3:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Violin
Private lesson · Hyunjung Sumner · Room 1
Violin and viola school · Saline, Michigan
Small hands, a first violin and you beside them
Pizzicato Strings is a school of four teachers for children from three. Pieces are learned by listening and repeating, a parent sits in at every lesson, and a group class of up to 8 plays beside the private lesson.
- From age 3
- A parent in the room
- Four teachers
The parent's part
Three things a parent does
A young violinist learns beside a grown-up. You do not need to read music or play anything. You need a chair, a little time each day and some patience.
Sit in
You are in the room for every lesson, with a notebook. The teacher shows you what to listen for, so that at home you can help your child the way the teacher did.
Practice at home
A few minutes at the same time each day, with you beside your child. Short and regular matters more than long and rare.
Listen
Your child learns pieces by hearing them first. Play the recording of the next piece at breakfast, in the car, before bed, until it is a tune they already know.
The pieces
Four stages, one piece at a time
Children learn a sequence of pieces, each one building on the last, and keep playing the old ones as new ones arrive. A stage ends when the pieces sound steady, not on a calendar.
- 01
First sounds
From age 3, no experience neededSkillsStand, hold the violin and place the bow with a parent's help
Make a clear sound on the open strings
Bow a steady rhythm
Listen to the first pieces every day at home
Moving upYour teacher moves you on when the sound is steady and the bow hold is comfortable. Every child goes at their own pace.
- 02
First pieces
After First soundsSkillsPlay the first short pieces from memory
Place fingers on the strings with care
Play with a parent or the teacher playing along
Review the old pieces each time a new one comes
Moving upA new piece starts when the last one feels easy, and the teacher checks it with you at the lesson.
- 03
Playing together
After First piecesSkillsJoin the group class and play the same piece as the others
Start and stop together, following the teacher
Wait for a turn and listen to others
Play a piece for a small audience in the room
Moving upThe teacher and the parent talk it over at a lesson. Playing in the group class is the way into this stage.
- 04
Longer pieces
After Playing togetherSkillsLearn longer pieces with a piano or a second violin
Begin to read music beside what you already play by ear
Shape the sound with the bow
Play in a recital if you would like to
Moving upThis is where many students stay for years. Some move to viola, and some join an orchestra at school.
Where to startBook a first visit
Sample levels.
Every week
Private lessons, with a group class beside them
Each child has a private lesson once a week and joins a group class when they are ready. Pick a day and we match you with a teacher at your first visit.
Fall session
Showing 14 of 14
Monday
4:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Viola and violin
Private lesson · Lars Kristiansen · Room 2
Tuesday
Wednesday
3:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Violin and viola
Private lesson · Bastian Suarez · Room 2
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
First pieces
Group class · Hyunjung Sumner · Studio
Thursday
3:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Violin
Private lesson · Hyunjung Sumner · Room 1
4:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Viola and violin
Private lesson · Lars Kristiansen · Room 2
From age 5All stagesFull5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Playing together
Group class · Tionna Alcorn · Studio
Friday
Saturday
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Violin
Private lesson · Hyunjung Sumner · Room 1
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Violin and viola
Private lesson · Bastian Suarez · Room 2
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Longer pieces
Group class · Bastian Suarez · Studio
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample classes.
Times change by session. Your first visit shows this week's openings.
Teachers
Four teachers, and the days each one teaches
Your child works with one teacher each week.
Hyunjung Sumner
Director and violin
Hyunjung opened the school to teach the way she was taught: listening first, repeating often and a parent beside the child. She is a Suzuki-trained violin teacher, and she leads the Wednesday and Saturday classes. She speaks English and Korean. In the building Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Lars Kristiansen
Viola and violin
Lars teaches viola and violin to children from five. He played in orchestras for many years before he began to teach, and he likes a piece to be slow enough to be played well. He speaks English. In the building Monday, Thursday and Friday.
Tionna Alcorn
Violin and group class
Tionna teaches the youngest violinists and leads the Tuesday and Thursday group classes. She plays games with the bow before anything else, and she writes the week's plan down for the parent. She speaks English. In the building Tuesday and Thursday.
Bastian Suarez
Violin and viola
Bastian teaches violin and viola to children from four and leads the Saturday group class. He asks parents to bring a phone or a notebook to the first lessons, so the first week at home feels easy. He speaks English. In the building Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
The year
A year with three recitals
A recital is a small room, a few chairs and a few pieces. Every child decides whether to play, and families are welcome to listen.
The year
Fall session begins
Early September · Weekly lessons and group classes start for new and returning students.
Fall recital
November · The first small recital of the year: first pieces, played from memory.
Winter break
Late December · The school is closed for two weeks, then lessons start again.
Spring session begins
Early January · A new session, and a good month for a first visit.
Spring recital
April · Students play alone or in the group class, with the parents in the front rows.
Year-end recital
June · All four stages play, from the first open strings to the longer pieces.
Sample dates.
What families say
“I was nervous about sitting in every lesson. By the second week I was taking notes, and at home my daughter plays me her pieces while I make dinner.”
Prachi S.Parent of a five-year-old
“The teacher talked to me first and to my son second. I learned how to hold the bow before he did, and he thinks that is very funny.”
Yutong L.Parent of a six-year-old
“We play the recording in the car and the next piece is already in my head before the lesson. The group class is the part our family looks forward to most.”
Tavis M.Parent of a seven-year-old
Sample reviews.
Come and watch a lesson
A first visit is a quiet half hour: you watch, a teacher talks with you and your child may hold a violin.