If you’re looking for a violin teacher for violin lessons in Brisbane you’re not alone. Its seems every second customer is looking for a violin teacher in Brisbane and ask if I know any? Yes of course I do and i keep the business cards for many locals in my workshop. I try to match the teacher to the student as thats really important. So here are some things to consider when looking for a violin teacher, especially for school aged children.
1. Convenience. Convenience is really important if it’s a weekly lesson, its another stop for the mum or dad Uber to make in a week in an already crowded schedlue. Some teachers will come to you, but most run out of usually a home studio. So finding a violin teacher local to you is pretty important.
2. Teaching skills. Potentially anyone can advertise themselves as a violin teacher. And mostly the focus seems to be on their level of playing, but the critical factor is can they teach violin and make a connection with their student. Matching temperaments and expectations between teacher and student is a really important factor, this includes amount of practice and musical goals. If your student just wants to enjoy violin…or is aspiring to play paganini you will need the right teacher.
3. Developing musical skills. A lesson is one thing, but practice and support at home is the crtitical factor. I encourage students to ’snack practice’ with violin in case an ready to go. “Go and do your G major scale twice before dinner please Alice” is a great way to build habits and muscle memory. Its also important to play in a school orchestra and particepate in school group lessons as well – listening and playing with opthers is important
4. Get the right instrument. hey I sell violins so need to put this here. If you are spending hiundreds on violin lesson then don’t cheap out on the instrument, get one that sounds good and the student will actually enjoy playing.
5. Its ok to ask about qualifications and by law they should have a current Working with Children Blue Card. You might also ask about their teaching experience. In the end it will come down to a vibe or how the student teach connect as well.
Anyways drop by if your looking for a violin teacher close to me. There are also excellent directories online that are free for the teacher and doing a search there can be pretty helpful (though sometimes the information can be a bit dated). There is a real churn of violin teachers as itds a starter gig for many a talented violinist who goes on to a professional performing career or seeking a permemant position at a school. And for those that dedicate themselves long term to running their own studio – they fill up really quick!
This is a free-to-list directory https://www.musicteacher.com.au/directory/brisbane-qld/lessons/violin/ full of active and inactive teac.hers
The AUSTA Strings Association has a directory of members that are available to teach, it has the advantage that they are professional members so some of the vetting is done for you in a sense as obnly current members are listed. https://www.austa.asn.au/teacher/
There are some other directories as well.
In 2024 the current going rate is around $40 per half hour for lessons, though for higher level teachers expect to pay more.
Also in case you are asking, I don’t do regular lessons for long term – that takes a commitment to resourcing pieces and pedagogy of the child and learner. I have worked with adult learners and those looking to transition out of classical genres…as more of a coach with a quick burst of lessons. Sometimes I find my self doing impromptu teaching to customers when matching a violin to them and quickly fixing just one thing can have a transformative effect on their playing.