Restarting Violin Spurred New Life Path

Carol K. quit violin in 6th grade, because she didn't like her teacher. She picked it back up as an adult and never looked back.

I was concertmaster of my elementary school orchestra in Seattle in the late 1950′s. I took private lessons from a violinist in the Seattle Symphony. Unfortunately, I did not like my teacher, so I quit the violin after the sixth grade.

In 1984, I went to my cousin’s wedding, and there was a string quartet playing. When they took a break, I struck up a conversation with their second violinist. It turned out that we had much in common (husbands who were engineers), so I took a chance and asked her if she gave lessons. She said yes. I asked her if she’d like an adult student, and she said she’d love a change from all her kid students. So I rented a violin and began again, 25 years after having quit.

I had to start from scratch – I’d even forgotten how to read music. After one year, I was back to where I’d been in 6th grade! Then, I went to summer adult music camp, was recruited for two amateur orchestras, and I haven’t looked back since.

Restarting the violin has totally changed my life, bringing me many new friends, a new husband who is also a musician (he plays clarinet and accordion, and arranges music for us to play together), and as much pleasure as I’ve ever had.

I played in a string quartet for ten years, and a piano trio for another ten. I played second violin in the Everett Symphony for 16 years. Now I play in a tiny string group at a local church. Being able to play music is truly a gift, and I thank my lucky stars every day that I got the courage to talk to the violinist who became my teacher and my friend.

Carol K.
Everett, WA