Conversations in Repertoire: Learning Through Dialogue with a Teacher

As an enthusiastic amateur violinist and violin student, I enjoy the conversations I have with my teacher about repertoire. I like hearing what music excites her and sharing my own musical discoveries with her while charting a path for my own musical growth. As a young violin student, my teacher used the Suzuki method that outlined a strict progression of repertoire. What I played was always chosen for me. As an adult, I am playing both to learn and for the enjoyment of playing beautiful music on my chosen instrument. I find immense value in working with my teacher to choose pieces that help me grow as a violinist while exploring a variety of music.

The teacher’s perspective

When I asked my teacher how she decides what repertoire is appropriate to assign to a student, she explained that she considers what will be challenging enough to hold a student’s interest while not being so difficult that it is frustrating. She said that she considers each student’s particular musical strengths and what they need to work on when suggesting or selecting repertoire. I know that when I begin a repertoire conversation with my teacher, she considers both what will interest me musically and challenge me technically.

My teacher is open to me bringing new pieces to learn to my lessons that I have chosen on my own. But I find that the most fruitful learning experiences are when I select a piece that she really knows. I’ve noticed that when she has studied, performed, and taught a piece many times, the feedback and instruction I receive is grounded in real experience, and often an infectious enthusiasm for the music. I find this inspiring. These are the pieces that I believe help me grow the most as a violinist, which is why I value my teacher’s input in the process of selecting new repertoire to learn. However, I also know that bringing my own perspective to repertoire conversations with my teacher will bring greater depth to my teacher’s repertoire recommendations.

The student’s perspective

Throughout my years of studying violin, I have collected lists of pieces that interest me. I do occasionally bring these to my lessons. While they may be pieces that my teacher has never played or performed, she does provide instruction and insight to help me learn the music. I also see this as an opportunity to share lesser-played, or music that I find interesting, with my teacher.

I know that sharing my musical interests with my teacher also helps her to guide me towards repertoire that will engage me as a student. Sometimes it’s a suggestion to listen to a piece that I have not heard before, and other times it’s a suggestion for a piece that I might enjoy learning now or in the future. In my first couple of years taking lessons, I often felt hesitant to share pieces that I was interested in learning one day, but that I felt were way out of reach. Now, I know that discussing interesting music, whether it’s to play or just to learn from as a listener, helps guide my learning process. It can also help me and my teacher identify future goal pieces.

An ongoing dialogue

These conversations are all a part of an ongoing exchange with someone who is an important mentor in my journey as a violinist. When I spoke to my teacher recently about selecting a new piece of repertoire, I noticed how the way we talk about repertoire has evolved over time. When I first started taking lessons as an adult returner, her suggestions were often for standard intermediate student works. At first, they were more general suggestions, such as a Mozart Concerto or a Kreisler showpiece. As she became familiar with my playing abilities and aware of my musical interests, her suggestions evolved. Not only are her ideas now tailored to challenges I can learn from, but they are also informed by styles I am interested in exploring. Most recently, I have expressed my interest in improving my rhythmic fluency on the violin. My teacher’s recent repertoire offerings included multiple sonatas, noting that I could practice the rhythmic interplay between the violin and piano to further develop rhythmic sensitivity. I noticed how she was able to suggest repertoire based on my current technical goals because these are goals that I have been discussing with her.

If you are also an adult violin student, I encourage you to engage in repertoire conversations with your own teacher. Keep and share lists of interesting repertoire with your teacher and revisit these lists each time you begin looking for a new piece to learn. Ask your teacher for new suggestions based on pieces you find inspiring. And don’t be afraid of discussing long term repertoire goals, even if they sound impossibly out of reach. Even if you never get to these pieces, the act of sharing inspiring music will deepen the student-teacher relationship and serve to build trust. It might even help carve a path to those reach pieces.

Resources

Over the years, I have gathered my own lists of repertoire and resources that help me identify pieces that I’d like to learn soon or as eventual goals. I’ve collected some of these resources, from guides to finding inspiring repertoire to lyrical pieces by women composers. I hope that these resources can spark ideas for your own conversations with your teacher.

As a violin student, the act of learning the instrument is not just a solo experience, but one that is shared between you and your teacher. By making the process of choosing repertoire a dialogue as well, listening to your teacher’s perspective and sharing your own, it can strengthen your own learning experience. For me, approaching a new piece of music is most joyful when it grows out of a dialogue, not only about the technique, but about musical curiosity, discovery and a love of music.