I'm middle-aged.  Is it too late to take violin lessons?
368065
It is never too late to start anything.  Go ahead and do it, and enjoy it. Isn't that what life is about?
948001
I asked the same question once. I wanted to go back to school but said to a friend, "I'm 37 now. If I go back to school now, by the time I graduate in 4 years, I'll be 41."\nHis reply was "If you don't go back to school, you'll still be 41 in 4 years."\nPoint being, yes, go. It's never to late to improve yourself, to follow a dream, to be who you are meant to be.
817196
http://www.sharmusic.com/violins_beg_body.asp?catID=2\nBeginning violinists require a violin that possesses a pleasing tone, balanced response, contrasts in dynamic range (volume) and forgiveness of general response to help instill confidence in an inexperienced player.\n\nBeginning violins are typically manufactured in a production setting, where a good deal of the carving is done by a machine to keep costs to a minimum, and for consistency and predictability of tone.  The violin set-up is the single most important stage of production, where a skilled worker's careful attention to detail brings out the best possible tone and playability.  \n Hoffmann Amadeus Violin Outfit\nBoasting a clear and smooth sound, excellent setup, and affordability, the Amadeus violin is a wonderful beginning instrument.  Made in China and available in 4/4-1/16 sizes. Item #HV100 Outfits from $ 149.00 \n\nThe instrument you begin with will have an effect on her continuing to like to play the violin. My son had a cheap violin someone got from a garage sale, not a very good sound and he got the impression that violins are squeaky. then he switched to cello.\n there is something very helpful at her age that will help her start out learning something very important . straight bowing. They sell it at this site.\n\nBow-Right: 1/2 & 1/4 Size \n$14.99    Item # BS1 12 -In Stock  \n   \n          Bow-Right: 1/8-1/16 Size \n$14.99    Item # BS1 18 -In Stock  \n   \n        Bow-Right: 4/4 & 3/4 Size \n$14.99    Item # BS1 44 -In Stock  \nhttp://www.sharmusic.com/search.asp?SKW=ACCMISC&sectionID=5\n   \n   I didn't start playing that young. but I saw at a performance a 4 year old play and she had the Bow right  guard on the violin, it promotes straight bowing and lets her concentrate on other aspects of playing.
555117
Slowly.  Your body can't do the things it could 10 years ago.  It also breaks a little easier.  Start small and don't expect your skill level to be the same.  But yeah, I see no reason why you wouldn't if that's something you want to do.
116138
In your case, I think the best thing for you to do now is to find another good violin teacher. To be honest, there are so many ways you could do vibrato that it really varies with each person. Every person's hand is different, and their way of holding the violin is slightly different, so to just learn how to do vibrato over the internet won't help you. When you learn it by yourself, you could easily get into injury just because it's hard to relax the hand at first.
753915
I'm thinking a stringed instrument would be harder to play.  Like you I might be a bit biased as I've watched my daughter play the violin for almost 8 years now and there is no way I could do what she does.  It takes so much just to get a single note right.
211803
Yes!  Take a look at the following site and listen to the examples through the ages.  You'll need Real player.  Every 50 years or so there are some pretty major developments... harmony, new instruments, the concerto, the symphony, opera, sanatas, rondo form, minimalism, serialism, oratorios, symphonic poems, etc...  When you REALLY get into it, you'll find classical music an amazing journey.  It's very diverse and continues to change and add new sounds and ideas.  Ex. I'm hearing a lot of classic rock style in chamber music latley.  That seems to be one popular "thing" for classical composers now.  Listen to Michael Daugherty and Elvis Schoenberg (Ross Wright) for eaxmaples of this.  Enjoy!\n\nhttp://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/
281575
Never too late, I'm 36 and just went back to school online. There are some good colleges online and it makes it a lot easier in everyday life to be able to sit down at your computer and take classes.  Check into it.
586589
Find someone who plays that instrument "by ear" who also teaches. I taught myself to play guitar, have been playing over 20 years and still don't read music, I give guitar lessons and most of my students don't need my help anymore after about 6 months.
