Thank you tuba_george, the problem is I hope it will be enough up to grade 8 as it is unlikely I will be able to cut down the hours I work for another 3 years at a very minimum

It's rarely over £60. That's the recommended rate by most conservatoires that any formal consultation lessons are given at. In reality you get very very few teachers charging more than that, although I do know one who charges £150/h, but those teachers I believe do that for a reason, to keep away students who aren't 100% committed and who might be doing it on a whim. I also don't think the quality of teaching is necessarily reflected in the price variation.

only had 3 lessons with new teacher and I REALISED HOW TRUE it was that I was going to get NOWHERE with my previous teacher! Nowhere apart from being someone who 'thought' could play violin but in reality had no intonation (or only partly) and not a clue about how to 'really' play the violin 'properly'!!!

Am doing lots of sevcik and kreutzer exercises (sevcik for left hand and kreutzer for bowing at the moment) and I think I can feel a difference after 2 and a half weeks.

My new teacher taught me about 'block fingering' well, he didn't call it block fingering, I heard of that term on youtube, but he explained to me how you never guess where you are on the violin fingerboard but how each note is a calculated 'step' he compared it to when you are making a piece of 'tapestry', how you use guide notes and how you use the last finger to guide you to the next one and so on etc etc

it is all making more sense now and I do feel like I am taking a few steps back but how this will make me 'leap forward' in future!

When I think about how LOOOOOONNNNNNG it takes to learn to play this instrument I feel SOOOOOO TIRED and wonder whether I will ever get anywhere far down the road enough (I know I will never get to the end of it! )

But I think of the people in my orchestra and how I would love to be playing like the woman who usually sits next to me but she has been playing for ONLY 30 YEARS!!!!!! so I will be 67 years old by the time I sound like her

That's great you're learning a lot with your new teacher My teacher told me about the block shifting thing, you shouldn't guess where to put your finger. It's all about getting use to the distance of the shift. The more you practice, the better you'll get! Keep at it.

I haven't had a lesson for ages, I better arrange one soon!

Wow!
Sounds all good, JoJo!

Saves on transport costs for him and also the time between lessons which is wasted time if he is travelling.

Sounds like you have an excellent teacher which is great


So true!

yes, of course, I also think he does not have a car (but don't know for sure).
He's going to France in 10 days time as he's the principal of an orchestra there, for 2 weeks then he's off to the Edinburgh festival he said, I won't have any lessons for 3 or maybe 4 weeks I'm sure he will leave me PLENTY of technique exercises to do

I geuss that is the price you pay for a teacher who is also a talented performer! My flute teacher is/was like that - haven't had a lesson with her in ages no independent transport and she lives too far away for buses

Worth the hassle for a really good teacher though!

I also have that problem. My teacher is away until mid august on tour and then quartet and teaching in Lake district until mid august. The only day he is free during this time I am away on tour myself!

Kind of annoying!!!!

Aw, I feel for you Jo, I know how much I thrive on my lessons and you are so dedicated. I reckon he will leave knowing that he can depend on you to do exactly what he asks you to work on in his absence.

JoJo, Lottie!!! It's been ages but I'm back!

JoJo - sounds like you are making exciting progress with the new teacher. Well done. Hope it all goes really well for you.

Lottie - I hear you on the time off from lessons, I am currently on a summer break and wondering whether to commit to violin "properly" for the next academic year or to go with another non-music opportunity. I think one hobby that I devote proper time to is probably best. I tend to overstretch myself and end up doing a load of activities without having the time to devote properly to each to do them justice.....decisions, decisions....

Hope you are both well. Good to be back.

Orla

Sorry FOLKS!

I am temporarily 'resurrecting' this thread as I am feeling 'emotional' this evening as I am getting close to my 2nd anniversary of being with my teacher well..... in another 3 weeks from now....

you will gather from this 'OLD THREAD' that I had a 'rough' start to my 'violin life' and it took me a long time to realise that most of what I have learnt I probably learnt because I was so dedicated and yes...I'll give myself a 'pat on the back' probably 'naturally inclined' too! as I got to past grade 4 with a teacher who didn't teach me any technique whatsoever, not even how to find 'properly' the notes on the violin.

So......the teacher I now have since 2 years ago means A LOT to me as he has rescued me and totally transformed me!

It has been a very INTENSE journey for me these past 2 years and nobody on this forum (apart from ONE person....you know who you are ) knows EXACTLY what I mean by INTENSE!

it has been intense PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY both at home and in lessons and probably for my teacher too though I have not dared to ask him!

It has been a ROLLERCOASTER! it has been DRAINING! And it is only now in the last 3 weeks that I have been feeling like maybe I am finally getting to the surface of it all and a new 'beginning' might be round the corner for me! Just as well because only 2 months ago I think I did 'hit the ultimate LOW'!!! and I thought that WAS IT!

So this is in 'honour' of my FANTASTIC teacher (even though I don't think he reads these forums) and this is to let you all know I still take lessons with this teacher and I have great respect for him because just like I have said in the post quoted above on the 20th of June 2009, he treats me 'seriously' like I was a student at conservatoire, he teaches me the violin PROPERLY and how to play with GOOD technique, NO SHORTCUTS! In his hands I KNOW one day I WILL play all the masterpieces I want to play and I will play them WELL!

