It’s Too Loud!

"I have a student who is a good practicer, but I can't get her to make a consistently good, loud and clear sound on her violin. She will do it sometimes in lessons, but it never lasts. When I asked her why, she said it felt really loud and overwhelming to her. What to do?"

This was a recent question on a string teacher forum. Many of the comments, rightfully so, were concerned with the student's sensitivity to sound and had lots of good suggestions on how to deal with what could be only a physical problem. 

However, there are other possibilities that can be explored as well.

If your student says she feels overwhelmed by sound, this would be an indication to me that the problem is due more to other factors than physical ones. Some students will complain about their E string being too strident. Here, however, it seems the student is just bothered by loudness in general. In fact, the teacher says that her student speaks in a very soft voice. The question is why. Does she do this because the sound of her own voice bothers her, perhaps a self-confidence issue? Or maybe it's just habit? Is her whole family soft-spoken? 

Before you stick cotton in your student’s ear, here are a few things to investigate so you can see if it’s a physical problem or just a misguided approach to playing music.

Intonation: Tin Ear or Attuned One?

"I have an 8-year-old student who can’t hear the difference between a semitone and whole tone. I’m at my wit’s end: I have tried everything I can think of, but she still says that they sound identical to her. What to do?"

I can certainly understand this teacher’s desperate plea for help. I, too, have had students like this.

First of all, I would like dispel a notion that some put forward on this thread: that she’s tone deaf or note deaf. 

I looked it up: tone deafness only afflicts 4% of the population. However, the article I read (look up "Amusia" in Wikipedia) says that those afflicted with a tin ear do succeed in speaking tonal languages, which suggests that distinguishing between notes may be a learned skill.

It also refers to experienced musicians, such as W. A. Mathieu, insisting that tone deafness in adults can be corrected with training. In fact:

Not Wanting to Be Wrong: What to Do About Your Frustrated Students

Question asked by a teacher: Any ideas on how to teach students who get frustrated and cry when they make a mistake? I have one who says that she gets upset because she doesn’t want to be wrong. Her mom says her teachers remarked on the same behavior in school, too.

What a great question! I’m sure we have all had to deal with students like this. I certainly have and here’s what I have learned over the years.

Giving Birth to Talent

Dr, Suzuki called his method “Talent Education.” As all children have talent, it must be educated,. But sometimes a student’s talent isn’t apparent. You teach all the right technique and make sure your students listen to their recordings, but some of them remain fairly stubbornly ensconced in their shells. So what do you do? How do you educate something that hasn’t manifested itself? How do you cultivate something you can’t see yet? 

When Are They Ready?

Many teachers have firm ideas about when a young student is ready for violin lessons. Or instrument lessons in general. Here are a few general rules:

1. The student can stand or sit still for a fairly extended period.
2. The child can listen and follow orders from a stranger.

But what to do when a parent wants their child to start music lessons and said child cannot seem to do either of the above?

Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Tone or Is It Vice Versa?

Recently, a teacher/researcher asked an interesting question on an Internet forum: What did Suzuki mean by the phrase “beautiful tone, beautiful heart”? What was the connection he made between tone and character?

Did he mean that a beautiful tone led to a beautiful heart? But Helen Brunner, who we all know spent a lot of time with Dr. Suzuki, wrote ¹ that he always said, “Beautiful heart, beautiful tone.” So what did he mean?

Suzuki was close to becoming, if he was not already, a realized being. It didn’t matter to him what the order of his words was. He knew what he meant. But most of us more earthbound beings tend to take such sages’ words fairly literally. Words (especially translated ones) are a rather poor way of transmitting what is essentially a spiritual concept. Suzuki even seemed to contradict himself on occasion...

It's Not My Job

Sometimes a question comes up that essentially asks what our job as instrument teachers is, and what it isn’t. When is it appropriate for us to make decisions for our students?

Recently, I saw a post from a teacher who was very upset because she had just found out that her very young student was having lessons in two other instruments besides her own. She said that she would never have accepted this child as a student if she had known.

I can see how she feels: I have had my fair (or should I say, unfair) share of “competition” from other instruments and activities. When, if ever, is it right for us to decide that something is too much for a child? When should we act in what we perceive to be the child’s best interests?

Consequences: Every Action Has a Reaction

In scanning various forums on social media, I frequently come across posts where teachers ask for advice on how to handle various problems with students and their parents. Sometimes they get positive and helpful responses; I have used some of their suggestions myself. There are a lot of creative teachers out there, and they are to be commended.

However, some sincere commenters advise these troubled teachers to give up on their students, fire them, tell off the parents, say that they’re not the right teacher for that student, etc. The fact that this can be discouraging for a teacher looking for solutions, but not a final one, is bad enough. But, as physics tells us, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

So, before advising or taking a drastic step, wouldn’t it be a good idea to consider what the immediate effect on the student is? What is the long-term effect? Is there the possibility that the long-term effect on the student can rebound onto us? Is there also the possibility that whatever good we do or whatever damage we cause, the repercussions may be felt for generations?

Doing What Inspires You

A teacher went recently to a string teacher convention where she talked with many violin teachers, both new and experienced,  Here are a few of her observations:

1. Many studio teachers still have problems with the basics of scheduling, policies, and being paid.
2. Everyone she met talked about wanting to teach their ideal student.
3. Everyone also had a different opinion on what the structure of their studio should look like. 
4. Many think they have to be available to teach 24/7. 
5. Many allow the students and their families to dictate the teacher’s schedule, i.e., the time and frequency of the lessons. 

She said that she saw general frustration all around. Instead, I see the poor business practices that result in this frustration.