892314
start out as early as possible..i didnt start until my mid 30s ...good band...but not everyone in the group had the same focus..get with people you like and can work well with
1018368
takes a deeeeeep breath- \nWe all go through these thoughts at every stage of our careers as musicians. There are of course, only four horn positions open in any major or minor orchestra, so the competition is fierce. It is a fine education for the mind, and you as a professional musician can contribute valuable things to your community with your playing and your education. But you have to get the stars out of your eyes as soon as you can, and adapt the attitude that you are willing to be a musician in whatever form is most useful and most financially rewarding to you and your area. So keep at it, go for it, be realistic, practice your hind end off, NO practice breaks in the summer, go to the BEST conservatory you can. I suggest the Cleveland Institute of Music, my Alma mater, where your horn prof will be a member of the Cleveland Orchestra. www.cim.edu \n Or Eastman, Julliard, Oberlin, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Indiana, or Curtis Institute.
316565
Beg your mom to let you try it like for a month. Tell her it's important you must learm. Play the violin seriously and make sure you improve greatly. Then, she will let you learn the violin for sure. I think you feel left out so tell your mom that. Tell your mom exactly how you feel if you don't get to learn how to play the violin. I'm sure it'll work. I used this formula before. You are just like me so I understand how you feel!\n\nGood Luck!
777767
oh, yes yes yes.  When I was younger, I didn't have time either, and always thought I would have time to catch up.  Much to my chagrin, I'm now just over 50 and have a hard time doing anything.  Please, do youself a favor, and at least do something
380885
I'm a violin/viola/piano teacher, and use Suzuki method.  The child can start at age 3, but four is better.  You should post this question on suzukichat at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/suzukichat/  There are a lot of teachers on there from Australia (including the family of the woman who started the list)
599658
First of all let me say it is very admirable of you to endeavor to teach music.\n\nMusic is a very subjective matter- what one calls "good" another regards as "noise".  The same can be said for teaching, and teaching technique.  Everyone teaches differently, and more important- everyone learns differently.  The best teachers are the ones who can recognize how his or her students learn and tailor the lessons for them.\n\nThat said, with inexperience comes the inability to accurately gauge what it takes to connect with someone in order to teach them.  You may be well suited for teaching and so may not require much experience to pass on what you know.\n\nI would say 10-15 dollars an hour is fair, however- you need to establish confidence within the parents of the children that you are worth their time and effort.  \n\nMore important than what you charge is making your credentials known.  If you have very little in that regard, then I suggest making a package deal beneficial toward you and the student- instead of saying you charge 10 or 15 dollars per hour, say that you charge 10-15 per HALF hour, but want to make certain that you can be a good teacher, so you'll throw in an extra half hour for free.\n\nYou can imagine what the response would be, and you're not really giving anything away for free.  Parents would be more likely to accept you as a teacher- you're offering more bang for the buck.\n\nI also suggest asking for payment for one lesson in advance- the reason being that you need to schedule your day around your lessons, and if someone cancels on you, you can't always find a student to fill that slot, so thus you've wasted an hour of your time.  If everyone pays for one lesson in advance, you will still be paid in the event of a no-show, and then you can simply arrange for a make-up lesson at a later date. \n\nMake certain this are clear: You will not refund for a missed lesson unless given at least 24 hours notice.  That's only common courtesy, and most understand.  It will also make you seem as if you have more experience and are very professional regarding your business.\n\nGood luck
122684
Sounds like you found yourself in the taking care of yourself trap. You took something that you (I assume) love, violin, and made a job out of it. The problem with these sort of hobbie/jobs is the kind of value they demand from the rest of the business world. How many violinist are there in the world? How many companies are 100% dependant on violinist talent to make profits?\n\nBeing responsible for a family changes all the rules. I would love to be a rockstar, but instead, I'm a manager for a class one railroad. Find a trade, skill or talent that is worth paying for. Make goals. Find help. Strangers can make a good support group for annonomous questions you may be too embarrassed to ask family and friends. \n\nI'm sure you qualify for education assistance programs. I had the military pay for my education. This may be an option for you? Most federal funded carrier retraining programs are managed by your state department. Research the web for details.\n\nThe first step to living a more successful lifestyle is to WANT a more successful lifestyle. Now you need to make a plan and set goals on how you are going to get there. Ask lots of questions and do lots of research. Have a goal on what you want to be doing and where it may lead you in 10-15 years. Ask other successful people how they got there. Have a back up plan.\n\nDon't give up. You know you can teach violin, let's see what else you can do.
1072169
It depends on how long you have been playing the paino for, and also where you want to get a scholarship. I don't know about other places, but the music schools in Vancouver, BC are EXTREMELY competitive. It doesn't matter how old you are, it just matters how well you play.\n\nDon't give up, keep practicing.