Why Play Violin?
There are so many reasons to play a musical instrument. I love the violin because it is one of the most expressive instruments. We can change the color of our sound with vibrato, glissando up or down to notes like a singer, play solo lines like the flute or chords like the guitar and piano. And more and more musicians are expanding the range of styles that the violin can play. Some traditional styles the violin has been used for include classical music, fiddle, country music, klezmer, and mariachi. More recently, the violin is being used in rock, new age, and even techno. With a good foundation, a violinist can play just about any style of music that speaks to him or her.
Who Can Learn?
Any child or adult with the desire to play can learn violin or viola. Dr. Suzuki coined the term "talent education", meaning that students become better learners, or develop "talent", through practice and being surrounded by music in the home environment. This applies to adults as well, and I have found that adults may even progress faster than children in the beginning. After all, adults usually have longer attention spans, aren't afraid to ask questions, and often have more developed listening skills.
The biggest challenge adults face, in my experience, is being overly self-critical of their efforts. Most children, lucky rascals, don't say to themselves "I made a bad sound, I must be bad at this." They happily continue working at it, developing an ear for good tone, tuning, and rhythm over time, all the while trusting the adults in their lives who let them know they are doing just great!
Another advantage children have is time... they generally have more of it. However I believe any adult can become a competent player of violin or viola if they only have these three things: the desire to learn, the ability turn down the volume of their inner critic, and daily practice time.
What inspires many people to take up the challenge of learning an instrument is the joy of making music with others. Students who get to make music together with their families, school orchestras, string quartet, fiddle group, jazz band, or who just get together and jam or sight-read with other musicians will usually get the most enjoyment out of playing and be motivated to continue over time.
The biggest challenge adults face, in my experience, is being overly self-critical of their efforts. Most children, lucky rascals, don't say to themselves "I made a bad sound, I must be bad at this." They happily continue working at it, developing an ear for good tone, tuning, and rhythm over time, all the while trusting the adults in their lives who let them know they are doing just great!
Another advantage children have is time... they generally have more of it. However I believe any adult can become a competent player of violin or viola if they only have these three things: the desire to learn, the ability turn down the volume of their inner critic, and daily practice time.
What inspires many people to take up the challenge of learning an instrument is the joy of making music with others. Students who get to make music together with their families, school orchestras, string quartet, fiddle group, jazz band, or who just get together and jam or sight-read with other musicians will usually get the most enjoyment out of playing and be motivated to continue over time.