Instruments and Lessons

Gina specializes in teaching Professional Violin, Fiddle, Voice, Viola, Guitar, and Piano.

Instruction is personalized for the beginner as well as the experienced student!

Individual, Family, and Group lessons are available.

Individual lessons can be in person or virtual via FaceTime, Zoom, or Google Duo.

How to truly benefit from taking lessons

Daily practice is vital, as is consistency of practice over a long period of time.

(Breaks of more than a few weeks are not recommended. Students are almost guaranteed to eventually fail at continuing with the instrument when they take entire summers or semesters off from lessons and practice time. They lose momentum and they lose the ground made the previous school year. When they lose that momentum, they become discouraged and, more often than not, lose interest.)

Here are some tips to aid in developing a consistent habit of daily practice.

  1. Use a sticker chart.

  2. Put a marble or craft pom-pom in a jar for every 10 minutes or five repetitions of a passage or a piece practiced. Trade a full jar for a prize or treat. 

  3. Have a treasure chest and let them pick an item for each song passed. 

  4. Trade practice time for screen time (TV, computer, tablet, video games, etc).

  5. Have them give you a lesson to reinforce new concepts. 

  6. Set a goal for number of days practiced each week. 

  7. Set a goal for number of minutes or repetitions practiced each week. 

  8. Trade practice time for a later weekend bedtime. 

  9. Fill a jar with dollar bills and remove one for each day they don't practice. They get what's left over at the end of the week for allowance. 

  10. Let them choose their favorite song to play the last 5 minutes of practice time. 

  11. Let them play along with a recording of their pieces. 

  12. Print out a fun practice chart (google music practice charts).

  13. Have your child draw a picture to tell the story of each piece they are working on. 

  14. Let them pick an after dinner treat each day they practice. 

  15. Practice alongside them and learn their songs with them. 

  16. Use a metronome- EVERY SINGLE music student should have a metronome and be using it weekly. 

  17. Break the song into smaller chunks and practice each section individually.

  18. Start with the hardest section first then work towards the easiest. 

  19. Play or sing the piece at varying tempos. 

  20. Start playing slowly and gradually increase up to performance tempo. 

  21. Have a parent point at the notes as their being played to help the child learn to track better. This works especially well in the early months of learning an instrument.

  22. Designate a practice space that is quiet and find a time where there won't be distractions. 

  23. Do all the suggested warm-ups to start every practice session (including scales). These are designed to build dexterity, flexibility, and endurance and kids will skip them if you let them. 

  24. Use a timer for practice sessions.

  25. A parent or guardian attending the lesson can take notes of the instructions and suggestions presented and review them at home during practice sessions.

  26. Participate in recitals and encourage family and friends to attend. (If your child has an overwhelming fear of performing in front of others, speak privately to the teacher who will be able to help them develop techniques to overcome and perform.)

  27. Listen to assigned Suzuki and other CDs on a regular basis while riding in the car and other occasions at home.

  28. Read children’s biographies about composers whose music you or your child is playing. (Visit your local library)

  29. Listen to the music of composers whose music you or your child is playing.

  30. Listen to the music of other cultures.

  31. Attend concerts of live music.

  32. Stop and listen to street musicians (and leave a tip if you appreciate their performance).

Intelligent Practice

Three Steps:

  1. Plan (your approach to each piece or section of a piece.)

    • Decide upon a goal; i.e. work on intonation or tempo or phrasing or bowing or fingering etc.

    • Select one thing to focus on this time and decide on the number of repetitions (5 times is a good number) you will play this passage or piece in order to improve and bring you closer to your goal. Do you need to play another set of repetitions?

  2. Play

    • Practice this piece or this passage the number of times you decided upon, focusing on your goal.

  3. Judge

    • Evaluate your practice of these repetitions. Did you make progress toward your goal? Were you in tune? Were you bowing accurately, (if a bowed instrument)? How was your phrasing? Did you observe the dynamics which were marked? Are there techniques you need to improve such as staccato, legato, chord progressions, keeping a double stop sounding the whole length of the note value? Etc….

    • Decide if you should select another goal and if so, decide on the number of repetitions you will do in order to bring you closer to this new goal.

    • Write down what it is you wish, or need, to improve and start again at step one in the next practice session.

Keep in mind that several shorter daily practice sessions are often more productive than one long session.