Quick tips for teaching young string beginners

First impressions. Initial lesson(s) will inevitably make memories for your student going forward. Be positive, but read each individual to check that you don't overdo it – some may be a little anxious, others excited – and be alive to the possibility that the student could have SEN. (Not all schools/parents communicate these, but this is a positive in some ways because a good experience in your studio may result in increased self-esteem in the classroom.)

Make music! It sounds obvious but first lessons should include some music-making. (That is what the student has come for, after all.) Play along with something that your student knows – perhaps ‘What shall we do with the Drunken Sailor?’ or ‘Frère Jacques’. Ask students to pizzicato on open strings to accompany you. This way the student hears you play, and feels included in the music-making.