YA Program FAQ’s

About the Young Artists Program: 

The Young Artists Program is for students and families who want a more comprehensive approach to violin/viola study and helps to foster confidence, community, and musical achievement.

The program consists of weekly private lessons and a Saturday group class that meets 12 times per semester. The group class will be devoted to technical instruction, musical literacy, practice techniques, and small ensemble playing.

Classes will be capped at 4-5 students per class so that students will receive individual attention within the group environment. Classes will be grouped by technical level and adjusted each semester based on enrollment and individual student progress.

This program aims to make the type of training often only available in intense pre-college conservatory programs accessible in a supportive, collaborative, and fun environment to anyone wishing to make violin/viola study an important part of their child’s education.

All YA classes will be held in-person, but students may choose to do their private lessons online and come in-person for technique classes.

FAQ:

Q: Is an audition or assessment required to join the YA Program? 

A: No. The YA Program is designed to be open to all students on the basis of their interest, not on their current abilities and is open to beginner to advanced students. For non beginner students I may ask to hear them play in order to place them in the appropriate group class, but there is no audition to enter the program.

Q: How much practice is required?

A: As much as needed to get the work done. For beginners, I recommend planning on an approximate commitment of 15-20 minutes a day at least 5 days a week. As students improve, practice tends to naturally scale up in order to meet the requirements of the music being studied and to see satisfying improvement. 

Q: Are these groups the same as Suzuki Group classes?

A: While there may be some overlap with Suzuki group activities in the group classes (because good pedagogy is the same no matter what method is being used), these classes are focused on technical work, music literacy, and small ensemble playing, while Suzuki classes tend to include a lot of unison playing of repertoire. Like Suzuki group classes, the classes are designed to be fun and engaging for all students.

Q: What is the minimum and maximum age for the YA program?

A: Students must be at least 5 years of age and in Kindergarten to enroll in the YA program (This program includes early music literacy instruction- which may not be suitable for all educational philosophies) and extends through seniors in high school. At this time the program is only open to students currently in grades K-12, but I may consider adding an adult technique class in the future depending on interest.