Music lessons are so pricey that I mentally categorize them as ‘nice but luxury’, and as such, aren’t in my budget. But H-shem has been very good to us and provided the means for three children to take piano and now another two to experience violin!
Today I took my ds3 and ds7 to a group violin lesson for children ages 4 – 7. The teacher gives private lessons but very generously is providing this as a free service. I thought ds7 would especially appreciate the opportunity, but took ds3 (he’ll be four in three months) along after speaking to a friend who has several kids who have played string instruments to get her opinion about if that was too young.
Violins come in lots of sizes, some very tiny, so they can be appropriately sized for young children. I’m not a parent who is driven to get my kids to perform at a young age in any way, but this seemed like a fun opportunity and I was glad to access this for them. We joined a number of children and their parents today at the home of the very nice teacher, who lives locally. In the 45 minute lesson, they were fitted with the right size violin (ds3 – 1/10, ds7 – 1/4), learned the names of all the parts, how to hold it at rest, how to hold it to play, how to take a bow, the names of the four notes, and learned two short and simple songs. It was a lot!
Ds3 was tired (today it took place in the early afternoon, when he usually is napping) and I’m not going to predict if he’ll maintain ongoing interest, but I’ll keep taking him as long as he’s interested. Ds7 is ready for something like this and I think it will be a great opportunity for him especially.
The teacher would like to start with a large number of children, knowing that many will lose interest and drop out within a short time. That way, she’ll be left with enough children who are interested to continue the group. I received an email from her after the lesson saying that since a couple of people who had reserved spots didn’t come, she has space for two more kids. I wanted to share this with those of you in my area who might be interested.
Before you email me for info, here are the conditions to participate: you have to come promptly on time – 5 pm on Sunday. You need to come every week; if you can’t make it, you need to notify her in advance. You can miss one lesson, but if you miss more than that, you’ll need to pay her to give your child a private lesson so he can be at the same level at the rest of the class. An adult needs to stay with the child during the lesson, and it needs to be the same parent every week (ie no switching off). You have to either buy or rent an instrument for your child to use (rental price is $20 a month). The group is geared for kids ages 4 – 7 (my ds7 is the oldest). If after reading all of that you’re interested, either email me at the address above shown in the ‘Contact Me’ section or use my personal email address if you already have it, and I’ll send you the contact information so you can be in touch with the teacher directly.
People have sometimes expressed to me the feeling that I have some kind of ‘luck’ in finding great prices or opportunities, but good things are waiting for every one of us every day; the challenge is in recognizing them and taking action!
Avivah
I have to ask this; What is the reason this teacher is giving free lessons? Is it something she just does? or as a special for homeschoolers etc; I am asking since there is someone who teaches violin near enough to us and it sounds like the same kinda philosophy, of the same parent involved, group lesson, not missing a class etc; I was wondering if there was something I could say or ask to see if she would be open to free classes.
Hi, Gilla, sorry about not seeing your question until now! A parent at the violin lessons actually told me someone left a comment here which made me take a second look!
The teacher is giving free lessons because she said there are so many free options for kids in the inner city, but in our community there’s nothing like that. She feels there’s a lot of potential talent, but lessons are expensive and she’s providing this as a service because she feels it’s important. Since she’s doing it out of the goodness of her heart, I can’t think how to convince someone else to donate their time in a similar way. 🙂
Three of my older kids take piano lessons that are also free of charge. In that case they are offered by a neighbor who loves classical music and wants to share that with the next generation, since the interest in classical music has been steadily dropping. She said she couldn’t have afforded music lessons for her children when they were younger, and wants children to have the opportunity to learn piano regardless of cost. We were lucky to be the first people she asked, and she’s found it very gratifying to see the kids progress and begin to share her appreciation of music. We’ve really been blessed all the way around with music, and if you continue to keep your eyes open, you may be pleasantly surprised at the opportunities that come your way!