“ When I was feeling uncomfortable with my playing, she quickly caught the root cause of some problems no one could solve, and suggested some tips which completely changed my playing and made me feel so much freer! I really enjoy lessons with her where I can bring any questions or concerns and she is able to guide me from how I have been trained instead of completely resetting my playing. ”
Juan Carlos Aliaga Del Bosque,
Composer/violinist, touring violinist and instructor
Here’s the truth: violin playing for you has never just been about technique.
Instead, it’s been about expressing yourself through your music.
Telling stories, touching hearts, and feeling transported.
Connecting deeply with your violin… to create beautiful sounds as an artist.
But somewhere along the way, something got in the way of that special connection.
Maybe it was perfectionism. Performance anxiety. Tension. Injuries.
Or possibly, critical feedback from others that left you feeling not good enough and no longer enjoying your practice.
Whatever the issue, it’s absolutely the case that discouraging thoughts, lack of body awareness, and disconnection from your heart can significantly hinder your violin progress.
Effortless Violin Mastery is the 3-month program where we address these challenges and support you to play not only with a more effective technique, but with more confidence, joy and FREEDOM.
“I played the violin in school and lost touch with it after working in a different industry. Unfortunately, when I tried to pick up my violin for the first time in a while, I was frustrated with how much effort it was taking and the pain it was causing.
In just a few short lessons, Dr. Han opened my eyes to so many things about playing that I never learned or thought about before. She quickly improved my bow hold, left-hand thumb and finger position and placement, among many other things. Each lesson seemed to have its own mini-breakthroughs!
She has also encouraged me to be more self-aware and to take better care of myself, which has improved my outlook in general.”
Joe Pacheco,
45 year-old father with two daughters
Hi, I’m Dr. Ye-Jin Han.
I’m a prize-winning violinist who has played on multiple international stages (including making my solo debut at Carnegie Hall). I’ve also taught hundreds of violinists and violists in my teaching studio and helped them achieve their goals. Whether it's to win competitions and play at Carnegie Hall or to simply find comfort in playing the violin, witnessing them reigniting the love of playing the violin brings me the greatest joy as a teacher.
I grew up playing in a highly competitive conservatory environment where, despite the hours of practice time I put in each day, performing would cause me a lot of anxiety.
Now, however, I LOVE playing for others, as it’s an opportunity for me to feel deeply connected to my music and audience, to touch their hearts with the stories I tell, and to bring my favorite pieces to life with my own, unique interpretation of them.
I created Effortless Violin Mastery to help YOU be able to feel the same.
I don’t want you to approach practicing or performing in a way that…
→ Feels hard and slow, and often leads to tension or frustration
→ Doesn’t honor the way that you really want to interpret your pieces
→ Relies on techniques that aren’t well-suited to your unique body and learning background
→ Leads to things sounding great when you practice but NOT so great when you perform
Because I’ve personally taught and mentored hundreds of violists and violinists throughout my career in music…
… and I can tell you with absolute confidence that there is NO SINGLE CORRECT VIOLIN-PLAYING TECHNIQUE which works for everybody.
I can also confidently tell you that listening too much to your analytical - and often critical - mind will not result in you delivering your most moving or powerful performance yet.
Instead, we as musicians need to cultivate and strengthen our mind-body-heart connection…
… and then layer techniques which work for OUR unique bodies, backgrounds, and playing habits on top of that foundation.
→ When you work with me, I don’t want you to always be trying to control your body and I don’t want you to always be critiquing yourself.
→ Instead, my work is about helping you create a loving and caring relationship with yourself as a musician and artist.
It’s also about showing you how to support every part of your body that handles your violin, so you can stop tensing up and create the sound you want with more ease and freedom.
“ I am a Peruvian composer and violinist. I studied violin when I was younger but changed my major to composition. Because of that, I lost track of my technique at some point and was missing guidance in order to solve problems related with tension and, therefore, bow control.
Later these issues started to bother me to the point of feeling insecure about myself as a performer. I kept trying and because of that I met Ye-jin at a workshop.
While taking lessons with her, I enjoyed how she helped me to build a better technique on what I had already learnt instead of changing everything.
I feel my technique and confidence level have improved a lot and lately I have been performing around the world, feeling comfortable with the violin again.
