Vivian D'Amelio Music

02/19/2024

I've been seeing a trend with the conversations I've been having with my students' parents. "We know that music lessons are really great for kids, so we wanted to put Sally in lessons." "I wanted my son/daughter to take violin or piano lessons for the life skills they'll learn".

All of my students' parents have one thing in common - they want their kids to have music in their lives to some degree. They know viscerally that music is a good thing to expose their kids to and a good thing for their kids to spend their time on.

But WHY? Why are music lessons so valuable? Surely not just for the bragging rights 😁Parents realize that music's benefits go beyond having some really cool skills.

Something that parents may know but not be able to articulate, or something they realize over the course of their child taking lessons, is that learning an instrument provides a safe place for students to learn valuable life skills and develop their character - and in fact to fast-track growth in those areas. I have seen kids grow immensely in focus, self-discipline, motivating themselves, confidence and critical thinking while taking music lessons.

I can point to aspects of my personality and character strengths that I would never have developed without my experiences from learning the violin.

Realizing that learning an instrument has a profound impact on kids' emotional, mental, moral and physical development pushes parents to enroll their kids in lessons, and stay with lessons even when the going gets tough.

02/16/2024

This week's mini-lesson is a guide to practicing rest and playing positions for the violin. We'll cover how to hold the violin with good form, and the two types of violin holds.

Have any questions about this video? Do you have an idea for another video topic? Drop them in the comments below!

This lesson is a guide to practicing rest and playing positions for the violin. We'll cover how to hold the violin with good form, and the two types of viol...

02/12/2024

I wrote a blog post about what I have learned so far from studying Rolland pedagogy. It's such a valuable teaching method that made a huge impact on string pedagogy! It's not as well-known as it should be.
People who aren't music educators or string players aren't very familiar with it. So, I wanted to give a little introduction to the method and why I study it and incorporate it into my teaching. Read more on the blog ✨

Reflections on professional development in science-based string teaching. The Rolland Method is a string pedagogy based on biomechanics.

02/09/2024

This week's mini-lesson covers how to tune your violin using fine tuners and pegs! There was a bit of glare on my phone, sorry about that!

Digital tuning app I use here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.soundcorset.client.android&pcampaignid=web_share

Tuning drone I use: https://www.dronetonetool.com/

Have any questions about this video? Do you have an idea for another video topic? Drop them in the comments below!

Tuning Tutorial for Beginner ViolinistsIn this lesson, we'll cover how to tune your violin using fine tuners and pegs! There was a bit of glare on my phone,...

02/05/2024

One of the highlights of my summer last year was attending a workshop on the Paul Rolland method of string pedagogy!

🎻Healthy technique and helping my students increase their body awareness are two huge pillars of my teaching. So when I was looking for professional development opportunities, I wanted to find a pedagogy method that emphasized those things. I had heard of Rolland pedagogy before, (officially known as the Paul Rolland String Pedagogy method) and upon some research, found that it focused on breaking down violin technique into a series of physical movement patterns or skills. It was just what I was looking for!

🎻During the week-long workshop, we focused on analyzing and teaching a series of skills, or Actions, that went into setting up violin technique. The objective with all of the actions was finding ways to teach and execute them in the most natural way possible. Our bodies are not exactly built for playing an asymmetrical instrument like the violin (not like they are for walking, jumping, and squatting!) but I appreciated that the method found ways to integrate playing the violin with the way our bodies are supposed to move.

🎻It was amazing how quickly students who were taught in the Rolland method excelled at the violin - in some cases achieving a level of mastery in 2 years that many students don't see until year 5 or 6!

🎻I got to practice teaching the other participants in the workshop, and received excellent feedback from the other participants and my mentor! It was incredibly valuable (and a little intimidating!) to have my teaching analyzed but I really improved because of it.

I'm so proud to have taken that workshop, and am looking forward to attending more Rolland workshops in the future!

02/02/2024

This week's featured mini-lesson is reviewing the parts of the violin and bow! You can use these videos as practice aids in between your lesson times or as a reinforcement for a concept or skill you might be struggling with. We'll go over the names of the parts of the violin and bow and a cute memory song to help you remember them! I also briefly go over caring for your instrument.

Have any questions about this video? Do you have an idea for another video topic? Drop them in the comments below! And be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven't already 😊

Have any questions about this video? Do you have an idea for another video topic? Drop them in the comments below! 0:00 intro1:08 parts of violin9:33 memory ...

01/26/2024

Something new I've been doing for my studio has been filming mini-lesson videos! These videos can be used as practice aids in between your lesson times or as a reinforcement for a concept or skill you might be struggling with. This week's featured video is all about the bow hold!

In this video lesson, we'll learn two different ways of approaching the bow hold and how to practice making your beautiful bow hold!

Have any questions about this video? Do you have an idea for another video topic? Drop them in the comments below!

In this video lesson, we'll learn two different ways of approaching the bow hold and how to practice making your beautiful bow hold! Have any questions about...

01/22/2024

I'm accepting new students!
I have openings in my new studio, located nearby the Friendly Center in Greensboro!

