Am I too old??

May 4, 2011 at 10:57 PM

I played the trumpet and baritone for 8+ years in high school and I really enjoyed it and I was good at it. I made it to All-County Band 7 years in a row. I picked up the violin last February at the age of 29, after stumbling across a video of Alex DePue tearing it up on the violin. I After I returned back home to NY after a military deployment, I somehow ended up getting Alex DePue as my violin teacher (I still can't believe it). I have been taking skype lessons from Alex for a year now and loving every minute of it. After only a year with Alex, I have almost finished up Suzuki book 2 and everyone seems to think I might have what it takes to do something with the violin. Is it too late for me to get into a good orchestra or group?

From Anne-Marie Proulx
Posted on May 5, 2011 at 1:41 AM

There are very good and high level amateur or semi-pro orchestras/groups if it's that you are thinking about... Why not?

Julliard and such? That's another story and I am not qualified to tell...

Good luck!!!

From Terez Mertes
Posted on May 5, 2011 at 3:05 PM

>everyone seems to think I might have what it takes to do something with the violin. Is it too late for me to get into a good orchestra or group?

What if "doing something with the violin" meant being a dedicated member of a community orchestra or a very competent amateur string quartet? What if it meant just being very good at a hobby? Would that be enough?

Getting into paying orchestras is tough; the journey is a labor of love. The love of, and reverence for learning and playing has to be there from the start. And, paradoxically, if you love playing at its core level, really love it, well, the rest is irrelevant. Getting into something is the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.

Hope you're in love with what you're doing, because you sound like you're doing GREAT! Enjoy the journey.

From charles johnston
Posted on May 5, 2011 at 8:14 PM

You are certainly not too old. There is no reason whatever you can't become a very fine player, for that matter. All you need is a good teacher and, say, 10 years of 3 to 4 hours a day of practice. When you can walk out on stage and do a good job with a major romantic concerto, you are a good violinist. While that doesn't mean the NYP will rush to your door, you ought easily to be an asset in a very good amateur or semi-professional orchestra. Charles Johnston

From Tom Holzman
Posted on May 6, 2011 at 3:38 PM

What Terez said. You may need to tailor your ambitions to the time and energy you have available. However, there is no question that you can become good enough to have a fun, rewarding time with your violin. What precisely you end up being able to do will depend on many factors. The likelihood of becoming a really top tier violinist is very small. The likelihood of becoming a decent player who can add something to a good group is high.

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Am I too old??

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