For anyone taking violin lessons, or any instrument, it's important to know how to get the most out of the individualized instruction your teacher has to offer. To get the most of your music lessons here at ArtistWorks, here's some things to help keep you focused before you submit a video for personalized feedback.

P is for Practice before you record. Especially if this is your first video for your teacher, you want to put your best foot foward by showing them the best you can play. This means taking the time to warm up, play through it a few times before hitting record so your fingers will be primed and ready. If you already know which areas are weak points for you, be sure to concentrate on those before trying to learn something new. Much of playing music is muscle memory. Therefore it’s critical to keep practicing so that you can keep building those muscles. 

For anyone taking violin lessons, or any instrument, it's important to know how to get the most out of the individualized instruction your teacher has to offer. To get the most of your music lessons here at ArtistWorks, here's some things to help keep you focused before you submit a video for personalized feedback.

P is for Practice before you record. Especially if this is your first video for your teacher, you want to put your best foot foward by showing them the best you can play. This means taking the time to warm up, play through it a few times before hitting record so your fingers will be primed and ready. If you already know which areas are weak points for you, be sure to concentrate on those before trying to learn something new. Much of playing music is muscle memory. Therefore it’s critical to keep practicing so that you can keep building those muscles. 

A is for Above and beyond. Even if you have practiced all things your teacher wanted you to, keep pushing yourself. Once you've mastered it at a certain tempo, keep practicing and find new ways to challenge yourself using all the different techniques you know. This will not only build up your playing stamina, you will build a solid foundation which you can add more layers to when you are ready.

R is for Record yourself. Our teachers are extremely gifted, knowledgeable, and motivated to help you get better at your instrument. But if you don't send them a video, they'll never know how you play and how best to help you. So be sure to take the time to record yourself playing something (once you have practiced, and gone above and beyond). Then watch it back and if you think you can do it better, record it again. This sort of self-assessment is great for catching and correcting bad habits in your playing. It also will help your teacher most effectively help you once he's seen your best efforts. 

T is for Take notes. Once you receive a video response from your teacher, a lot of extremely specific information will be poured at you all at once. Your teacher will tell you exactly what you have to do in order to improve particular areas. It's great to be able to watch the videos over and over again, but you should also take some notes so you can keep a quick reminder on hand for the things your teacher told you to work on. This way you can refer to your notes whenever you are practicing and it will help will you on track. 

So the next time you're ready to get feedback on your playing, remember the PART principles so you can make the most out of their expert instruction!

Related Violin Blogs:

• How to Choose a Violin for Beginners
• What To Look For In a Violin Teacher 
• The Truth About Violin Scales
• How I Decided to Learn to Play Violin
• Interview with Nathan Cole about Violin Lessons
• How to Rosin the Bow
• How to Hold the Bow
• Interview with a Violin Student
• 5 Things You'll Need to Know Before Learning Violin