08/23/2024
Red Door String Studio has been very quiet this summer, as most of my students have taken a summer break. I look forward to the sounds that will fill this space again soon.
It often seems that taking on the challenge of learning an instrument is counter-cultural in our time. Our lives are very focused on technology and how it helps streamline our lives. Technology helps us stay in touch, it helps us get from point A to point B, it checks the weather for us, makes our coffee and keeps our homes comfortable.
Learning to play the violin can feel old-fashioned in comparison. There are apps and technology that can help us in the journey, but they are just a little bit of help. To learn to play the violin demands the daily discipline of practice; the determination to stick to it. We have to work through the discomfort of seeing, hearing and knowing where we want to be with our skills, but not being there yet. We have to use our senses to listen, see and feel in our relationship to the violin. We have to have a strong connection to the three-dimensional world. At some point in our journey we have to work through the nerves and anxiety of performing. Playing violin is often communal, requiring us to build relationships with others. Progress is often incremental and challenging.
Sometimes I wish that teaching violin was as simple as building violin skills. It can be overwhelming to realize I am part of a much bigger, deeper and broader project. It is not always obvious how much is happening when two students play together, when students perform as a larger group at a senior home or adult students get together to play for patients at a hospital. We can often miss the significance of one particular student playing a solo at a recital or even playing O Canada at their school graduation ceremony.
Shortly, Red Door String Studio will have kids, parents, siblings, friends and grandparents passing through to continue this important journey. I look forward to the fullness and richness this brings to life.
