Lisa Holness creating young violinists There has been an unbroken dynasty of great Italian violinists, including Paganini, Joachin, Kreisler, Heifetz, among others, who have carried their audiences away with the sheer virtuosity of their playing. However, they all have one thing in common, they have all been musicians and they move audiences by their deep felt interpretations. When Yehudi Menuhin was 12 years old he gave unforgettable performances of works by Beethoven and Brahms. According to Shula Doniach, writing in the book Every Child's Book Of Music And Musicians Menuhin's playing did not say to his audiences: "Can you hear how well he plays?" Instead it said: "Listen to this marvellous music". Recently, there has been an unusual appreciation for the violin and its inclusion as an instrument of choice for young musicians. Performances by bright and gifted young violinists like 7-year-old Jessica Yapp have brought to the fore that something dramatic and significant is happening in the teaching of violin. One of the persons who has made this difference is Lisa Holness, an American who hails from Chicago. A masters graduate of the University of Northern Illinois, majored in violin performance and pedagogy. Ms. Holness was invited to Jamaica in 1993 as guest tutor in violin at a summer workshop held at Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville. According to her, she returned to the United States immediately afterwards and completed her degree. However, she fell in love with the island and its rich culture and returned in 1998 and opened a music studio. In May 2000, she relocated to the United States for family reasons and travelled back and forth every fortnight. Because of Ms. Holness' good track record as an outstanding teacher of the violin, all her travel costs were met by parents of her students. She now remains in the island and operates her music studio. "I have a studio which accommodates 40 students between the ages of two and 22 years, and an adult division where one of my students is over 50-years-old," she said. Students are tutored on a one-to-one basis and are instructed in technique and the building of a performance repertoire. She told The Sunday Gleaner she opted for a combination of methods of instruction because how they complement each other. "I use the Suzuki philosophy, a method of approach whereby the child uses literature and works on graded pieces. Exercises are worked into the pieces of choice," she explained. "We train them first to be violinists, performers, to be familiar with their instruments, mastering different positions. Once the positions are set and the child begins to love what is being taught, the combination approach is used". The students' standard repertoire is based on pieces set by The Royal Schools Of Music and other music schools including the Julliard School of Music in New York. The students are very quick and grasp training quickly. "My students have the edge over students using the other approach, which is basically repertoire training, working on three or five pieces for the year." Ms. Holness pointed out, too, that the methodology and the way in which the children play, promotes and encourages constant practice. The children are also given a chance to perform before audiences. "Performance is a must. We allow our students to perform at wedding receptions, children's homes and in recitals and concerts". Ms. Holness, who began her musical training at age seven on the piano, told The Sunday Gleaner : "At age 10, I attended a concert with my mother and heard the violin played and I fell in love with the instrument. I then expressed my desire to be a violinist. I literally cried, convincing my parents that's what I would like to do". Ms. Holness has been teaching the violin for the past 21 years and has now developed her own voice. She told the Gleaner that she has admired several famed violinists, including Itzak and Peroman for their rich sound and enviable technique and especially Anne-Akika Meyers for her rich tone colour, produced through her unique bowing method. One of the secrets behind Ms. Holness' success here is the overwhelming parent support. "Not all parents are involved, however, we have a strong core of parents who are so always involved in projects of the school."
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