What to Expect From Your First Online Lesson With Me
Your first online lesson is not an exam – it is the beginning of a conversation.
It is not a test
Let’s start with the most important part:
You do not have to get “in shape” before the first session.
You do not have to practise extra.
You do not have to be at some mysterious “minimum level”.
The first online lesson is there so that we can meet each other. We talk, we listen, and we see whether we understand one another and whether we feel like a good match.
My online violin lessons are especially designed for adults – whether you are returning after years away, starting later in life, or coming as a modern player who is curious about a more historically informed way of thinking.
I want to know who you are when you are not trying to impress anyone: why you love music, what draws you back to the violin now, what feels difficult or stuck, and what you quietly hope might change.
My students arrive from very different places. Some are returning after decades. Some are self-taught and wonderfully inventive. Some are professionals who suddenly realise that Historically Informed Performance (HIP) is an entire continent they have never quite visited. And one of my dearest students is a retired violin teacher in her seventies, who fell in love with the Baroque world and now practises more than I do (we will keep this between us).
So no, you do not have to be “ready”. You just have to be present.
What you actually need
Technically, the first session is simple.
If you have your violin, a laptop or tablet, and a reasonably quiet corner, we can begin. Headphones are helpful but not mandatory. An external microphone is wonderful but absolutely not required at the beginning. For a first online violin lesson for adults, a normal laptop microphone is completely enough.
We meet on Zoom, using a setup I know works well for violin. At the start of the first session, we spend a few minutes checking sound and camera together so you’re not alone with the tech. I will guide you through what I know works from the student side as well, so you do not have to solve the tech puzzle alone.
If the internet has a bad day, we troubleshoot. If it is truly impossible, we reschedule. It is an inconvenience, not a crisis.
How the first lesson usually unfolds
We begin like humans, not like a jury.
First, we say hello and simply talk. I ask about your musical past, your current life, and what made you click the booking button instead of closing the tab. I want to understand your tempo, your personality, your way of thinking.
Then I quietly look at a few practical things: how you hold the violin, how your bow sits in the hand, where your shoulders like to live, whether your jaw is already doing more work than it needs to. Nothing dramatic, just observation.
If you feel comfortable, you play something for me – anything: a piece you love, a study, a scale, a small phrase that feels safe. If you would rather talk first and play in the second half of the lesson, that is completely fine as well. The first session is about meeting you, not about proving anything.
From what I hear and see, I choose one or two things to explore. This part is intuitive for me – a mix of experience and gut feeling. Sometimes we begin with sound and ease. Sometimes with phrasing. Sometimes with one tiny technical habit that quietly influences everything else. What I will not do is overwhelm you with a long list of faults.
Corrections are there to open doors, not to close them.
My teaching style, in practice
I do not believe in pedagogy that starts by breaking a person down.
My job is to be honest and specific, but never at the cost of your joy. You will get feedback, of course – that is why you are there – but always in a way that stays constructive and human.
Some students need more detail, some need a bigger frame first. Some think best through clear explanation, others through trying, laughing, trying again. Part of my work in the first session is to understand how you learn, not just what you play.
Questions are always welcome. Especially the ones you call “stupid”. Those are often the most important ones.
Between lessons, I do not stand behind you with a stopwatch. We choose together what is realistic for your life right now – weekly lessons, every two weeks, or occasionally as needed. If you want steady progress, I usually recommend a regular rhythm, but the goal is a habit that supports your life, not competes with it.
Modern, Baroque, or somewhere in between
You do not need gut strings, a Baroque bow, or A = 415 for your first online violin session with me. You can arrive with a fully modern setup and Romantic repertoire, Bach and Corelli on a modern violin, or a historical instrument that has already joined the HIP side of life.
Historically Informed Performance (HIP), for me, is not a club you join. It is a way of listening and thinking.
So in the first lesson we may already touch on how your phrasing breathes, how your bow could speak more, and where your setup helps – or quietly gets in the way.
If you are curious, we can look at your chin rest, shoulder rest, posture, and all the small details that shape your experience of the violin. But always with the attitude of a child discovering something new, not a grown-up being scolded.
After the first lesson
Before we say goodbye, we talk about what feels right as a next step.
Do you want a regular lesson rhythm to build something slowly and steadily?
Or are you a professional looking for periodic input and a place to think out loud about sound and style?
My hope is that you leave the first lesson feeling a little lighter, a little clearer, and perhaps quietly excited – not because everything has been “fixed”, but because you can feel that there is a path, and that it fits who you are.
If that spark is there, you are very welcome to continue. We start exactly where you are, and let the rest grow from there – one conversation, one phrase, one lesson at a time.
If your first thought is “I’m not ready yet”, you are exactly the kind of person I love working with. If this way of working feels right for you, you are warmly invited to book your first session with me.
More threads to follow ・・・
Inside the Studio – How I Teach, Think, and Listen │ A longer look at how I teach and think about sound, history, and practice
Rediscovering the Violin in Adulthood: A Journey of Sound, Sensitivity, and Self│When you want to remember what drew you back to the violin
Mindful Practice for the Modern Violinist │ Gentle structure for days when motivation is not perfect
☯︎
© 2026 Léna Ruisz. Text and images may not be reproduced without permission.