Learning to play the violin as an adult is a daunting task - if you do it alone! But, just because we're no longer attending compulsory formal education doesn't mean we stop growing as a human being. And what's interesting is that, whether we already read music (because we were among the lucky few who had the chance for music education as a child) or not (perhaps because LIFE IS LIFE), we tend to understand the process of going through life in terms of emotional content.

I'm not talking about swinging between ups and downs, although that does tend to happen in extreme situations! I'm talking about the colourful imagery that springs to mind when certain labels are called up. Think: blue sky, sour lemon…. And it's not just a question of colour! We naturally swim in an ocean of shape, texture, taste….. And honestly, right now, all I'm dreaming of now is an ice-cold strawberry milkshake… (my tummy's beginning to stir… help!!!)

Imagine being a trained musician (even an amateur one, but trained!), who hears the word Russia and all you can think about is Tchaikovsky's immensely lush, generous, and so very rousing harmonies; try to imagine having the depth to appreciate the rigours of Bach's mathematical genius for structure, but also the amazement at the poetry so tightly ensconced in his apparent 'severity'… imagine being a little rascal hopping among the wildflowers among the bees, being yelled at by your mother to come inside before you get in trouble… you would have embodied the spirit of the eternally youthful Mozart from the time he wrote Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). So you see, learning to understand this other dimension in life.. Is really not far away from what we already know.

But learning to listen, and learning to play the music we love, are two very different endeavours.

The violin, for all its incredible Baroque beauty, can be a devilish instrument of torture, if not handled properly. The set-up of the left arm below and around it, the pursuit of true finger dexterity, and then learning to use this powerhouse which is our bow arm… is something that needs some significant expert guidance. Especially if you're not the kind of person who actively goes looking for physical injury.

And because LIFE IS LIFE, yours truly has had the unique opportunity of having developed, and then overcome, an almost crippling bout of tendinitis in the left side of my body. It's a work in progress to keep it completely at bay, but such a revealing schooling on how to use the body gently but effectively! Especially since, in this hyper-connected world, we tend to spend more time at the computer than not, and it's pretty obvious by now that this is the hell we have chosen in order to get ahead in life. If you're already thinking of learning to play the violin, or to continue your journey without forgetting the wellness of your physical body, why not try it out with someone who's already made the mistakes we all make, and streamline the learning process in order to enjoy life to the fullest?

Don't be fooled, the violin is not an easy instrument to learn to play, and convincingly. I could name some very famous people who didn't even get to the 'convincing' part, but let's keep that conversation behind closed doors, shall we? So if you're in it to fill in another line in your CV, and, I kid you not, I have met people like this and wonder why they didn't just boast about their symbolic 'gym membership' instead, I'd invite you to just stick to the 'gym membership'.

But if you're in it for the sounds and the fluidity in breathing and body movements, and the excitement of surmounting ever-bigger personal challenges, you're exactly where you need to be! Get in touch with me and let my eye for detail nudge you through your own learning process, and meet some amazing people on the go.

Let me and your extended circle of 'classmates' accompany your journey based on your personal schedule, specific interests… Hell, we even had a song from Maroon 5 in one of our first classes! I mean, since LIFE IS LIFE, everyone is so uniquely different. Let the violin speak for you, and you will thank yourself later for having taken this opportunity to give it a go.

Much love.