Learning the Violin as an Adult

It is now approximately a year and six months that I am learning to play the violin.

I started the violin because my friend and now tutor shared with me her philosophy of teaching children to learn this musical instrument. I was taken by what she shared with me. It resonated because I was experiencing difficult life events at the time, learning the violin appeared to be a potential solution to my problems.

She told me that she teaches the violin through the Suzuki method. Her main role as a teacher and mentor is to help her pupils to deal with and express difficult emotions through music. Learning the violin is hard and going through life is not always easy. Hence, being mentored and equipped with the skills to deal with those difficult emotions are an asset which is not only useful in playing music but also in dealing with difficult life events.

When I started to learn the violin, I was in a dark place. My father had just been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and I could not find a way to deal with the way I feel. She helped me in many ways in being present in the moment, in focusing my mind, in recognising where in my body I was feeling tension and pain, in focusing on the details to keep going when the overall picture was boring, to accept imperfection and appreciate the little and small achievements.

The road is long til I become ready for full concerto but I must say I revealed to be quite a good player.

Ultimately, learning to interact with an object such as the violin or one direct environment demand full attention. I was distracted by emotions that were not helpful in moving towards my goals. By learning the violin, I became aware of how much distracted I was. I became aware that I was getting distracted because I did not want to deal with difficult emotions in my being. I learnt to reduce distractions and deal with them. I gave my experiences new meanings which ultimately transformed me. I am now present for the better.