Tag: Grand Rapids Violin

Violin Lessons

Why Getting the Right Size Violin Matters

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Did you know that violins come in multiple different sizes? It’s true! While most adults play on full size violins, there are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10, and even 1/16 size violins for children. Whether your child is 3, 7, 14, or even if you’re an adult student yourself, getting the right size violin is crucial to learning the instrument. For children who need a fractional sized instrument, getting them the right size violin will allow them to handle the violin much better than they would with a violin that is too big.

Won’t my child grow into a full size violin?

While, yes, your child will very likely grow into a full size instrument, there are several reasons why this logic will end up hurting them in the long run. First, when I say “hurt”, I partly mean that quite literally and physically. Holding the violin is not natural – meaning no other time in life are you likely to hold up your left arm over to the side of you in the way you would to hold a violin. Even without an instrument to hold up, your arm is probably going to get tired after a few minutes of holding it up if you’ve never done this before! Violins seem like such little things, but they’re heavy when you hold one for extended periods of time. If your body hasn’t developed the necessary muscles and endurance to comfortably hold a violin for extended periods of time, we risk injuring the student by overusing the muscle. The smaller the violin, the lighter it is. If your child has the benefit of being able to start on a smaller size instrument, you will be doing them a favor as they will be able to develop their muscles slowly over time rather than rapidly putting stress on them.

Second, a smaller child is set up for failure if their instrument is too big to handle. We need to be able to move around freely on the fingerboard in order to play the instrument. There is a lot of work in the first year (and many times longer) with posture (holding the instrument correctly). The most common thing I see when a child has an instrument that is too big for them is that they’re not able to hold it properly. They need to have a straight left wrist in order to comfortably access every note on the fingerboard. If they’re struggling to reach the top of the neck of the instrument in the first place, they don’t have a chance of keeping that wrist straight. This will cause (on top of constant nagging from their teacher) them to play out of tune, making it extremely difficult for them to develop their ears. Playing in tune is a challenge when everything is set up right – it’s near impossible if the student also has other factors working against them.

All of this is sure to frustrate the student, and in my experience, they will be more frustrated than they will have fun. They will hurt, their teacher will be nagging them constantly about their posture, and they won’t be able to make a nice sound with their instrument. No child wants to fail. Having an instrument that is too big for your child will likely result in them losing interest.

Buying multiple instruments for my child as they grow sounds expensive.

I have great news! In a lot of areas, you can rent string instruments. When your child outgrows theirs, you turn in the violin for a bigger one. I recommend renting your first instrument to everyone, even if they’re an adult student who will be starting on a full size instrument to begin with. Here’s why: how many times have you or your kid been ALL about something, totally invested, can’t get enough… just to lose interest in a few months? I love the violin, but I’m not foolish enough to believe that it’s for everyone. It’s a rewarding, but very challenging, skill. To put it bluntly: the violin is too hard to enjoy if you just “kinda” like it. Renting an instrument is a smart option financially if you’re unsure of the commitment.

In Grand Rapids we’re lucky to have Meyer Music – your one stop shop for getting sized, renting, and helping with repairs for your instrument. If you go during normal business hours during the week, they’ll even change a broken string for you while you wait. All included in the rental fee! If recommend Meyer Music to all of my new students. If you’re not in the Grand Rapids area, Shar Music does online rentals. Even though they’re based out of Ann Arbor, they will ship you a rental instrument. They’ll help guide you through the process of measuring your child to see which size violin is right for them as well.

I would love to hear from you! Let me know what your thoughts are about this below!

Weddings

3 Tips for Picking Your Wedding Ceremony Songs

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Some of us have had out weddings planned since we were children. Others of us… not so much! When it comes to picking music for your wedding ceremony, it can seem like a daunting task. You’ll remember what you walked down the aisle to for years to come, so the selection is important! Here are three tips for choosing songs for your wedding.

