Before I got into tech at age 34, I was a musician. I played violin professionally, for churches, some small Nashville recordings, and taught it here and there too.
But before I grew up, I was a kid who went to church, singing classic Hymns. We sang hymns with piano and without piano, sometimes with me playing violin at church. Mainly we used what we called the “black” and “red” hymnals:
It was the summer before my 6th grade, in my town in a good 1980’s state of Iowa. John Deere and summertime, that’s what our town was known for. This time of year, the corn was high in the fields, and you could smell the soybeans and pigs almost wherever you turned your nose outside.
This day, this hot day, I could also nearly smell the humidity. It clung my shirt to my skin, cuz I was just outside playing with my friends, playing tennis, riding bikes, and now I just wanted to stay in the cozy air conditioning in my bedroom.
Every Wednesday night was for church: prayer and hymn singing
It was a typical Wednesday evening. Everyone knew in our house that every Wednesday was prayer meeting at church. So I had to get back out in the sauna-of-an-Iowa-day. Dad called for us upstairs, and Mom walked down with us. It was me, my brother, sister, and Mom and Dad all into the car.
Dad kicked the dark long-for-bragging 1980 model Blue Lincoln Continental two-door into reverse from our pond house. He went around our drive and headed off. Destination: the old time Gospel chapel, dressed casually, and that meant shorts were OK for me, but not for Dad or Mom. Mom wore a dress, Dad in jeans.
We always drove to church as a family
Dad would sometimes put the 8-track music on in the Lincoln, but usually it was the radio tuned to FM station 101.9, blasting the Good News through soothing, Christ-centered music. Back when the only Christian music was really Sandi Patty, Steve Green, and Larnelle Harris.
Those were good days, because those were some solid artists putting out some solid songs. I hadn’t been introduced to Petra yet by my buddy Jason — my Christian friend in school from 5th grade till even today. But I did get for Christmas a Sandi Patty “Make His Praise Glorious” live cassette tape.
Now, I digress. Back in our family’s Blue Lincoln Continental. Windows down, waiting for the a/c to pop on, we made some dolphin diving hand motions in the wind as we breezed onto the highway.
No Walkmans or iPhones — we had to spend time together listening to music
Keep in mind, these were the “old days” for me. Before phones. Before internet. And Walkmans. I stared out the windows of the family car, and after a few miles down the green-pastured countryside portion of our drive, the Lincoln got its strength to hoist the air conditioning system, finally pushing out glorious cold relief into my face and arms.
The sound of my brother on my right (us 3 kids were squeezed into the back seat) shutting his window with the bleeding-edge technology of electric window buttons… the sound that warned me that my ears would pop. But at least it was cool in the car now as my legs in technicolor 80’s shorts on the leather seats threatened to stick if I didn’t shuffle them a bit.
We talked a bit on the drive. And then in under 15 minutes we finally got to the church building. I knew what we would do there, because it’s what it always was in those days: a half hour of singing from hymnals (black and red books), some good teaching from the Bible, and some serious, on-knees sometimes prayer, with the men and women separated for privacy and openness among us. I felt like a man, not 12, for those prayer sessions.
I was thinking there were some friends that didn’t like me going to church. They didn’t love God, and didn’t know Jesus like I did. That’s OK, and I probably looked down on them a bit, and that was my own sin. Some kids went to the service though, for sure my family and my other 12 year old friend Matt and 10 year old Scott.
We parked our car in the back concrete, somewhat brick-y and broken parking lot. Got out, walked as a five-member family unit by the outside of the gymnasium–its brick throwing heat on our faces as it reflected what it soaked up from the afternoon sun–and then we sauntered, casually unsticking our shirts from the glue-y atmosphere, and damply walked into the lower entry secret door as we were late as usual. Up the stairs we tip-toed quietly and opened wide the swinging tall wooden doors on their creaky swivels.
And there it was: the half-filled Wednesday night crowd in the wooden pew-filled sanctuary. It was worn and sort of easy-going, kind of like your favorite coffee shop. Not about what it looks like, as long as it serves the purpose.
“Turn in the Red Hymnal… to one of my favorites,” my friend’s Grandpa Henry said.
Henry was my friend Scott’s white-haired, green-glasses, blue suit grandpa. He was an Elder at the church. “Could we turn in the red hymnal to one of my favorites,” he stood and proclaimed. He lived down the street somewhere close enough to get there before everyone, and far enough that I never saw him go into his house driving by after church. He is with Jesus now, and I look forward to meeting him again.
What hymns did we sing? That’s what people ask me about my training program, too. Just so you know, some of the hymns we sang, and I just HAD to include for training children in The Christ-Centered Violin Method. Hymns like A Mighty Fortress, O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus, and Amazing Grace. Speaking of which, here are the hymns that I teach in Level 1:
I go through those on video training, in a basic way. And here are the hymns you learn in Level 2, some by special request of all the wonderful students who started and completed Level 1 above:
Scott’s grandpa Henry requested that hymn as I said… Well, Henry owned a well known heating and cooling business on Falls Avenue in my town. He was of good age, I thought. His thick glasses were slightly tinted still from probably staring into the sun looking westward on Downing Avenue, soaking up the rest of the waning day’s summer sunlight as he drove to the chapel. I thought as I wiped some sweat out of my brow, Maybe he’s 62. I looked over at Scott my buddy who was grabbing the red hymnal, and he looked back at me. My brother and I both reached for the red hymnal. We all knew the game plan. Singin’ time.
Hymns are glorious theology for kids
Singing the hymns taught us about God. I didn’t know it much then, but I know it now. At that time I was more distracted by things like why our church only let the men stand and call out songs. But I did know that I should the “red” hymn book in front of me in the pew pocket… and open to the number called, and start singing. Even though I didn’t really want to go to sing that night–staying home seemed so much more appealing–but my parents had a habit of going to all the services, Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday.
Hymns have straight-forward harmonies
I started to grow up a bit, and realize that I could sing not just the top line (soprano or melody, I called it) in the hymns, but also the second (alto or harmony, I called it). In fact, some of my singing got me to really think of how to harmonize even more. I’d try to sing the tenor line (the first note on the bass clef). And I’d even switch it up.
Then, sometimes I’d hear another singer, Merlyn, singing ABOVE THE REST of the singers, in a higher voice, in a harmony. I realized that he was singing the second line in the hymns, in an octave higher! That blew my mind. I’d secretly plan on singing each hymn with a different harmony or octave. I was maybe not focusing on the right things, but I sure started figuring out ways to be more musical.
“You can’t learn violin on video.”
I was also taking violin and my main course was Suzuki, plus other things my teacher wanted us to take. (My Dad even rented a video tape from the Chicago library hundreds of miles away from us–so I learned vibrato using a video in 1983. Yes. 1983.). Here’s what a Beta Max tape looks like, if you’re not older than 40:
After that, my Dad gave me another challenge: grab my violin and play a few hymns using octaves above the written notes. I did it. In fact, I started learning to play “double-stops” (two notes at one time) using the hymn books. Even if you don’t take my course today–I have a great offer for you below–it would be worth you taking some time and diving into a hymnal and just sing the notes and harmonies. The lyrics are encouraging (honestly, the lyrics are the best part), but the music is straight-forward and easy to read, for many pieces. In fact, this is what one of my students does now. L. (shown below) in the midwest took my Level 1 and Level 2 when her teacher moved away and she was left with no teacher. Recently she began to use the hymnal (choosing random hymns) to challenge her sightreading:
Though I grew up and played violin, and loved the hymns, and even played some big name gigs (like sharing stages with Grammy nominees even), there was not enough motivation to get the program out to more people. The solution came from more of a deep, spiritual desire.
Answering a call bigger than myself (and an actual phone call)
The reason I’m teaching violin on a larger level is that it feels like it is a calling from God. Not the “heard His voice” calling, but a deep-seated responsibility calling. It’s kind of like anything God gives you–you have to get out there for others to use, or it seems like a waste. After all, when people say you do something well, you get compliments. (I got those compliments as a kid playing violin for my childhood church, Downing Avenue Gospel Chapel.) But when others think you do it exceptionally well, they start asking if they can pay you money to teach their children. They want their kids to grow up learning violin.
But I would almost ALWAYS have to say NO. I’m a Dad; I had a family with 6 kids in the house (a few have since grown up), and my wife Jen and I did not have much time for me to be away teaching violin. In fact, I had to switch to tech work and make phone apps to pay bills. But still, I got the requests. “Can you teach our kids?” Again, over and over again, I had to say no.
Not wanting to say “No” to parents who needed me
Eventually I had to say no a LOT. See, over the years I became a music director for most of the churches I was in. (Wow, now that I think about it I have led music for some small churches in Iowa, South Carolina, Georgia, and Minnesota.) Credit my parents and the hymns. And yes, I did and still do teach some hand-picked violin students still, when I want. But all those churches had a lot of families with kids, and when I played violin on stage I got asked, “Can you teach my kids?” And I had to say no. But I wanted a way to say “yes” without ruining my family time, too.
Finally: Here’s how I said “yes” to teaching hundreds of students…
…without depriving my own 6 kids of Daddy time
In 2011, I had an idea. Put violin training onto video! I remembered my own experience learning vibrato on a BetaMax video in 1981. I watched and trained myself, with my Dad helping. He didn’t know violin; he just wanted me to learn. I KNEW video would work, for parents and kids who were dedicated past the “low interest level.”
Next, to get started with video, I needed a trial. The result was a 25-minute DVD called “How to Get Your Children to Practice Violin Without Begging or Bribing.” (It’s now part of Level 1.) I sent it out to everyone who asked for it on my website, FREE of charge. It went to Philippines, Canada, Mexico, USA in almost every state, England, Ireland, and Australia. It was a hit. But it didn’t pay any bills. What happened next threw me off guard for a minute, but really changed everything.
Along the way, after making a Christmas video–that’s also in Level 1 and Level 2 programs offered on this same page — a mom in Michigan said she had an idea for me. She said that she was looking for a program that taught hymns to kids as a methodology. (A methodology is a program that takes students from one place to another using a system. Suzuki is like this.) I thought that’s something I could do.
Then after a few years of trying to help people and just not having enough time, a big epiphany happened. First, a Mom out of Michigan who got my DVD and some Christmas training video from me, called me up and asked if I taught hymns.
I replied, no, but that’s a great idea. I told her she’d be first on the list if I made a program. Then, I thought, “If I put together some videos, and produce them for students to learn on their own time and pace… I can stop giving random advice, or calls, or sending this or that video DVD around the world. And then I can focus and put all my heart and soul onto video production and a curriculum.”
Planning the hymns and beginning to make the program a reality
Over the course of a summer, I dedicated Saturdays to planning, recording, and producing videos and produced them myself, using some of my software and skills I learned as a tech lead. Overall, about 41 videos and 36 lessons in Level 1:
I got the course out to parents
I started to get the program together, but I wasn’t completely done yet. In fact, while I had a bunch of the videos together, some time put into making a manual, and a lot of video production, my urge to get the program out was hitting an exciting level. Because most people have heard of Amazing Grace, that was the first training I did. It’s Lesson 4 (out of more than 30+ lessons):
Then, I set up a date to take the program to a few homeschool conventions and sold it to parents. A bunch parents loved the idea, and many of them invested right on the spot. I offered it at a very low price, and I barely made my costs back. It was worth the rush, because it seemed that so many parents were just waiting for a program like this.
Some of the students wrote really spectacular feedback, right away–sometimes just days after they got the program all loaded up on their computer and started in. They seemed to think it worked for them, like a boy named E. — he has been learning and for one year has made it through Level 1. I’m excited to see these videos from his parents arrive in my message inbox with progress:
Another student wrote this:
If you’re looking for more parents who have taken this course with zero musical background, here’s a family that purchased my program sight-unseen at a convention in Texas and started with it, getting through all the lessons in both levels. They wrote this:
The way I recorded was shaped by my upbringing in that small church where we sang hymns. I put a lightweight camera on my violin –so as to not damage my violin. Then, I learned how to do some video work (I had done some of this in my earlier days in real estate education) on today’s technology. Adobe products, mainly. Finally, I had to do some post-production. I made manuals as PDFs.
If you want your kids to learn violin at home, without driving to lessons, in a self-paced course that’s focused on Jesus Christ, the classic old hymns from church… then this is the best choice for you. That’s what people tell me–and being honest, it is what others have said to me. There was a mom in Nashville who came up to me and said “You can’t learn violin by video.” I replied, “My students do.” She said, “What are your credentials?” I said, “I have a bachelor of arts from Anderson University in South Carolina, emphasis on violin performance and recording studio engineering, I have played violin for touring bands, recording studios, and professional symphony orchestras in three states.” She said, “You still can’t learn violin by video.”
It’s her word against my students, I guess.
If you want to try it out, I’ve got a full refund policy before 90 days, just to keep parents moving along. No questions asked. But the students who dive into my programs tend to stick. In fact, I have given just one refund in 10 years, and it was to a parent who invested in this program before learning her child had a free private instructor lined up at her private school in Louisiana. Happily refunded! (And maybe got a good recommendation from her to her friends.)
Plus, when you try it out, you get full 24/7 access to The Christ-Centered Violin Method, with printable manual for just $37 for your first three weeks. That’s my starter rate, for you to take a few weeks to make sure this is going to work for you. It will. I’ll make sure of that with my first few videos where I get you all set up with how to save money at the violin store, what to NOT get at the store, and more. (No, you don’t need a violin to start my program–and it is better in most cases if you do NOT have one yet!)
- Learn how to get your violin
- Get your violin tuned
- Learn how to play for your family and friends
- Get your scales right
- Play your first hymns
- Play with correct right-hand
- Play with correct left-hand
- Learn music theory perfect for violin
- Play many more hymns
- Learn how to keep track of your progress
- Learn how to read notes
- Play for relatives at Christmas and other holidays
- Play for church meetings
The 96-page printable manual includes full study guide, music that’s easy to play and play quickly, even for a beginner:
Do you want your child or children to learn violin at home by learning timeless hymns? Without driving to lessons? Without searching randomly on YouTube? Join the 400+ families that have taken my violin instruction around the world. Start today — even without a violin yet (I’ll show you how to get one and save money!) — with The Christ-Centered Violin Method.
To start, your cost is $37 for the first 3 weeks. Full access to every one of my 40+ trainings and my manual. (This gives you 21 days to look for a violin, using my tips I give you in the trainings!) Cancel anytime before three weeks and you will never get charged again. But, if you decide you want to continue to pursue playing violin, your card will be charged just $77/month plus tax, until you cancel.
Decide to stop playing? Cancel anytime. Violin isn’t your thing? You can cancel anytime. Your child (and you) will learn violin with what students say is the best Christ-centered home-study or homeschool violin training program they have found.
Click here to begin your violin adventure today, and let’s get your child excited about violin using classic hymns!
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About the author:
My name is Brooks. I enjoy watching people get shocked at the kind of life and rewarding income they start to get from a shiny new tech career.
