The summer break is approaching, and you want your kids to utilize the time constructively. What better way than violin lessons! For all you know, you may even have a Itzhak Perlman in the making! Vanessa Mae believed that violin playing was a physical art with great traditions behind it. This belief couldn't sum up the essence of playing such musical instruments any better. Suzuki Method I want to make good citizens, noble human beings. If a child hears fine music from the day of his birth and learns to play it himself, he develops sensitivity, discipline, and endurance. He gets a beautiful heart. - Shin'ichi Suzuki For those of you who are new to the Suzuki method, this is going to be a very insightful discovery. There are many ways a child can learn to play the violin, but Suzuki violin lessons is something you are most probably hearing for the first time. Shin'ichi Suzuki was a Japanese violinist, who believed that children have an inherent talent to learn anything if they were provided the right kind of environment. He also called this method the talent method. He believed that if the lessons were tailor made to suit the intellect of the child, every child had the potential to be a musician. Suzuki lessons were the first of its kind, which not only taught music, but also looked into the sound development of a child's education, and eventually became the backbone of the student's character. The philosophy of this method stresses on learning music by listening to it rather than reading musical notes. It also focuses on attending music concerts, and encourages as much exposure to music as possible. This school of thought is against the view that children should be tested for their talent in music before they can train to learn the instrument. These lessons encourage not only individual practice, but also group playing sessions. Other Methods Other methods of learning to play the violin, like online lessons, private lessons, or even ones on DVDs are common. You can pick from a wide variety of violin lessons for children. Some people opt for online lessons, as this is more of a self-tutoring type of method where you follow instructions written on the web. You may be able to find tips on things like tuning a violin, but one learns only by trial and error. Another non-personal way to learn the violin would be to get your kid lessons on DVDs. The learning process can be very long using these methods, and the child may get disinterested due to lack of motivation and encouragement. It is perhaps best to choose a private tutor for children. That way, someone can teach your little ones the correct way to hold the violin, and other tricks and points, that only a violinist is aware of. It is the amount of encouragement that creates enthusiasm in the child to learn and excel in playing the instrument. This life is a gift, and I believe that we all should learn as many new things as possible. So why not gift your child violin? After all, there isn't a better way to appreciate the art of music than by learning to play it.