student coming back to violin after 42 year

[Katheryn]

I have a lady who played the violin and was apparently very good. Then she quit for 42 years. She wants to start up again. I am not quite sure what to do with her. First thing she is getting her bow rehaired and I advised her to get some new Aricore strings. Then I will have her read John Holt's book "Never Too Late" (I have all my adult beginners read this, even though she is not really a beginner I think she will find it inspiring. Then I guess we should talk goals, see what music she has, what music she studied in the past. Any advice will be appreciated.

[Anne]

: I have a lady who played the violin and was apparently very good. Then she quit for 42 years. She wants to start up again. I am not quite sure what to do with her. First thing she is getting her bow rehaired and I advised her to get some new Aricore strings. Then I will have her read John Holt's book "Never Too Late" (I have all my adult beginners read this, even though she is not really a beginner I think she will find it inspiring. Then I guess we should talk goals, see what music she has, what music she studied in the past. Any advice will be appreciated.

I came back to the violin after nearly the same length of time as your adult pupil(although I was not very good ever!).

I'd be inclined to feel that you could let her take quite a lot of the responsibility for telling you what you should be doing with her.

What I wanted was someone to help me relearn the techniques of playing (some of which have changed since I first learned) and then to provide constructive criticism and suggestions for music additional to that I had which it would be appropriate for me to get and play.

I've been having lessons from students at the local university and they have been great - very patient and encouraging. I sometimes wonder though how they view me - since I'm probably older than their mothers it must feel quite odd to them teaching me. However I hope the fact that I am very keen to progress and practice hard is a positive aspect of teaching me. I only wish I had worked as hard as a child!

Good luck to you and your pupil and I hope she will be as glad as I have been to have taken up the violin again.