With him I am NO SECOND RATE OLD AGE PENSIONER, I am a talented violin student who is able to learn and IS learning, at my pace but I AM STILL LEARNING! (and the pace is certainly NOT a snails pace )


PS now can anyone suggest what present I can buy him? (I don't know his age but he's more than 60 for sure )

It's lovely to read such a glowing report of your teacher. It's great to hear that he's helped you make so much progress. Perhaps rather than a present you could write him a short letter of appreciation? Just tell him honestly (without too many superlatives!) how much you feel he's helped you over the last two years, and what you've particularly appreciated about his lessons. Everyone likes to hear that they've been helpful, and maybe you could give him something like a bottle of wine along with the letter as a small thank you.

WOW, i read some of your thread, what a "time of it" you have had. About buying him a present --- difficult to say, as not knowing him. Would you think he may like some really nice music CD of perhaps his favourite player? if you know who that is? or some think unmusical -- like a nice fruit tree ---- may have a job wraping it hehehehe Or a ticket to a concert perhaps. So difficult to say.

I know i run the risk of upsetting some one some where (probably quiet a few actually), but i think the violin is the hardest instrument to play! so not difficult to understand why people find it so difficult to play properly. Sorry about that

Anyway, so we must all keep at it! Such a shame you had such a bad start. Still, it is a credit to you now, isn't it!!!!

yeah, it's not easy to find a present for him.....

his favorite violinist is Heifetz (of course... ) he's very 'old school' bless him and nobody can 'beat good old Heifetz' but he's such a fan of him he's got EVERYTHING about the man, every single record/book/movie/photo you name it! all the 'memorabilia'!!!
I have been thinking to treat him to a good concert, give him a couple of tickets to take friend with him, I might go for that if I can't think of anything else....but I am trying to come up with other answers.....I was even thinking of something like a voucher from Beare's to have his violin bows re-haired a couple of times don't know but the concert may be nicer.....

then I could attach the thank you letter that Berkshire mum was suggesting

I think the letter.

Jojo, your posts are such a joy to read! If you can write to your teacher as you do about him here I am sure he would feel very honoured and valued - better than any present.

You might want something personalised, maybe? It's very corny but some places will personalise mugs and stuff. I have given my oboe teacher little tokens of appreciation from time to time and I am always amazed how chuffed he is, even though it is quite normal here to give your teacher something at the end of year recital and the like. In reciprocation he did something lovely and unexpected last year - as a birthday present he had a mug decorated with an oboe and music on it and he had had a message put on it - it just said to [katica] from [my teacher]. I was so touched - also because it was about two months early (he isn't very good with dates! ) - I was almost in tears. Perhaps if you did something like that it would mean a lot to him.

The ticket idea is a good one, though.

me too

thanks 'guys/gals' the 'something personalised' sounds nice and I see the letter has many votes so I will have to go for that I guess


hope he doesn't think I am some kind of 'weirdo' I'm going to feel 'shy' giving it to him I think I'll give it to him at the end of a lesson and 'run out' but I will say to him 'see you next week' or he may think I am 'giving him notice'

LOL yes I would do that, you may well make him cry!!!! And a bottle of wine or whisky or whatever he drinks....

My teacher gave me a card with "I like to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food" on it.

Jojo, I agree - the letter. I think in an age when most of the post we get are bills and much communication is printed or electronic, a hand written letter is a rare and beautiful thing.

A bottle of his favourite tipple would also be appreciated (I'm sure) if he has a favourite drink.

Ok, have written my teacher a letter....

BUT

it is FOUR PAGES long!

I know he likes to read (his place is FULL OF BOOKS) so it should be alright!

it is A VERY NICE LETTER, am sure it will make him cry

well done jojo

thank you

it is that long because it explains to him a bit what it says in this thread....why I started learning violin, how my first 2 and a half years of learning were.....that I had virtually 'no guidance'....that I don't know HOW I got to grade 4 and a half standard without being taught any technique/intonation/where the notes where on the fingerboard etc and although I loved the violin I almost 'gave up', then I 'found him' a teacher enthusiastic about teaching, passionate about the violin and teaching it well, looking 'beyond' gender/age/status of his students and teaching each of them WELL and PROPERLY so long that they show 'passion and dedication' in the instrument.

I wrote about how excited I was and still am about the lessons with him, but also how 'exhausting' I find the lessons as he makes me work SO HARD, he makes me focus so hard on every second of the lesson, makes me use my brain all the time and stops me every second and on everything that is not 100% perfect and makes me do it over and over again until it IS perfect, but I also told him that is why I respect him and like him so much, because I think every teacher should be like that, it is ONLY by being so consistent by asking the best out of your student ALL OF THE TIME that the student WILL achieve his/her best and although I come out of lessons SHATTERED like I've been at a cardio work-out at the gym I would not want him to change for a million dollars!

I end thanking him for being one in a million

that above is just a summary of my 4 pages

The letter is such a good idea. Everyone likes to be told how much are appreciated and it is something that he can read when he stumbles across it in the future.

I give plants.....but then I AM odd!

Waiting with baited breath to hear how it goes!