Violin

Learn Violin step by step: our proven curriculum

Whether or not students take graded violin exams, North London Music School maintains structured objectives for all who learn violin. While our approach is flexible and customizable, here is the plan our teachers follow for all violin students at the school.

The first year learning the violin

The first year of violin lessons focuses on building a solid foundation. Students wanting to learn violin, develop essential posture, bowing and left-hand techniques.

Maintain proper posture and instrument placement with good balance and relaxation.
Achieve correct intonation and articulation with the left hand in the first position, covering a wide variety of tone and semitone distributions between the fingers while maintaining proper hand positioning and relaxation.
Begin fundamental bow movements with basic bow strokes, ensuring a good hand position when holding the bow.
Develop logical bow distribution.
Establish the foundations for correct string-changing technique with the right hand.
Demonstrate auditory sensitivity to control intonation, sound quality, and pitch accuracy on the violin.
Practice and develop musical memory.
Perform pieces while understanding basic elements such as timing, phrasing, and dynamics.
Engage in group practice.
Teach students good study habits, encouraging an analytical and objective approach to practice.

What violin students learn in year 2

Building consistency and confidence: The second year of violin learning strengthens the foundations laid in the first year while introducing more advanced techniques and improving overall musicality and independence.

Consolidate body posture.
Develop self-criticism, so progress occurs not only in class but also through independent practice at home.
The student should know, apply and relate both the character and simple rhythms of the piece being played.
Improve sound quality and intonation, developing fluency in the left arm and being sensitive to it.
Solidify the first position and introduce subsequent positions.
Continue group practice to develop awareness of each component within the ensemble.
Develop the fundamental bowing techniques.
Improve study habits, being analytical and objective in their approach.
Enhance memory and sight-reading abilities.
Showcase their knowledge in public performances.

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What to work on in year 3

Expanding skills and technique: By the third year, students begin exploring vibrato, dynamics and shifting positions while improving their ability to perform and collaborate in ensembles.

Maintain a correct position of the violin and bow, ensuring that the movements developed so far allow for further expansion on a solid foundation of relaxation and body stability.
Pay special attention to body relaxation when using the new left-hand positions.
Expand the number of fixed positions studied.
Gain a deeper understanding of the instrument’s timbre characteristics and possibilities.
Achieve basic development of vibrato technique.
Expand dynamics.
Develop memory and play in groups.
Perform in public.

4 years learning the violin

Summarizing the beginner level: By the fourth year, students should demonstrate confidence in their playing and readiness to tackle intermediate-level challenges with both arms working in harmony.

Confidence and ease in both arms must be evident.
Clear and secure intonation.
Introduction to fingering techniques in alignment with the style, phrasing, and bow dynamics required by the composer and the character of the piece.
Secure and precise position changes.
Introduction to spiccato.
Development of dynamics with significant changes (from p to f and vice versa).
Improvement in speed.
Development of vibrato.
Ensemble practice and public performances.

The fifth year of violin lessons

Transitioning to the intermediate stage: The fifth year focuses on refining technical skills, such as off-the-string bowing and vibrato, while broadening musical expression through dynamic control and advanced scales.

Refine position changes, reaching at least the fourth position.
Introduce off-the-string bow strokes like spiccato, sautillé,and ricochet.
Continue developing vibrato to achieve different types.
Begin, if not already done, studying scales of at least two octaves in various positions.
Maintain focus on proper body posture to approach challenges with greater ease and relaxation.
Develop dynamics further to achieve the widest possible contrast and ensure the student is always aware of their sound.
Continue improving memory skills.
Progress with the study of double stops and begin exploring three- and four-note chords.
Work on increasing speed.
Introduce or continue the study of natural harmonics.

Violin challenges in year 6

Reaching new heights: The sixth year marks significant technical and musical growth, with emphasis on advanced bowing techniques, harmonics and expanded scales.

Continue studying position shifts, introducing the fifth position if not already done.
Begin studying scales and arpeggios in three octaves.
Achieve unity between the instrument and the body to meet the course’s new challenges, ensuring relaxation and stability at all times.
Focus on sound quality, bow-to-string contact, and sound production, taking into account pressure, speed, and contact point.
Continue studying double stops, introducing them in positions other than first, if not already done, and further developing the study of three- and four-note chords.
Develop speed.
Study and continue working with natural harmonics.
Begin studying polyphony.

7 years of violin learning

Achieving mastery: At this stage, students integrate advanced techniques, develop polyphony and apply their musical knowledge to solve interpretive challenges independently.

Study of thirds, sixths, and octaves.
Increase speed on diatonic and chromatic scales, and all types of arpeggios, using positions with and without extensions, applying all positions studied so far, expanding them to the sixth position.
Expand the study of ornamentation.
Achieve fluidity in the right arm to perform all types of chords and double stops, integrating them into polyphony, and to execute all bow strokes learned so far, combined with bariolage and other detached bow strokes.
Apply musical knowledge independently to solve interpretive issues: fingering, bow strokes, phrasing, articulation and style.
Sight-read with fluency and comprehension.

Playing the violin after 8 years

Polishing artistry: The final stage focuses on advanced interpretation, sound production and expression, preparing students to perform at an advanced level.

Perfect the sound quality. Emphasize the different possibilities of vibrato. Introduce special sounds: ponticello, sul tasto, con legno.
Continue the development of pizzicatos and harmonics.
Develop the range of sound and colors.
Increase speed on diatonic and chromatic scales, and all types of arpeggios, using positions with and without extensions. Utilize at least from first to seventh position.
Expand the study of ornamentation and different types of vibrato.
Gain fluency in the right arm to perform all types of chords and double stops, integrating into polyphony.
Apply the musical knowledge acquired autonomously to address interpretation-related issues: fingering, bow strokes, phrasing, articulation and style.
Practice ensemble music in various configurations.

This structured curriculum ensures that violin students progress while developing their technical skills, musicality and artistry. Whether aiming for exams or not, our plan equips students to achieve their musical goals confidently.