There are no shortcuts to learning an instrument, but finding an instructor that cares about building a healthy technique, tends to your doubts and quickly gets you again on track, gets you fast progress and in my experience, Ye-jin was that best instructor to me. ”
Juan Carlos Aliaga Del Bosque,
Composer/violinist
When you join the program, you can look forward to:
→ 9 Group Classes
carefully designed using my foundational framework, these will transform and elevate your approach to violin-playing forever (scroll down for more details on what exactly I’ll be teaching!)
→ 6 Live Q&A sessions
you’ll be able to play a session of your piece/etude and receive regular guidance and support from me with any individual technical challenges, questions or mindset issues
→ 3 Individual sessions
benefit from my 1:1 attention in these private lessons, where I’ll give you suggestions for specific materials to enhance your technique, work on important mindset shifts with you, and offer personal guidance to help you overcome any other challenges you might face in your violin journey.
→ Private Facebook Community
this is where you can seek feedback, upload videos and share your progress at any time, in between our classes
→ End-of-Program Virtual Concert
get more practice performing and play your favorite piece which we worked on together over the course of the program here. You can also invite your loved ones for this special event!
Plus, join by May 10th, 2024 and get this early bird bonus!
Two additional 1:1 sessions with me:
Our first session will happen ASAP and be a skills assessment, where we do some key goal setting work together and I give you suggestions for helpful resources/books to work with.
Our second session will be a check-in later in the program, where you’ll get more personalized feedback from me based on your results in the program so far.
A recording of a 3 day Embodied Violinist workshop:
You will have a life-long access to this workshop where I teach the body, mind, heart, and violin connection and introduce the possibility of the flow and freedom in your violin playing!
A recorded guided meditation:
I know how it feels to face performance day. The night before a concert or presentation, listen to this guided meditation to center yourself with confidence and peace. Nourish your mind to prepare for the best performance ever.
A video recording of the 5 minute whole body exercise/stretch for violinists:
This simple exercise/stretch routine will make more space in your body before and after your practice session. Give your body some love and care for a long and happy violin journey!
And here’s specifically what we’ll be covering in our 9 group classes together:
(These will all take place virtually, on Zoom)
Week 1: A new chapter
We’ll kick off the program by bringing awareness to any old, negative stories you may be telling yourself about your violin playing, and by laying the groundwork for a new, more empowering, and enjoyable approach.
You’ll walk away with clear goals in place for the program, and also with concrete support set up in the form of personalized resources, accountability, and dedicated space on your calendar.
Week 2: Befriending your body
As musicians, we’re often trying to get our bodies to move in specific ways, which don’t always feel natural or comfortable. (This can lead to our music not sounding the way we want it to and can even result in tension and pain.)
Our week 2 class will equip you with multiple powerful practices and habits to help you take better care of your body, and adapt an effective playing posture that feels more natural and actually sustainable.
Week 3: Playing with Awareness
This is where I’ll teach you how to practice and play your violin with all five of your senses opened, bringing more awareness to your body and letting go of any tension.
We’ll also set you up for long-term violin-playing with more freedom and space in your body, as I’ll show you how to build strength, flexibility, and muscle memory in ways that will further develop your technique.
Week 4: Bowing technique
The bow is where the sound quality and tone color comes from in our music, so we ideally want to play as if our bows are an extension of our bow arms, with maximum freedom of movement.
This class is where I’ll show you how to practice using your bow hold in a way that creates freedom and flexibility, so you can play passages with the exact sound volume and tone color you want, while also mastering challenging techniques like flying spiccato, slur staccato.. etc.
Week 5: The left hand
Here, we’ll be focusing on the way that you use your left hand, which is so important for things like intonation, shifts, vibrato, double stops, and playing in high position with more freedom.
We’ll be helping you to develop more flexibility, articulation, independence and agility in your left hand, and to learn how to effectively practice left hand techniques using our awareness, senses (especially listening and sensing) and muscle memories.
Week 6: Bringing it all together
Sometimes it’s difficult to get our bow arm and left hand to sync together effectively and collaborate to play with the clear articulation and sound quality you want.
This class is all about learning how to bring our left hand and right hand together to create the exact tone-color and character we want to express in the sound, with the two hands working as partners.
