Starting at age 5

I still remember my very first violin lesson. I was 5 yrs old and I climbed into the van with my little carpet square in tote. The carpet square was to keep me anchored in one spot for the entire lesson, especially since I was a busy child, loved squirming and was very easily distracted.

I do remember Michelle McCredy, my first teacher, and how kind she was. My first violin was a box violin, something I couldn't easily break. I remember the wooden dowel which served as my first bow, the Lego taped to the end to act as the "frog" where my thumb would rest. My Mom was learning the violin along with me so that she could assist in my practicing at home. (This is the standard Suzuki approach.) I was FAR more curious about her real violin than my stupid box violin. But I was proud of my silly box violin nonetheless.

Mom was also teaching me piano at the same time, which helped greatly in developing my sense of rhythm, my intonation, my understanding of scales and the layout of the fingerboard on my violin. I was learning two instruments at five years old!!

My favorite part of music was never playing the violin or playing the piano though. My favorite part of music was FEELING the music. And this is where my family have funny memories of me.

"Where is Mary???" everyone would ask...I had a habit of wandering off and disappearing for hours. My current therapist and I have coined the term "Maryland" for my ADHD as a child. Maryland was a place where I was blissfully content daydreaming and doing my own thing, creating, adventuring and making believe somewhere...I loved being by myself exploring the world.

Most often, they'd find me sitting with my little hands and my ear pressed up against the stereo so I could feel all rhythms of the music pulsating through into my little hands and body. I absolutely could not just sit even a foot away. I had to be completely immersed in the music.

"Mary! You're going to hurt your ears!" Daddy and Mommy would say. But I didn't care. I kept right on snuggling the stereo. Music just wasn't satisfying if I couldn't FEEL it physically, the pulsations and the rhythms and the beats and the vibrations touching my skin.

It's so funny because even now as an adult, I get actual notifications FROM my phone, "Mary! Based on your Spotify listening this week, we have noticed a pattern of high volumes. We recommend you turn down the volume so you don't hurt your hearing!"

Of course, I never pay any attention to this. I'd rather lose my hearing than not feel music.

And what do I do to relax? I hop in the car, I crank the stereo and I drive with the windows down and the volume to FULL blast dancing & jiving in my seat at 34 yrs old like a little kid. Why? Because I'm feeling the music.

As a teacher, I have reflected that all of this probably informed my teacher and my parents on my learning style--EXTREMELY kinesthetic, which is to say, I did not learn from listening or observing. I needed to DO it. I needed to FEEL it. I needed to experience it in my body.

To this day, my favorite part of playing the violin is how I can feel the strings vibrate underneath my fingers. I am obsessed with how I can feel the weight of my arm shift my sound with every push and pull of the bow. I love the gentle hum of the ringtones when you hit a note perfectly in tune. I'm crave that! I love how my fingers turn grey after a Mankato Symphony concert from all the playing. I love how my bow is worn out in the same place from my tiny little thumb nail digging into it. The experience of violin playing is 100% a full body workout.

How does all of this translate now into my teaching?

When I first started teaching, I expected myself to enjoy teaching all ages. I thought, "this is what is demanded of me in order to be a good teacher. I need to adapt to everything all the time and master teaching every age thrown at me."

But, a few years ago I started to realize I thrived with the new beginners. They were the ones I gravitated towards and genuinely enjoyed working with. The super SUPER littles. The 2 & 3 yr olds. Their sense of wonder and awe. Their mailability; how their tiny hands were like little sponges. How relaxed they naturally were. Even their stubbornness was something I genuinely enjoyed--it reminded me so much of myself.

As a violin teacher, my favorite part of working with littles now is trying to figure out their learning style. If I can do that, I can tap into that potential in a whole new way.

Are they visual? Ok, note-reading is a must.

Are they auditory? Ok, lets do some singing, air bowing with humming and do my favorite thing, which is create stupid silly lyrics to the songs they are memorizing.

I love my job. :)