
Sharon guides beginners through ten violin lessons, from scratch to confidently playing pop tunes, aiming for a first tune by lesson five and Pirates of the Caribbean by lesson ten.
Choose correct violin size for beginners by using a full-size violin and bow for adults, and matching children to sizes from 1/16 to 3/4 by measurements at a music store.
Set up your violin by tightening the bow screw for hair tension and securing a shoulder rest, then tune the G, D, and E strings with the Sound Cassette Tuner.
Mark beginner fingerings with small tape stickers on the violin fingerboard and use a tuner to confirm notes like B, C-sharp or D-flat, and E.
Learn to read violin tabs using alphabetic fingerings and numbers, identify strings like e, d, g and open strings, with no thumb, and practice finger positions and slides.
Master violin posture: rest the violin on the shoulder with the chin, align the bow parallel to floor, and form a curved thumb and pinky grip from frog to tip.
Learn to hold the violin bow at a 90-degree angle, play open strings cleanly between the bridge and fingerboard, and develop elbow and wrist control with mirror-led practice.
Beginner violin students learn their first song, Pieces of a Wolf, focusing on posture, open strings, and basic bow strokes across phrases with rhythmic cues.
Tap with fingers 1–4 on the violin to build finger strength without the bow. Keep a light thumb on the edge and form a curved 'C' with the index finger.
Practice daily finger exercises to build finger strength and accurate spacing on the finger rings, then coordinate finger placement with a steady bow to produce a beautiful violin tone.
Explore non-sticker fingerings on the violin, practicing one down, two down, and up motions across strings to vary tone, mood, and musical feel by adjusting finger closeness.
Learn to play the Pirates of the Caribbean theme on violin, starting from the G string, practicing phrase by phrase to master rhythm, tuning, and precise finger placement.
Why should I sign up for this course?
When learning a violin, there are tons of technical aspects one need to master: finger positions and movements, bowing techniques, how to properly tune a violin, reading musics etc. This can be overwhelming before you can even start to play a song properly. This is discouraging to a lot of students out there who want to have a taste of what it is like to play a violin.
This course is designed to help students play violin right-away without the need to deal with music theory and others technicality that is only relevant for advance playing.
If you have always been wanting to give violin a try but not sure where to start, this is the perfect course to get you started!
Who can enrol in this course?
Anyone with an interest in learning violin.
What is the learning objectives at the end of the course?
Students will have a basic understanding of violin fundamentals and be able to play 2 songs at the end of the starter course.
Who is the instructor?
Ms Lai Yi Xuan is an award-winning violinist from Singapore.
She started piano and violin when she was 6. At the age of 10, she completed Grade 8 Piano and Violin with Distinctions. In 2008, she entered Raffles Girls’ School and was the concert mistress at Raffles Girls School Strings Ensemble. The Strings Ensemble also participated in the Singapore Youth Festival and received Gold with Honours. In 2010, she became an Orchestra Musician for Singapore Metropolitan Festival Orchestra and Singapore Lyric Opera.
At the age of 16, she was accepted into The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, a school of the National University of Singapore, Singapore’s first conservatory of music to pursue her Bachelor Degree of Music with Honours (Violin Performance) under full scholarship.
She has been teaching Violin, Piano and theory classes with excellent records of students scoring distinctions for their ABRSM Examinations. With her vast teaching experience and passion for music, she can bring out every student’s potential in music.