I've been teaching violin full-time for a year and part-time for nearly a decade before that. Even longer than I've been teaching, though I've been a student and one of the most important things I learned was how to make every lesson count. It's especially important now that I'm paying for my own lessons and can only afford one every few months - I can't waste any time! So, here are my tips for getting the most value out of your violin lessons!

1. Arrive early and unpack in the hallway. Have your violin and bow out so that you can start your lesson as soon as the teacher opens the door. I know that as a teacher I try to use every single moment of a student's lesson. When you arrive late, even by five minutes, your lesson is shortened by that amount of time.
2. Record your lesson. In my studio, I have a Zoom Q3 HD recorder that my students can use to record their lessons - they just have to bring their own memory cards. You may choose to use your phone or your own recording device if your teacher doesn't have one. Pick something that has video, not just audio so you can see exactly what your teacher is talking about. This not only saves time in lessons since you won't have to take excessive notes in the moment, it ensures that you'll be able to watch your lesson as many times as  you like to make sure you remember everything your teacher says.
3. Schedule your lesson for a day you know you won't have to miss except for an emergency. If school orchestra concerts are always on Tuesdays, that might not be a good day for your lesson, since you know several lessons you might have to miss. Same goes for sporting events or other club meetings. Consistent progress depends on consistent lessons, and having lessons at odd intervals can really throw you off. Not to mention that your teacher has put that specific time aside in their schedule for you and that especially in a large studio, finding a makeup time might be difficult.
4. Make the technical fixes your teacher asks for immediately. If your teacher points out that your violin is positioned incorrectly, make a note of that and try to fix it immediately. Same goes for anything pointing out your finger angles, wrist position, bow hold, or how you stand. Even more than learning the notes to a new piece, this is what will make your overall violin playing - and therefore your new piece - better. Strategies for making these technical fixes happen faster include: watching yourself in a mirror, videoing yourself playing and watching it back so you see exactly what you're doing, and playing simple exercises, etudes, or easy pieces to make sure the new technique is incorporated seamlessly into your playing.
5. If you want to progress faster, focus on mastering your assigned work, NOT wondering when you'll get to move on. Often I have students ask me, "When will I get to play this piece?" or, "When will I get to start shifting?" My answer is always along the lines of "When you show me you're ready." I don't arbitrarily move people from piece to piece. For me, I will move a student to the next piece when they can play their current piece from memory, with good intonation, no rhythmic errors, a beautiful sound, and doing all the expressive markings and with improved technique. It does no good to fantasize longingly about turning the page in your book to the next piece if you're not learning all the details of your current one. I don't teach students to shift until I see that they have a decently set-up left hand in first position. A better question to ask your teacher is, "What specific things do I need to improve in what I'm working on now before I move on?" 
6. Complete all instrument repairs and order all music and equipment as soon as your teacher asks for it. If a teacher asks you to purchase something, there's generally a good reason for it. For example, delaying the purchase of a metronome may also inhibit your ability to fix your tendency to rush. If you don't buy the next etude book or piece, you can't start working on it. And if your chin rest needs to be changed in order to improve your technique or relieve tension, delaying that order will only give you more and more days with your old, bad habits. Of course teachers will understand if there is a financial constraint on what you can purchase and in that case you should talk to your teacher and see if they can suggest a less expensive alternative. Otherwise, though, make these purchases quickly in order to move on to the next thing.
7. When your teacher asks you to learn a piece, assume that the task is to be completed by the next lesson.  If your teacher gives you a new piece, or part of one, you should be able to play all the notes and rhythms correctly by the next lesson. If your teacher asks you to memorize something, it should be memorized by the next lesson - or at the very least you should have made every effort to do so. Everyone learns at different paces, but don't make the mistake of assuming that you have unlimited time to accomplish a task. As a teacher, I have no problems insisting that my students play the same etude or piece for months at a time if they're not working at speed, but students anxious for progress don't always understand why they're not getting something new.
8. Take every opportunity for more time with your teacher. If your studio has studio classes where your teacher will be offering more wisdom and opportunities for you to learn, make sure you are there. If your teacher invites you to a public masterclass with them, to observe someone else teach or perform, go. By showing your teacher that you are a dedicated student who wants to learn, they will take you more seriously as a student and maybe even push you a little more.

Hopefully these tips help you get even more out of your violin lessons and inspire your practice! Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

In an attempt to get myself practicing regularly again, I've committed myself to doing "The Kaplan Challenge." This involves using the Musician's Practice Log by my old teacher, Burton Kaplan, and rigorously tracking one's practice in every way possible for 16 weeks.