Week 7: Storytelling through music
This week is all about being creative and using your imagination and personality to shine through your music. There’s never only one way to play a piece, so this class will be all about helping you discover your own unique approach.
This is an extremely fun process, and interpreting the music with your mind, body, and heart will allow you to connect with both the music and your audience in a very special way.
Week 8: Performance mindset
Making the transition from practice to performance can be tough, with nerves and tension that can impact both our technique and our enjoyment of playing.
This is why we’ll spend an entire class diving into issues such as performance mindset, meditation, journaling, and other rituals that you can use to help yourself have the most enjoyable and powerful performing experience possible!
Week 9: Performance practice
We’re not just going to talk about performing in this program: you’re actually going to do it! In advance of our virtual concert, you’ll have the chance to practice your chosen piece in front of your classmates.
This is where you’ll be able to get your nerves out and play for people who are on the same journey and rooting you. You’ll also have my final feedback to help your successful performance!
Week 10: Virtual Concert
Our final group class together is a moment of celebration!! You’ll be able to beautifully and effortlessly play your favorite piece straight from your heart, touching the hearts and souls of your loved ones and the other audience members who are there to support you and appreciate your music.
Our last meeting together is where all your patience, trust, and commitment will pay off and where you’ll be able to create some beautiful memories with your peers.
After three months inside the Effortless Violin Mastery group program, you’ll walk away…
✨ With a stronger connection between your body, mind, and heart, and the ability to channel the power of that connection into your music
✨ Having released habits and thought patterns that no longer serve you, and replaced them with more empowering, healthy ones
✨ Feeling confident that you can play your favorite pieces with grace and ease, allowing your distinctive interpretation to shine through in your performances
✨ Having witnessed remarkable progress in your skills and celebrated this with our supportive, inspiring community of violin players, who have cheered you on every step of the way!
This program is especially perfect for you if...
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You're an intermediate to advanced adult violinist/violist yearning to master your favorite pieces and play with more ease and confidence
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You feel like your progress with the violin/viola has slowed recently and you’re looking for proven, effective methods to help you break through practice plateaus
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You thrive in a supportive group setting, where you can enjoy growing with others and being inspired by like-minded creatives
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You’re someone for whom the desire to play music is a calling, and you want to rekindle the joy and magic that performing on your instrument can make you feel
“Dr. Han has a deep understanding of how to create beautiful sound on the violin, and she is so knowledgeable and inspiring musically! I feel noticeable improvements in my sound after each lesson, and her teachings have helped me to connect with the violin and play with ease and confidence!”
Elle Lee,
conductor/pianist, and Master of Music Education in NYU
Here's what I believe about your violin-playing
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When you have a passion for playing the violin, you also have the potential to be the violinist you truly want to be
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How a teacher guides their students, and the environment that students study in, is crucial (and finding a supportive teacher is EVERYTHING)
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Once you have a solid, strong, and comfortable foundation for your violin playing (which honors your body, mind, and heart), your joy from violin playing and the results you create with it can be TRANSFORMATIVE
Just Imagine...
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Playing your favorite piece in front of your loved ones with new zest and confidence
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A nurturing environment where you’ll get to perform and celebrate your achievements with a beautiful community of like-minded musicians, who care about connection, storytelling, and embracing their artist identities
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Mastering violin-playing YOUR way, in a way that feels very natural and intuitive, so that you can fall back in love with playing pieces that inspire and transport you and are a delight to share with an audience
“Ye-jin Han is an outstanding musician and teacher. She is able to combine her achievements as a performer with a strong sense of scholarship and a thorough and well-planned approach to teaching.
She has helped me improve my sound and develop a foundation of technique that feels natural with my body. I'm so grateful for her input as I now enjoy playing the violin and feel confident writing a piece for violin as well.”
Douglas Fisk,
Composer/pianist, Piano faculty at Long Island Conservatory
FAQ
Q. How long is each group class and Q&A session?
They will be 60 - 70 minutes.
Q. If I cannot make it to the live sessions, will I get recordings?
Yes, all the classes will be recorded and sent to you by the end of each day!
Q. How do I schedule my individual sessions?
You can schedule your individual sessions ahead of time.
Q. How do I ask questions or get feedback from you on a piece or etude I am practicing?
Come to the Q&A session live and play for me, and post your question on our private FB group for my feedback.