Why Playing the Violin is so Popular
The violin is the most popular instrument among young orchestral students and one of the overall most frequently played options, but what makes this instrument so special? Violins play melodies far more frequently than other orchestral instruments, and their quieter nature means that far more are needed to create an adequate balance with much smaller woodwind, brass, and lower string sections. Here are some of the many social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of playing the violin!
Social Benefits of Playing the Violin
Playing the violin (or any instrument!) can have a wide range of social benefits. Many of the unique skills and characteristics that contribute to strong “musicianship” can also be applied to how we relate to the people in your life. Here are some of what we feel, are the most significant social benefits of studying the violin!
Listening Skills
Playing the violin involves constant, focused listening to the details of what you and everyone you are playing with are doing. Every note, just the right volume, and length in order to perfectly match the tone of each piece. When played together, this blend with other musicians is nearly magical! By understanding when someone else’s part is more important to the overall structure of the piece than your own, it mimics a conversation. Recognizing when your instrument isn’t blending well with the rest of the group and making quick adjustments is key when it comes to creating an overall balanced sound.
Improving your listening skills as a musician can easily translate to being a better listener in other types of interactions. Once you begin to understand that your opinion is not the only one or the most important, you can take a more intentional approach to considering others’ points of view. This includes brainstorming project ideas or working through disagreements.
Non-Verbal Communication
Music also involves finding ways to “say” things, express concepts, and convey moods without using words. Enhancing your awareness of and sensitivity to specific ways in which dynamics, articulations, and other details can change the tone and overall meaning of the same piece of music. It can also improve your ability to pick up on gestures, facial expressions, subconscious movements, voice tone, and other forms of nonverbal communication. Each of these help the player to better understand what the people in your life are expressing.
Playing Violin Fosters Cooperation
Violinists frequently work with other performers. Even most solo violin repertoire involves working closely with an accompanist to create the best overall performance possible. Chamber music and orchestral work involve a significant amount of cooperation when it comes to getting everyone, not just yourself, to sound as good as possible. Improving your cooperation skills can help make group projects, manage your family dynamics, work commitments and disagreements, and other life challenges significantly smoother.
Commitment and Hard Work
Becoming the best violinist is no easy task. Even the best and most natural musicians must put in a significant amount of work to continue advancing their skills. Younger beginners should aim to spend at least 30 minutes practicing most days, while serious advanced violin students should be surpassing an hour per day by high school. Experiencing the effects of putting in plenty of hard work can help you build a similar work ethic and level of commitment in other areas of your life, including other classes and relationships.
In addition, having in-person violin instructors is simply a must. Here at Southbury Music Studio, our focused violin lessons are tailored to the student. While the core techniques for playing violin are common, your student is unique. Our instructors understand that and work with their students to bring out their very best.
Emotional Benefits of Playing the Violin
Playing the violin in Southbury, CT is an artistic and emotional outlet. The violin can also help you better understand yourself and the music being played. It can even change how you view and interpret the world around you.
Increased Resilience
Most musicians do not absorb and express a new concept exactly right the first, second, or even tenth time they try. Realistically, it can take much longer to turn sporadic successes into consistent strong playing. These consistent, small challenges can be frustrating, especially if learning the violin is one of the first endeavors that you have had to put a significant amount of work into. That’s one of the best reasons for in-person and tailored violin lessons. The feedback and instruction provided by your teacher helps to direct and encourage sticking with it and experiencing the benefits of gradual improvement. A focused violin instructor can significantly boost your resilience and tenacity in both music and other areas of your life.
Deeper Understanding of Feelings
Interpreting music involves digging deep. Music is often an expression of those things that might be hard to put into words. By carefully considering the details of where these feelings come from and how to share them with your audience you can improve your drive to understand and respond appropriately to those around you.
Cognitive Benefits of Playing the Violin
Finally, playing the violin can have several cognitive benefits that improve various aspects of the overall functionality of your brain and its ability to handle both musical and nonmusical complex tasks. Here are some of the most significant ways in which studying the violin can improve your mental capabilities!
Complex Thought Processes
Even performing seemingly simple pieces of music involves a complex series of dozens or even hundreds of tiny decisions about exactly how each note and phrase should sound. Many of these decisions need to be made at almost the same time. While this is true for any musician, violinists often have more complex parts than other members of the orchestra. This can make the violin an excellent choice for boosting the speed and overall capabilities of your brain.
Playing the Violin Improves Physical Coordination
Timing each note precisely and making sure it is just the length and strength you want it to be involves a significant amount of mental and physical coordination. Building these cognitive skills requires accurately translating each thought into action. Coordinating your arms, fingers, shoulders and chin can significantly boost your overall coordination and mental sharpness in other areas.
Advantage of Studying With a Frequent Performer
Many of our Connecticut music teachers continue to perform in community or professional ensembles or as guest artists regularly. In fact, most of the music teachers at Southbury Music Studio are avid performers. Making the decision to take your violin performance more seriously by taking lessons at Southbury Music Studio, will add a new level of polish to your music experience. By studying with someone that does perform both frequently and at a high level, their gain is your gain.
The strongest performers typically have a larger toolbox to pull from when it comes to helping each student learn the skills and strategies they need to succeed. That means that finding the best violin teacher and performer in Southbury CT, who you can reasonably afford is key when it comes to getting the most out of your violin lessons.
Choose Southbury Music for Top-Notch Violin Instruction in Southbury, CT
Southbury Music teachers perform regularly throughout the Southbury, CT area. That makes our team an excellent choice for studying with some of the most engaging and capable instructors in Connecticut. Contact us today to learn more about the benefits of starting or enhancing your violin studies with us or to schedule your first lesson!
