At the Institute, we help our students become confident and independent musicians - each violin lesson in Philadelphia is structured with that goal in mind. Children, adults, advanced musicians, and complete beginners learn technique and musicianship at our studio, and whether you want to pursue traditional classical instruction or mix in elements of folk, rock, and pop, we are happy to tailor each lesson to your needs.
Please get in touch for a trial lesson at your earliest convenience - we look forward to meeting you.
Our Queen Village location at 621 S 2nd Street
Our Two Studio Locations
We have two studios, one in Queen Village, and one in Bella Vista. The addresses are 621 S. 2nd Street (between Bainbridge and South) and 807 S. 8th Street (between Catherine and Christian). Our students visit from South Philly, Center City, Grad Hospital, Old City, and even from across the river in Cherry Hill or from the Main Line.
We will work with you to try and find availability in your desired location, although the two studios are within a mile of each other.
Violin Lesson Fees + Billing
We offer students the options to pay weekly, monthly, quarterly, or every six months.
If you choose to pay weekly (pay-as-you-go), we do require a security deposit.
If you choose to pay quarterly or every six months, we offer you a discount.
Violin Lessons in Philadelphia For All Ages and Abilities
We enjoy working with adult and child violin students of all abilities at the Philadelphia Piano Institute, and we are happy to help you with various methods like Wohlfardt, Suzuki, Schroeder, and more. We encourage you to share your specific goals with us so we can create a unique learning plan for you.
Violin Lessons For Kids and Teens
With elementary age children, we seek to instill a strong grasp of technical fundamentals, tone, and ear training. We are not explicitly a Suzuki violin school by any means, but we certainly prioritize our young students’ ability to play and hear music without the baggage of note reading if we deem appropriate.
We also show parents and caregivers how to help their children practice. As the caregiver, you will need to encourage your child to practice, help hold them accountable to lesson materials, and provide support when they seem “fuzzy” on a lesson concept at home. We encourage parents to be as involved in their child’s musical progress as possible.
Violin Lessons For Adults in Philadelphia
Whether you are an advanced hobbyist or an adult beginner on the violin, we can help you reach your goals. Your teacher will happily listen to your specific goals - our students have many different aspirations, from involvement in a community orchestra to playing a set of pop tunes at a gathering with friends.
We also enjoy teaching experienced adult amateurs. We can help you break through the plateaus of intermediate violin repertoire, help you improve your tone, help you decide on a new violin or bow, and more. You can discuss any and all of your goals with your instructor in a discounted trial lesson.
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Violin Lessons
As mentioned above, we have the experience and ability to help violinists of all skill levels. We do not require auditions at our studio, and we will move at your pace. If things are progressing too quickly for you to keep up, let us know! And if you feel that you are passing your pieces and technical studies too quickly, we can give you more challenging material. We encourage consistent communication between teacher and student.
What Will You Learn in Your Violin Lessons?
Learn How to Practice the Violin
We send our students home after every lesson with clear, precise practice instructions. If you are new to the violin, you will receive guidance on how to use mirrors and other tools to practice your posture, grip, stance, and more. You’ll learn bowing techniques that you can work on at home, and you will receive material that will help you learn the different positions, notes, and so much more.
Even our advanced students receive clear and precise practice instructions for their daily practice. We’ll show you how to gradually master difficult technical passages, how to work on your vibrato, and more.
Learn the Fundamentals of Music in General
At the Institute, we want our students to grow into well-rounded, confident musicians. You will learn all of the notes, how to read and interpret dynamics, how to analyze the music theory of a piece, how to identify key and time signatures, and more.
There’s more to being a violinist than playing in third position, using harmonics, or auditioning with Zigeunerweisen. You will be an intelligent musician who can appreciate the symphony better, analyze pop tunes, troubleshoot your own playing, and more.
Get Help Choosing Challenging, Enjoyable Repertoire
As you improve on the violin, you may find it hard to choose pieces of music. You can always go with popular Bach, Mozart, and other composers, but there is so much interesting repertoire out there! Our instructors draw from their vast knowledge of string literature (both graded and professional) to help you identify engaging, challenging pieces that will help you grow.
Learn All Violin Techniques Over Time
You will learn all of the positions, harmonics, vibrato, staccato, legato, double stops, along with all of your scales and arpeggios. We will also train your ear so that you play in tune (it’s harder than you think!), and we’ll teach you to play perfectly in time. There is far more than we can cover here, but we intend for our violin lessons to be holistic.