Another childhood story

In Year Three, I started learning the violin. I went to a public school where there was a Department of Education music programme; to be selected, we all had to take an aural test, called the Bentley Test, that tested our ability of pitch (higher, lower, the same). Four students were selected from two classes to undertake the violin - I was fortunate to be one of those selected. I had secretly wanted to learn because my brother had started two years prior, and I was sure that I could also do it.

The four of us had a group lesson every week, starting out with the Strictly Strings book one. We learnt how to hold our violins and bows, we learnt the different strings and how to make different notes. In hindsight, being able to read music already and to associate specific notes with the specific pitches was a great advantage.

We hired instruments from the Department of Education at a reduced rate (I think) - the other three students had half-size violins; I started on a quarter-size! I felt quite small indeed. We had sponges as shoulder rests, attached with a large, thick elastic band to keep it in place. I remember getting my first box of rosin - what wonderful, red-golden-honey stuff it was!
Violin lessons were wonderful - I had a most enthusiastic teacher who was patient, and also encouraging. I will admit that I sneaked forward in the book when I had done the exercises we were allocated to do.

Halfway through year three, my teacher thought I was good enough to join the school orchestra. This was usually an upgrade reserved for those who had already been learning for a year - but here she was, asking if I wanted to join, only after six months! It was one of the most exciting days in year three! I felt so excited that at lunchtime I ventured to the bottom oval (where year threes were not supposed to be playing) to tell my brother! I was so excited - I could tell him that I would be playing in the orchestra with him! Unfortunatley he didn't seem quite as thrilled as I was - I think he just kinda shrugged and said "That's good, Gladys."

In the years of violin that followed, I had great teachers who let me explore violin repertoire. We played lots of fantastic things: Beethoven's "Spring" Sonata, Bach Double Concerto (including the fantastic opportunity during grade seven, during my now-individual violin lesson, to play it with my teacher!), a Teleman Concerto for 4 violins (I have not heard this for years. If anybody has it, please flick it my way!), Czardas, various other pieces in the AMEB books, the first movement of the Bruch Concerto....

I recently met the daughter of my first violin teacher. It was quite uncanny, that thirteen years on from then, we were playing music together. And I was not playing the violin, let me tell you!