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Pauline Lerner

Out of the mouths of students

August 23, 2007 at 2:42 AM

A lot of my kid students (6-12 years old) say interesting things. Some of them will make you laugh, and others are downright profound. I present you with a sampling here to brighten the days of cucumber season (see Mara Gerety’s blog of 8/5/07.)


  • I know why I don’t do that right. It’s because I never think about it while I’m playing.

  • I’m so glad I started playing the violin and didn’t drop out. It’s fun to listen to music on the radio, but it’s more fun to listen to music when I play it. .

  • Sometimes playing the violin is a pain and sometimes it makes me feel good. I’m glad I’m doing it because it’s something I can do well even though I’m only a kid. I even impressed the grownups when I played for them the other night. .

  • This piece is hard. It has too many thirteenth notes. .

  • I call this piece (Etude in Suzuki Book 1) “Hey Dude.” .

  • (Re squeaky sound made by bowing too close to the bridge) The bow is crying because it hurts when I put it too close to the bridge. .

  • (Re spacing of first three fingers for F#G#A on E string) These two fingers (wiggles first and second) are friends, and these two fingers (wiggles second and third) are good friends. .

  • When you’ve memorized something and you know it really well, it stays with you forever, like bubble gum in your hair. .

  • When you first play a piece, the notes tell you what to play. When you know the piece really well, the music tells you what to play. .

  • My favorite piece so far is Oid (theme from last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth). .

  • To be a violinist, do you have to know what the different keys are? (from a kid who will not practice scales) .

Music Giveaway

Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor's method books -- released this week -- teach students using many styles of American music. Enter to win a set of the books this week, on Violinist.com. Photo: Deanna Rose

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