Well, intrepid readers, last time I wrote about violin it was to say that I got on a potential teacher’s wait list. But last month I went to fiddle camp and Dr. Turner recommended his stand partner at the Philharmonic. I inquired at the music school where she teaches and she found a spot for me in her schedule.
This week was my second lesson and I think she is going to be a good fit. We haven’t played much more than scales, but that’s what is going to take to get a handle on my tension issues. I played part of a piece for her tonight, but it didn’t go well because I changed my mind about what I was going to play and then got nervous and botched it. The teacher was great though. She picked up on key points to work on that will really improve the piece and had nothing to do with what the nerves were impacting.
I initially signed up for a three-lesson trial, but this looks like it is going to work out. She has a plan for me, and seems able to adapt to what needs to happen right now. We’re still working out how we work with each other. I need to get past my nerves and focus so we can make the best use of our limited time.
While I’m not surprised that there are so many technical elements to fix, it is a bit disheartening to face them even though I suspected they were issues all along. *sigh* I know for certain that teachers are there to help us and truly aren’t judging, but it’s hard to be in this position. It is really refreshing to have a teacher that understands my particular physiology though. She’s short with tiny hands like me which gives me hope that eventually I can get where I want to be. If I play half as well as she does, I’ll be so happy. She has an amazing sound!