1.) Know Your Musicians

Are you going to have live music for your ceremony, or will your DJ be playing something? Whoever is playing the music for your ceremony is important to consider. If you have a solo instrumentalist, or even a duet, there are just some songs that aren’t going to translate well. If you’re hoping to have your favorite electronic, hip hop, or metal song played for your ceremony, it’s not going to sound the same on solo violin or a violin and cello duet. This is because there are a lot of things going on in those kinds of songs, and we won’t have a drum set or a backing track to play with. There are some melodies that I can work with and make really beautiful, but it will be different. If you are having a hard time picturing your song being played on the ensemble you hired for your wedding, I suggest looking up covers of the songs online. This will help you get an idea of what to expect. If you can’t find a cover played by your instrumentation online, it’s likely because, unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well. I would consider having your DJ play those songs if you are attached to them – then it will be exactly how you pictured it!

2.) Consider the Timing for the Processional

The trickiest thing to plan is the processional. The timing is pretty key here and you’ll need to take that into consideration when choosing songs. Be thinking of things like, how big is your wedding party, if you have one? Do you want a separate song for when your party walks and when you walk? How long is the aisle at your venue? These will all play a part in the timing for your wedding. For this reason, it’s a good idea to pick a song that is easy for your musicians to stop if they need to. My suggestion is to find a song with a repeated or repetitive melody in the chorus. A couple of great examples of this are Perfect by Ed Sheeran and A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. This makes it easy for your musicians to stop early if they need to or repeat a section if they need more time.

Some couples have different songs for the party and the bride, and some couples have one song for everyone to walk down to. That part is up to you! Just keep in mind that if you have live music, your musicians will likely need to reset after each song (meaning they will need to take their hands off their instruments to turn the page in their music!). If you have a different song for the mothers, one for the bridal party, one for the ring bearer, another for the flower girl, and finally one more song for the bride, it’s probably going to sound a little choppy.

If you are struggling to find a song, ask your musician what they reccomend! They will be able to provide you with a list of ideas.

3.) The Recessional Song(s) Should be Special

The songs you choose for the processional will likely not be played all the way through. However, the song for your recessional will be. If you have a song that you absolutely love, I highly suggest choosing that for the recessional rather than the processional! You’ll likely be too overwhelmed to hear the processional music anyway!

What do you think of these tips? I’d love to hear what songs you’ve chosen for your ceremony below!

Gigs/Performance

A Pandemic Wedding

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I was fortunate to play for a wedding a few weeks ago for the first time since the Stay at Home order. The process was certainly different, but I was so happy for the product we were able to produce given the circumstances! 

One of the women in my quartet has a compromised immune system, so our safety was one of my highest concerns. In order to stay safe, we did things a little differently, including rehearsing in her yard! It was a HOT July afternoon, but it ended up being really fun! We were able to sit spaced out so we wouldn’t need to wear masks. We didn’t have as much time to rehearse as we normally do, but the group really pulled together and we made it work just as well as we would have pre-covid. 

The bride was SO sweet and amazing to work with right from the get-go, but I was still a little nervous for the wedding. I didn’t know how it was going to go. Would people be crowding us without masks on? Is the bride going to be okay with us wearing masks since we need to be sitting so close together? The wedding was outside, so what if it were to rain? Are my quartet members going to be comfortable? A lot of things right now are uncertain, and for someone who likes to know exactly what I’m getting into, that was a challenge for me as I prepared for the wedding. However, I was thrilled to find that I didn’t really have much to worry about! The venue was beautifully set up. We were originally staged on the lawn, but we moved to a covered area when it looked like rain. Luckily, for the ceremony and the whole cocktail hour, all that we had was a few raindrops. The guest list had been reduced to about 50 people, but the bride and groom looked so happy to be there and to have made everything work despite all the hurdles thrown in their way. 

I think the most surprising thing for me was how happy it made me to play with others again. As an introvert I don’t really notice that I’m missing those social interactions until I have them again. It was 90 degrees and we were all wearing dress blacks with masks, but it was SO worth it, and I was so happy that we didn’t have to sacrifice our safety to do it! It was so fun to play with everyone again, and I can’t wait until my next gig!!!