Carrie D.
MTYH Viola teacher Carrie D. has been playing viola since age 6, and she’s pretty passionate when it comes to all things having to do with this cool instrument. Here are her thoughts on why viola is a great choice for your musical journey:
Want to play the violin but can’t sing that high? Want to play the cello but don’t feel like lugging it around? Here’s a solution for you: viola!
A violin and viola look pretty much the same, so what exactly is the difference? Kindly referred to as a “larger violin” or “smaller cello,” the viola is the perfect choice for many reasons.
- It’s unique. Not many people start out playing the viola, and so you and your instrument would be one of a kind!
- Because the viola is “in between” a violin and cello, it comes in many sizes and lengths for all types of people, tall or short.
- Violists get to play violin music, cello music, and our own music. Because of this, you will learn how to read many different clefs, giving you the upper hand in future music theory classes.
- Being able to perform a wide variety of instruments’ music also means violists are adept at playing many different genres of music. Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century, rock and roll, Broadway, and much more!
- Composers today love to write for the viola, and the “new music” scene is an ever-growing part of the current musical community. Some of these pieces may even include electric viola.
- Beautiful things are associated with the word “viola:” Viola (the flower), Viola Davis (the actress), Viola Thompson (the baseball player), and even a character named Viola from Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night.
- While lots of musicians are focusing on playing the melody out front, violists get to play the harmony. They are good at supporting and helping other instruments, proving us to be true team players! This also makes the viola a great instrument for people who are shy and like to blend in.
- Music to your Home (MTYH) has viola teachers available and excited to start teaching YOU today!
Image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Music to Your Home is lucky to be able to work with musicians from around the world, and Alejandro M. comes to us with words of wisdom from Argentina. Currently he’s a professional guitar player and teacher living the dream and gigging all over NYC.
Alejando M.
One of our favorite NYC piano teachers, Rita R. answered some often asked and important questions about piano lessons, her teaching philosohpy and favorite musical moments.
Why do we spend all those hours practicing and learning how to read music? Well, I guess there are a lot of reasons we take piano lessons or lessons on any instrument for that matter.
For most of us, we started learning an instrument because our parents forced us to, or it was just another activity we couldn’t wiggle our way out of at school. But for some people, learning an instrument is a great outlet for creativity and an opportunity to tap into our talents.
Some of us love the challenge of sitting at the piano and reading a new piece of music for the first time. Maybe it’s a song you heard on the radio or in a movie or perhaps it’s something you grew up listening to. Being able to recreate that sound and moment in time can be a very rewarding experience. Music has a way of bringing back emotions we felt at certain times in our lives. Being able to create those moments yourself, without the help of itunes is very empowering.
Playing an instrument and making music in general can be an amazingly peaceful experience if you want it to be. I have played piano since I was 9 and learning those notes at the beginning was tedious to me. It took me about 4 years of constant reminding from my parents to practice until I realized I actually had a talent! So after all the hard work and practice I found that learning new music and even playing old songs became much easier and enjoyable.
For young students, playing the piano can have advantageous effects on the development of the brain and can also help build self-confidence. Those same effects are realized by adults too, but as an adult I find now that sitting at the piano and playing the songs I like is a major stress reliever.
No matter how long or stressful your day might have been, if it was the late subway, the long commute, the snoring guy on the bus – sitting and playing an instrument can take you away from all the things in your life that are causing you anxiety, even if it’s only for a few minutes. So next time you’re feeling stressed, find your favorite sheet music, sit down and play and try to find your inner peace.
Namaste