The first week went okay. I enjoyed having a plan again, although it was a little discouraging to realize that my 90 minute practice days were my high points. Last time I used this book with any regularity, I was posting 4-6 hour days. Oh, I miss summer camp...

Last week, however, was awful. My car broke down on Monday. I pulled a muscle in my leg during a softball game, which made it so I couldn't put weight on it for a few days.  I found out that the rehearsal for a gig I was playing was on Wednesday, not Thursday which meant I had to reschedule private lessons AND a group class. I had a horrible fight with my mother. And another horrible fight with my boyfriend. And at the end of this week, I had to update my practice log with a record that I would certainly lecture a student about: a week of straight 0's on the practice record.

It was humbling, looking at that row of 0's. I have a master's degree, for crying out loud. I get paid to tell students to practice on a daily basis! It's not that I didn't play violin last week. I play in my students' lessons to demonstrate. And I played around 12-13 hours for that gig, plus a few minutes of looking over the tricky spots. But I didn't practice. I didn't have that time by myself to really focus on my own goals and improving my technique. And boy, am I feeling it this week.

Here's the lesson to be learned, both for me and for everyone: Life never gets less crazy. This week is better. The fights are resolved. I have a new car. My leg is better. I'm not playing a gig. BUT, one of my friends needs relationship advice. I lost a morning of practice because my bow was being rehaired. I started rewatching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which are a bad, bad addiction of mine. I have meetings at work, and summer lessons to schedule.

If you really want to progress at the violin, you have to find a way to put in the time. Every day. Consistent practice. And you have to find the time. At every stage of life, there are distractions and legitimately important other things that will require your time and attention. The people who really succeed at violin are the ones who ask "When am I going to practice today?" not "Am I going to practice today?" I guarantee you that if you really try, you can find 20 minutes to play violin. Wake up 20 minutes earlier. Use your study hall period to practice. Watch one less episode of your latest tv show. Take a break from homework and practice then. Stay up a little later at night. If you want to be good at violin, you'll find a way - because there is no other way.

I have some very specific goals for my own playing. I don't play nearly as well as I want to. There are technical things that need to be fixed. There are literally hundreds of pieces I want to learn. I know that my progress has slowed down a ton since I left school and my practice time got shrunk down to 25% of what it used to be  - things like commuting, working, and teaching have eaten up my time. But I'm still working, and I know that whatever consistent practice I can put in will eventually get me there.

So, you have to ask yourself: How badly do you want this? Do you really want to get to the point where your intonation is solid, or you can use any bow division without thinking about it? Are you really willing to put in the work it will take to get to the next level in your school orchestra, or even just to master your current piece so you can start playing something new?

If the answer is yes, then it's time to go practice. Which is what I'll hopefully be doing, even if it's at 10 pm tonight.

Once someone gets to a level where they perform solo recitals - that is, a recital where they play the program entirely by themselves, the fashion gets taken to a whole new level. In music school, violinists usually play a junior recital and a senior recital - and then, in grad school, either one or two master's recitals. You would imagine that these are incredibly stressful occasions, and you would be right. Parents of younger children know how challenging it is to prepare one Suzuki piece to performance level - imagine a whole HOUR of music. Needless to say, in these times, it's definitely more fun to think about what to wear! 

My go-to recital dress these days is a lovely purple dress that I scored for $17 at Goodwill. My strategy for acquiring recital dresses is simple: go shopping when you aren't desperate for a dress and hit Goodwill, thrift stores, and consignment stores. There's no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a designer dress. You can also rent a dress from a place like www.renttherunway.com.

For a more formal recital, I go for a long dress and beg and bribe my friends to do an up-do for me. Again, I recommend strong colors that will show well on stage as well as a fabric with some shine or texture to it.

A few important considerations when selecting a recital gown:

• Make sure you can move freely in it without any wardrobe mishaps, particularly in the bodice area. I've heard nightmare stories of girls who didn't play in their gowns before the recital and had their dresses fall open. Not what you want to be worrying about on your recital day!
• For the reason above, make sure that any strapless dress is fitted perfectly, so you don't have to worry about it falling. Also make sure any straps on your gown are securely fastened. You won't be able to stop and fix your dress in the middle of your concerto.
• Be careful about embellishments on the gown in the neck area, such as sequins, beading, or bows. Make sure that nothing about your dress will (a) change how you hold your violin or (b) make your violin buzz.

Dress: Unknown designer, via Goodwill
Shoes: Comfort One
Necklace: Lilliane's
Violin: Tetsuo Matsuda