get lost in an unrelated thread. It also helps me easily find a particular email when needed.

Preparation for lessons

It is the responsibility of all students to come to lesson with their assignments prepared. Lack of preparation from a middle or high school student may result in being dismissed from the lesson. This dismissal constitutes your child’s lesson for the week.

Group class / orchestra

Musical friendships and friendly competition help motivate students’ individual practice. Extra-curricular activities also provide training in sight-reading, working with other players, and listening and adjusting to what is around them.

All students are expected to participate in studio group class. The class meets approximately three times a month. The meeting times can be found here.

Students are also encouraged to participate in Austin Youth Orchestra (link), as this is valuable experience and strongly motivating. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings.