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Delaney Brigman
February 17, 2016 UWRT 1103 Connie Rothwell

First Steps in Learning How to Play the Viola

I can feel the sweat start to collect at my brow and on the back of my neck as I walk
towards the trailer that holds my new classmates, new teacher, and, soon to be, new hobby. I
open the door to observe a room of about thirty anxious and excited sixth graders sitting in black
plastic chairs in a dark and cramped trailer. I look around the classroom for a fellow classmate
who I may know. I happen to spot one of my best friends, Loren, and decide to take a seat next to
her. The trailer becomes overwhelmed with the voices of thirty restless sixth graders. The tardy
bell finally rings and our new teacher stands up from behind his desk and begins to walk towards
the front of the classroom to begin our class. Once everyone notices the tall, lengthy brown
headed man standing before us, the class becomes quiet. Hello class, my name is Mr. Miller and
I will be your orchestra teacher.
To begin the class, Mr. Miller calls the role to make sure that all of his bright new
orchestra students were in class and where they needed to be. Now that we know who all is and
is not here, lets get straight to learning how to play some music, shall we! said Mr. Miller.
Today we will start to learn how to properly position and hold our instruments along with their
corresponding bow. Violin and viola students, we will start with you. I suddenly realized that
that group of students included Loren and me since we had both chosen to play viola. To hold a
violin and viola properly you must place the instrument so that it sits high up on your left
shoulder with your chin hugging the chin rest on the instrument. Your arm then needs to come
under the body of the instrument and you need to place your hand so that it is lightly holding the
neck.

Delaney Brigman
February 17, 2016 UWRT 1103 Connie Rothwell
All of the new violinists and violists begin attempting to follow Mr. Millers instructions
while he gives the cellos and basses instructions for their own instruments. With my new student
model viola, I too begin trying to hold up my instrument the way that Mr. Miller instructed us. I
was struggling a little when I happen to look up and Mr. Miller has come to my aid to help place
me in this new and alien position. Do you need some help, Delaney? he asks as I reply, Yes,
sir. You make it look so easy. No need to stress or become frustrated. You will get it in no
time, he reassures me. I finally have my maple and spruce wood viola placed into the correct,
yet quite uncomfortable and awkward, position when Mr. Miller begins instructing the class
again. How in the world do people play in such an unusual position, I ask myself.
Now that you all are in the correct playing positions with your instruments, lets add the
bow along with it. Once again, lets begin with the violins and violas. First, I want you all to
make a wolf with your right hand. All of the violin and viola students begin holding up their
right hands with their middle and ring fingers down and their pointer and pinky fingers stuck out
like ears. I think this is going to be way easier than learning how to hold the viola itself, I told
Loren who was sitting next to me with an identical right hand wolf. Now that you have all made
your wolves, lets try picking up the bows with your hand still in that wolf position but placing
your pointer and pinky fingers down on the bow as well as your middle and ring fingers. While
all of the violin and viola students start to try once again to follow Mr. Millers instructions, Mr.
Miller begins walking around the room to adjust students hands. Mr. Miller finally approaches
me and begins to spread out my fingers so that they are not as bunched up together but each
finger has its own space to breathe. It is looking great girls! says Mr. Miller as he walks away
from Loren and me. This is nowhere near as easy as I thought it was going to be. Nothing about
learning this instrument is going to be easy, I tell Loren. At least we are all in the same boat,

Delaney Brigman
February 17, 2016 UWRT 1103 Connie Rothwell
she replies. Mr. Miller finishes going around to check every students hand and finishes
explaining to the cellos and basses how it is done.
You all should now have your instrument placed properly and your bows held properly
in your hands. Lets try finally making some sound. I want everyone to lift up their bow and
place it on the strings of their instruments. All of the uncomfortable sixth graders do as
instructed and try their best to place the white horse hair of the bows on the steel strings of their
instruments without dropping the bow or the instrument. I lift my bow to the strings and try
carefully not to ruin the pure white horse hair by touching it. Everyone looks great! Lets try to
move the bow by feeling like you are pushing it upwards so your hand is coming closer to your
face and then pulling it downwards towards your lap. The trailer hears only the sound of Mr.
Millers voice instructing until all of the sixth graders, including myself, begin to move our bows
across the strings of our new instruments. The trailer fills with a horrific nails on the chalk
board sort of sound. Loren and I glace at each other through the dreadful sound with an
expression of pure disgust on our faces. STOP! yells out Mr. Miller.
Our excited and anxious sixth grade classroom becomes absolutely silent as we stare at
the front of the classroom, anxiously waiting for our new bubbly teacher to criticize us on how
terrible we sound. I am so pleased with how quickly everyone is grasping the hang of things and
I cannot wait to see how you all progress throughout this year. I can already tell that this is going
to be a very fun and entertaining class. I, along with Im sure the rest of my classmates, let out a
sigh of relief when we hear Mr. Miller tell us about our potential and basically say that it is okay
that we currently sound like dying animals. It is only our first day of course. I am very thrilled at
how optimistic and helpful my new teacher is. Everyone begins to pack up their instruments and

Delaney Brigman
February 17, 2016 UWRT 1103 Connie Rothwell
as we are all beginning to walk out of the door Mr. Miller encourages us by saying, You all will
be virtuosos in no time!