Back To The Basics

Don't I look natural? Well, look again.

Yesterday was my first violin lesson in more than 10 years. When I say back to the basics, I cannot stress that enough. I had forgotten just how much goes into playing a violin! The way the bow is held, the way your feet are positioned, the way the hand and fingers are supposed to be when holding it... It is a lot of stuff! Posture was #1 on the list. We then went over the notes. What the notes are called, how long they are held, etc. My teacher even gave me flash cards to test myself with. :) She taught me a few beats and had me play them, the beats that go in the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." I thought about that. Such a simple song. I once played in a large orchestra playing "Canon in D" and now I was learning a children's song, the song that children three years old play when they are learning for the first time. This is my second time around. Oh how I wish I never had given this hobby up. I still have some of my old music and the things I used to play were incredible peices. I am looking forward to practicing and learning again, and I know my husband will make sure I practice. :)

My teacher's name is Calli Barton. She has been playing for eight years; she started when she was seven. Yep, she's 15. She is super talented and definitely knows what she is doing! She graduated just last week from her Suzuki program (an excellent program for learning music); she has done very well. She still takes lessons from a teacher and is in a preforming group as well.