MUSIC LESSONS IN LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
Music Lessons Should Be Fun!
Hillcrest Family Music is on a mission to ensure that creativity, self-expression, and collaboration are encouraged at every stage of music education, and for every student, regardless of natural talent. All ages are welcome to learn violin and viola, as well as ways to engage your whole family in music.
Making Music Part of Your Family's Life
If you're a music-loving parent, you know that the benefits of making music together are huge. Music is one of the most powerful tools you can give your children—it teaches them how to create meaning and express themselves, it helps them learn how to work in teams and collaborate with others, it develops their creativity and imagination, and it gives them a lifelong skill that they can use throughout their lives.
While music is one of the best ways to bring people together, it's also one of the hardest things for families to do together. It can be intimidating, especially when we're trying to teach our kids something new. And if we're not musically inclined ourselves, it can feel impossible for us to find a way for our families to get involved with music.
If you're reading this right now, we want you to know that you can make music part of your family's life today—and every day after that!
OUR MUSIC TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
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Relationships Come First
Learning cannot happen without first establishing trust between teacher and student. A positive three-part relationship between parent, music teacher, and student is the top priority of the teacher and sets the tone for all music learning.
Reject Perfectionism
We expect our students to perform at their best, but we do not encourage striving for perfection. Embrace who you are and become the performer that you are meant to be.
Cultivate Curiosity and Internal Motivation
Music is a gateway to communication, learning and self-expression. We believe that the only way to create passionate musicians is to expose students to an environment where they are truly motivated by their own learning, not by external pressures. This requires encouraging them to ask questions, be creative, and explore new ideas on their own time. The musical interests of the student will always be respected and incorporated into lessons as much as possible.
Family Music Lessons
for every age and stage!
At Hillcrest Family Music, we believe that all families deserve access to the joy and power of making music together. That's why we created our music programs—to help give families the skills and confidence they need so they can make music together!
Private Lessons
Focused on the individual student, we are committed to helping you learn how to play a musical instrument and gain the skills needed for a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Students will learn to play by ear, read music, and read a chord chart.
Music Together® is a unique program that combines interactive music, movement, instruments and fun to give children a positive musical experience. The activities are designed for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, ages 0 - 5, in a group setting with their caregivers.
On-Demand Video Course: How to Help Your Child Practice Violin
Is your child taking violin lessons or classes, but you have no idea how to help them practice at home?
You know your child should practice, but you can't ever find time for it and when you do, your child and you both end up frustrated.
Please don't let your tuition money and violin rental money go to waste because you don't know how to help your child practice! You don't have to be a musician, and you don't have to be an overbearing parent. All it takes is a few minutes each day to help you and your child feel confident about playing the violin!
This series of short 5-10 minute videos will cover:
How to tune your child's violin (and help your child on the way to tuning their instrument themselves)
How to properly tighten and loosen the bow
What your child's playing posture should look like, and how to help them un-pancake that wrist and keep a straight bow
Games you can play with your child to encourage good playing posture
Tips on setting up a good practice environment and how to work practicing into your day
Getting Started on Violin
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After you've got your instrument and any other products, I encourage students to get curious about their instrument, pluck the strings, and see what it can do. Just remember to be gentle.
Don't touch the hair of the bow. (The oils from our fingers get on it and the hair can't grip the string properly, so we end up with a "fuzzy" sound.)
Make sure that any long hair is tied back from the student's face. (Long hair getting caught in fine tuners or a rubber band is ouchy!)
What our parents are saying!
Crystal is such a wonderful teacher! My daughter enjoys learning the violin, and Crystal keeps in fun and interesting! I highly recommend Hillcrest Violin Lessons!!
- Vanessa Cash Adams
Hello! I'm Crystal Graves and I teach both violin and viola. I also teach very young children (ages 0-5) through Music Together. My philosophy is: #1 to keep the student excited about learning, #2 to keep basic musicianship at the core (solfege, ear training, and music theory) and #3 to focus on proper form so bad habits (and sore muscles!) are avoided. I know that not all of my students are going to go on to become professional musicians- and that's ok! My goal is always to support a positive relationship with music and playing. I encourage families to make music together as often as possible, and for adults to find ways to play with others. I did not discover teaching until after I had my first child. I decided to try it, and I discovered that I have a passion for it. Since 2017, I've taught first in Virginia and now Arkansas (my homestate). I have a Bachelor's Degree in Music from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University and I've performed as a violist with the Arkansas Symphony, Conway Symphony, the Hampton Roads Philharmonic, and the Jamestown String Quartet. I'm happy to customize lessons to the individual student. Whatever the student wants to play is what we will work toward to keep music fun and enjoyable. I welcomes all ages and levels and I teach in my home in Hillcrest. I am also a registered teacher with the Adventures in the Arts program at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church. If you'd like to schedule a trial lesson, go ahead and click here. It's a very simple process- I'll see you soon! FiddleQuest I am training as a teacher with Fiddlequest, a program whose goal is to create confident lifelong musicians. It is great for students who like to work on their own, as it has a "play-along" feature for each song on their website. Basically it is a monthly subscription to use their website (very inexpensive), and I also have an account you link to as my student. If you are interested in learning more about that program, please ask! Music Together I also teach very young children (birth to age 5) in a program called Music Together. It is a 45-minute class once per week designed for young children and their grownups. It is a lot of fun, and you would never guess that we are actually guiding the child to basic music competency (the ability to sing in tune and keep a steady beat in their bodies). It is fantastic preparation for learning an instrument, but it is also wonderfully enriching for its own sake. The music is much more than your typical "children's songs"- it includes not only songs from cultures around the globe, but also songs with unusual time signatures and modalities. You may even find that your musical skills improve over the course of the class!
HOW TO RAISE A MUSICAL FAMILY
How To Raise A Musical Family is designed to give you easy, practical strategies that work in real life. You don’t have to be a music teacher or an expert to enjoy music with your children!
Have you ever dreamed of raising a musical family? This ebook will show you how to create memorable and joyful music memories with your children, without leaving the house.
