Thank You!

Welcome to Your Violin Class!

For access to your class schedule, please visit the page where you signed up for lessons. Please take note of your schedule as it may be removed from the website as new classes are posted.

To help you with your studies, please visit our Students' Area. If you are starting out, please have "Fingering Tapes" installed on your violin prior to our first class.

Online Meeting Room

Please download and install Zoom.us software on the computer or tablet that you plan to use for lessons. You will only need the free version to check into lessons. Once you have followed the link to Zoom, if you are planning to have your lessons on a laptop or desktop, you will need "Zoom Client for Meetings" listed at the top of the page. Or if you plan to use a tablet or phone, lower on the page are links to the apps for mobile devices.

You may test your setup, camera and microphone, by configuring the preferences within the program, which Zoom will prompt you to do the first time you use it. To familiarize yourself with the software, Zoom.us has many brief training videos.

When you click on the Zoom link prior to a lesson, it will automatically place you in a "Waiting Room." You may, if you wish, click on the link at any time to see how this works. When it is time for your lesson, you will be admitted from the Waiting Room into the chat room, so feel free to connect any time prior to your lesson time, and wait to be admitted at your lesson time. Please note that our start time may vary by up to 5 minutes, if we begin a little late, the session will be extended.

MORE: Tips on making the most of our video chat lessons.

We'll be meeting for online group classes and private lessons at this Zoom address: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3473490296

Tuition is Due by the First Class

The remainder of tuition is due at, or before, your first class. The remainder due is $160 and can be paid by Zelle, check (via postal mail), or credit card (if using a credit card, the remainder of tuition is $167.) If you are coming to your lesson In-Person, you may also remit tuition via cash or check to "Ed Davis." To make the tuition remainder online, please visit this page. Thank you!

How to Set Up Your Violin

If you are a beginner, or student in the first year of study, please follow this link to our tutorials on how to prepare your violin for class. Please have the fingering tapes on the instrument, and a shoulder rest available—you'll want to make the most of your first lesson!

What to Wear, What to Have Available

Students will need a violin to participate in lessons, please be in touch if you need advice in choosing an instrument, and visit this page for some recommendations.

For an adult student, please make sure that the instrument is a 4/4 or Full Sized Violin complete with bow, rosin and some form of shoulder rest. I recommend that students please purchase a “Kun Collapsible” shoulder rest. One will need a 4/4 or Full Sized shoulder rest for an adult violin. Please check to see that your violin is ready to be played: the strings are on the instrument. If the strings are not on the instrument, please take your instrument to any violin shop to have it set up, or schedule a private lesson to ready the instrument.

Students should be looking to get some form of tuner. There are apps for smart phones that are just fine (and free too, just search for “violin tuner"), or online as stand alone clip on tuners. If you buy one at a music store, usually the sales clerk can help you learn how to use it. It is a very, very good idea to watch some instructional videos on how to tune a violin prior to attempting to tune it for the very first time. At our first or second class (beginners) we will be learning how to tune your instrument, if you've never tuned a violin, it is highly recommended that you wait to tune until you've had a bit of guidance: violin strings will easily break if over-tightened.

It is recommended that all students have trim finger nails, long nails will interfere with positioning of your fingers on the violin and bow. Also any clothing or jewelry that pushes the violin away from your neck is to be avoided (fluffy turtle-necks, long dangling earrings, beaded necklaces.) Please consider wearing clothes that allow for comfortable movement.

Optional and Included Private Lesson

Some classes include a private lesson. This lesson can be used for a make-up if you miss class or simply for some extra pointers anytime during the session. Please schedule your lesson early if possible, lesson times tend to fill up near the end of the session and/or near recital dates. To learn more and to schedule your lesson, please visit this page. Please note, if a private lesson is bundled with your course, it must be used on or before the last class date of our session and may not be forwarded to future sessions.

Using AOL or Yahoo Email?

Please be aware that AOL and Yahoo can be problematic in sending and receiving email. Due to being hacked, and theft of user data, AOL and Yahoo have a high rejection rate, and may delete legitimate emails with no notification to the sender or recipient. Users sending from AOL/Yahoo have experienced delivery problems due to restrictive sending protocols.

If you used an email address at AOL/Yahoo when enrolling in a class, it is strongly recommended to send a substitute address from any other email provider to ensure communication. When sending a substitute email address, please include the name and/or email address used when signing up for class. You will be notified within a few days if your email was received and your address changed. If your email is Not received, there will be NO REPLY. So please be sure to compose your email from a NON-AOL/Yahoo address.

Sorry for any inconvenience, for additional information concerning AOL/Yahoo email issues, please visit:

LA Times | PC World | HTML Email Guide | Google Forum

See you in class!

Thank You for Enrolling!