If you are:
🎻 Located in Greensboro or the Triad region of NC, or open to virtual lessons,
🎹 Looking for an opportunity to tap into your creative side,
🎻An adult learner looking for daytime availability (WFH/student/retiree schedule, anyone?)
🎹 The parent of a student aged 5+, looking for a teacher who's great with kids,
🎻 Excited to learn a beautiful instrument like the violin or piano,
🎹 Looking for a lesson experience tailored to your needs,

I might be a great fit for you!
You can message me to set up a phone call or schedule a FREE trial lesson! I would love to discuss your goals to determine if I’d be a good fit for you or your student. I can also guide you towards finding an instrument, if you don’t already have a violin or piano.

If you know someone who might be interested in lessons, please share this post with them!

01/19/2024

Hello hello, it's been a while!

There's been a lot going on with life and teaching since my last post on here! I wanted to give some updates on what I've been up to:

🎵I attended the inaugural Houston Fiddle Week in the summer of 2022;
🎵I attended my very first Paul Rolland workshop in summer 2022;
🎵I got to volunteer as a teaching intern with Houston Orchestra For All for their 2022-2023 season! Working with Brazos Music was a fantastic experience and was definitely a highlight of my '22-'23 academic year;
🎵I started teaching piano lessons in late 2022 and I enjoyed it so much that I made piano lessons a permanent feature of my studio;
🎵My husband and I moved from Houston to Greensboro last spring;
🎵We took a fantastic 5-week trip through Europe last summer;
🎵I attended the Level 2 Paul Rolland workshop last summer after getting back from our travels;
🎵Finally, I started a private studio here in Greensboro!

I definitely needed to take time off social media to recover from all of the excitement of the last year and a bit, and I'm proud of the (necessary!) boundaries I've set with social media. But I'm excited to be a bit more active on my page and YouTube channel this year!

I'm planning on posting once or twice a week with updates about my studio and helpful teaching-related content. Stay tuned for more✨

06/01/2022

I’ve talked about the intrinsic risk factors for burnout – that is, the things that are within your control that can lead to burning out. (Just to review, those are limiting beliefs, lack mindsets, and behaviors like perfectionism and poor work/life balance, among other things.) Reviewing those things can give you a lot of clarity about how to progress in your recovery. You can take as much time as you want off your instrument, but if you don’t address the perfectionism, inadequate rest, workaholism, over-achievement and exceedingly high expectations that led to you burning out, you are setting yourself up for this cycle to repeat itself.
It's at this stage that I’d recommend either seeing a therapist, talking to a mentor, or reading some books on burnout to help you assess your mental health, behaviors and habits, and find strategies for changing them.
Maybe you’re feeling like you need to work on ALL of those things and don’t know where to start! 2 strategies there:
- Find the behavior/mindset that is easiest to improve, and do that ASAP. (the snowball effect)
- Find the behavior/mindset that contributes most to poor mental health, and begin making small steps to improve.

05/31/2022

Listen, I really struggle with this one. It can really feel like you’re not as valid or worthy as a musician if:
- you aren’t “keeping up” with your fellow musicians in undergrad
- You aren’t entering competitions or music festivals while your peers are
- you aren’t at the same place technique-wise as your fellow students in high school or aren’t playing the same repertoire
- your friends are auditioning for orchestras/conservatories/grad school and you’re not.

I get that. I’ve been there. I still struggle with comparing myself and my abilities to those of the people around me. But let’s ask ourselves some questions.
- Do you have the same goals in life and music as your peers?
- Did you have the same upbringing and background? Musically and personally?
- Have your peers had the same teachers, influences or challenges as you?
- Do you and your peers have the same motivations?
- Do you and your peers have the same body types and/or technique styles?
- Have your peers struggled or not struggled with injury?
Chances are, your struggles, background, goals, motivations, influences, body type and health history are VASTLY different from your fellow musicians’. Therefore, any comparison you may make to them is entirely unfair and doesn’t do you a lot of good.
There’s something I’ve been trying to do when I find myself wanting to compare myself to someone, and it really helps me. When I get the urge to compare myself to someone else, I stop myself and offer them encouragement, either by reaching out to them or by simply thinking about them and praying that they have the success in their life that they are striving for. Taking that time out to cheer my fellow musicians on really helps switch my mindset from fearing there won’t be enough success to go around, to realizing that there is enough room for everyone to succeed.

05/30/2022

Ahh, the classic burnout advice. It’s a go-to piece of advice because it works. Taking a break from your instrument when you’re burnt out is one of the most vital steps in recovery. The time away from your instrument practice allows you to distance yourself from unhealthy practice mindsets and habits and can act as a “hard reset” for your relationship with your instrument.
It’s okay to take some time off without a set day for returning to your instrument. When you do take time off, try not to guilt-trip yourself about it or compare yourself to your peers. Only practice if and only if you actually *want* to (not out of fear, anxiety or guilt).
I’m on month 5 of distancing myself from my instrument, after not taking significant time off from my instrument for at least 4 years. It’s only this month (May) that I’ve really started to miss playing, and am okay with the idea of playing violin again.