MAKING MUSIC

Meeting Challenges

     

Over the centuries, the violin has undergone numerous transformations. Its origin can be traced to the rebec, an Arab instrument that was known in Europe in the Middle Ages. Today, violin making is governed by standards that were defined in the great European schools for luthiers. The size of the instrument is adapted for musicians who attend schools that have programs for children, including preschoolers. It follows the physical development of the musician, from childhood to adulthood.

Many schools have music programs specifically for children. The methods they employ, such as Orff's or Suzuki's, were inherited from schools that developed an approach adapted to the needs of children. Schools for "little violins" stress creativity, sensibility and self-confidence, to promote the full artistic, motor, sensory and intellectual development of the children.