While we were living in Seattle we were lucky enough to witness the Seattle music scene. When they talk about the Seattle music scene... they aren't kidding. It is incredible! We feel very fortunate that our youngest was exposed to this music scene and the violin at her school, which in turn stirred her passion to play in the orchestra. After a benefit concert involving
Geoffrey Castle at her school she was passionately hooked.
I was introduced to a professional violinst through a previous co-worker by the name of
Loralyn Staples about 20 years ago. When she plays it makes you quiver in your boots, she's so good. We felt pretty spoiled when Loralyn came by for a visit and offered to teach our youngest a few fiddle tunes. Within 10 minutes she had our youngest playing fiddle tunes at a high level. We were blown away! Her expertise and knowledge in addition to keeping our youngest childs passion going prompted me to ask Loralyn to write a blog post so we could learn more about her, her story and her journey to share her extreme talent with the rest of the world.
So without further delay...
"My mother loves the violin. She swoons at the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. She attends all my concerts. She even pretended to like them when I was young and they probably weren’t very good. My mom wanted to learn to
play the violin, but she grew up in a tiny farm town in Wyoming where there was no school program for violin, and definitely no
private violin lessons. Instead, she joined the school band and learned to play Clarinet. Did she love it? Nope. She played it because she didn’t have the opportunity to follow her heart.
But she made darned sure that I had the opportunity to learn the violin. She instilled in me the same love for violin music, classical and
fiddle. She supported me in every endeavor. She lived her dream through me, and I love her for making the sacrifices she made so that I could become a professional violinist.
I have performed with many groups, orchestras, celtic bands, country fiddle bands, opera, ballets, symphonies, quartets, performing has been my life… until a mishap involving my finger and a car door caused me to discover that I can also TEACH violin, and I quickly became passionate about helping others to pursue their dream of playing the violin.
I think my mother was satisfied to see my accomplishments on the
violin. But I wonder what would have happened if she had decided to learn it for herself? Could she have done it? Would she have found a
good violin teacher? Is it ever too late to pursue a dream?
With my mother in mind, I developed
ONLINE VIOLIN LESSONS and
ONLINE FIDDLE LESSONS designed especially for the adult learner—those who had to put their dreams on hold while they raised a family, or paid medical bills. Later in life, adults suddenly have the ability to pursue dreams they put on hold because they finally have the time or the money. My online violin lessons are flexible, affordable and effective for the adult lifestyle, and many of my students tell me they just can’t bring themselves to take a lesson in person each week, and be subject to criticism from someone half their age. Some live too far away for private lessons, and some cannot afford the private lesson fee. I like to believe that I have removed these obstacles for most people through my online violin lessons.
I have had the privilege of watching my adult students work their way through “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and eventually find themselves playing Bach, or a wicked fiddle tune. I watch the smile on their faces as they joyfully make the music their hearts have longed for their entire life.
There are plenty of people are around to say, “Music is for the young. You just can’t learn new things as well as a child. Kids are like sponges. It’s easy for kids” yada yada. Well, I have taught both adults and children, and I can honestly tell you that for every advantage a child has over an adult, the adult has a reciprocal advantage over the child. Attention span. Coordination. Attention to detail. Maturity. Experience. It goes both ways!
It takes consistence, persistence, commitment, and hard work, but it is within your reach to pursue your dream. Learn Russian. Learn to dance. Parasail. Learn to play music.
Learn violin.
Am I trying to sell you something? Absolutely not. I am telling you that it’s NEVER too late to pursue your dream!"
Thank you Loralyn for sharing your story with us. To learn more, visit
http://www.reddesertviolin.com.
