Drum Lesson

Many parents are eager to start their children on violin lessons for kids. During my many years of tenure in the music education niche, sometimes I am approached by enthusiastic parents who ask if their two year old child can enrol to start to learn to play the violin. Typically, I would advise the parent to wait till the child is three to five years old before exploring this. There are a few key reasons for this: Firstly, the child may not have grown up physically to be able to hold the violin and bow to play effectively. Secondly, the child may not have developed mentally to understand simple concepts such as counting and reading.

So my advice to parents of children who are younger than five years old, is to expose the child to music by playing classical songs. Encourage the child to get basic sense of rhythm, as well as sing or hum along to simple songs. There are many simple songs such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars” or “Row Row Row your boat” or “London Bridge is Falling Down” which can be taught at this age. This will help to program the young mind to be ready to start formal violin classes for kids later. Now, let me share with you six benefits of starting your child on violin lessons for kids:
Violin lessons requires the student to focus for at least 30 minutes to an hour, listening and internalizing what the coach is explaining. The child’s concentration and attention span will be very much improved. This is functional toward the ability to learn new things in life, whether academically or otherwise. Which leads us to benefit number 2. I have noticed that children who embark on violin lessons for kids at a young age tend to do better academically. The brain is a very unique and interesting organ. At a young age, it can absorb knowledge like sponge. Even in adulthood, the mind can be altered via repetitive practice, so that the brain neurons can reconnect and slow down the degeneration of the brain cells. This is another topic altogether.
On the topic of connecting brain neurons to physically challenge the student to play the violin — this is the process of mind mapping. In other words, repetitively practice so that the movement or technique becomes easy. The violin player does not need to think to coordinate both hands to play the violin. So another key benefit of violin classes for kids is improving the visual space processing of the mind. Some term this “motor skills development”. The child will gain directional sense, meaning for example, if the child goes for a walk from him, he or she will not get lost as the mind know where the starting point is. Another benefit of music lessons for kids is it develops discipline and patience. In the process of mind mapping, the violin student will find that the hand, eye and brain cells cannot coordinate. It is important here, to be patient and not get frustrated.
Frustration will slow down the learning process. Starting music lessons also requires the student to be disciplined about daily practice. I always advise my students to make it a point to come into contact with the violin and violin bow on a daily basis, no matte how busy one might me. Ten minutes of mindful practice is better than two hours of mindless practice which is not productive. Starting music lessons also stimulates the child creativity. How, you may ask? In playing any repertoire pieces, whether short or long ones, one is playing music. Music is emotional — the song could be the famous “Swan Song” which is sad and soulful, or it could be Vivialdi’s four seasons where certain sections are full of positive happy energy. All these emotions need to come out when the violinist plays the piece, and to do that, I advise my students to imagine what is happening in the song, and play to emote based on the imagination. This certainly helps in improving one’s creativity.
Starting one’s child on violin lessons also boosts the child’s self esteem. To be fair, learning to play a bowed strings musical instrument like the violin or cello is not an easy task. To be able to do so flawlessly after many hours of practice, give a sense of accomplishment to the child. This will build his or her confidence level up and help the child navigate through life with success. In addition, performing in front of an audience also boosts the student’s self esteem. It does not matter if the audience comprise of only family members. This is a big accomplishment for the student and the confidence level grows with more practice in terms of performance. There are many other benefits for children starting violin lessons. At Stradivari Strings, we have accomplished violin teachers who can coach young children well. Contact us at +65-98137769 to arrange lessons. We can arrange lessons either at your home, our teacher’s studio or at our music studio at Sultan Plaza. BOOK LESSONS

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Julien Quek

Flute, Music Theory

Starting the flute in 2014 at the age of 13, Julien discovered a new found liking to the flute and music. Hence he started private flute lessons in 2015. In the same year, he clinched a distinction in Grade 5 Flue performance under the tutelage of Miss Ke Yi Chun, who is a graduate of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.

In 2016 Julien took part in the flute festival, intermediate category ensemble competition and clinched 1st place. In 2017, he completed his Grade 8 in Flute Performance under the tutelage of Miss Wang Tong. He was also admitted into the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, who is currently under the baton of Maestro Joshua Tan.

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