The violin is one of the most beautiful instruments, but in return, it’s also one of the hardest instruments to learn. Playing it requires basic rhythm skills, sight reading abilities, and arm muscles strong enough to hold it on your shoulder for hours. Perfecting it takes years of practice, a monk’s patience, and incredible coordination. Senior Claire Wolford, a violinist here at Oak Hills High School, has each and every single one of these attributes.
Wolford comes from a very long line of musicians. Almost everyone on her mothers and fathers side played some sort of instrumentt, It became the norm between the two families that each of their children would have to learn an instrument to keep the legacy alive. At five years old, Wolford had to make her choice, and her choice was the violin.
Sometimes, musical skills can be hereditary. If one of your parents is a good musician, you likely could be as well. I asked Wolford how fast she picked up the violin after learning. She stated, “I remember being okay in middle school, nothing super crazy good but better than I would have been otherwise.” Wolford has been taking private violin lessons, starting at just 5 years old. I wondered if Wolford took part in competitions because she does private lessons. “No, people who do competitions scare me,” she replied hastily.
Wolford’s dream instrument wasn’t the violin from the get-go, though. Wolford originally wanted to pick up the piano but was told she had to either select violin or cello because her parents wanted her to play a string instrument. By middle school, Wolford was at her wit’s end and had begged her parents if she could drop the violin to play piano. Her parents accepted and Wolford had started piano lessons.
When high school rolled around, Wolford decided that she was going to take orchestra as a filler in her schedule and thought to herself, “Well, it’s only one year.” Little did Wolford know, this decision would change her whole entire life path. To Wolford’s surprise, she found orchestra quite enjoyable thanks to her new energetic band director, Alexander Moore. Wolford decided to stop playing the piano and pick up violin again.
Since Wolford was a child, her dream was to become a nurse. She was looking into all kind
s of nursing schools to paint her future, but after Wolford rediscovered her passion, she decided she didn’t want to be a nurse after all and is now planning to be a music major. “After I taught little kids, I realized this was what I wanted to do with my life,” Wolford told me.
I’ve personally known Wolford since freshman year. I can attest to her being an amazing violinist, a spectacular friend, and someone worthy of idolizing. I asked Wolford what her best piece of advice for a beginner violinist was: “Be patient, if you put in the work, you’ll see the results as time goes on. You don’t have to be perfect to make progress.
