PRIVATE TUITION
Why Learn With Me?
Whether you are taking your first steps in violin making or looking to refine advanced workshop techniques, tuition is tailored to your individual goals.
As a professional violin maker and tutor at the Newark School of Musical Instrument Crafts, I combine practical workshop experience with years of teaching students at different stages of their development. My aim is not simply to demonstrate techniques, but to help you understand why they work and develop the confidence to apply them independently..
Lessons are always adapted to the individual, creating a supportive environment where you can progress at your own pace while working towards professional standards.
Approach
My aim is to provide clear, practical guidance rooted in workshop practice. Lessons are adapted to the individual, depending on experience and objectives. For beginners, this may involve developing fundamental skills and understanding tools, materials, and working methods. For more advanced students, sessions can focus on specific aspects such as arching, edgework, varnish, or set-up. I place particular emphasis on accuracy, consistency, and developing a working method that can be sustained independently.
Areas of Tuition
• Violin, viola and cello making (selected stages or complete instruments) • Set-up and adjustment (bridge, soundpost, pegs) • Tool use and sharpening • Preparation for violin-making school applications
Individual Tuition
Lessons take place on a one-to-one basis, enabling focused, continuous feedback. This makes it possible to address specific difficulties and work at an appropriate pace. Tuition can be arranged as: Regular weekly or monthly sessions • Short intensive periods • Occasional sessions focused on a particular problem
Fees
As every student comes with different levels of experience, objectives, and areas of focus, tuition is tailored to the individual. Fees are therefore determined according to the nature of the work, the level of guidance required, and the duration and format of the sessions. Whether you are seeking an introduction to violin making, support with a specific aspect of instrument making or set-up, or more advanced workshop guidance, tuition can be adapted to suit your needs. Please get in touch to discuss your aims, and I will be happy to provide further information and a personalised quotation.
Enquiries
If you would like to discuss tuition or arrange a session, please get in touch. I am happy to talk through your current level and what you would like to focus on before booking.
Testimonials
“Private tuition with Ludivine is immensely enjoyable and a true highlight of my week. The flexibility it offers (both in terms of content of sessions and pace of work) is undoubtedly a huge perk. We typically discuss what I would like to focus on from week to week (whether it be making, set-up or repair) and then Ludivine plans and steers each session accordingly, working to a pace that suits me.
Ludivine is always positive and encouraging and I come away from each session with a great sense of achievement, feeling that I have made good progress and with greater confidence in my abilities.
She offers just the right level of support and supervision, first providing clear instruction and then giving me the space and time to progress with my work by myself, but always remaining attentive to my needs. She checks in on my progress regularly and drops what she is doing immediately to help me if I have a question or am struggling with anything.
She is great at explaining and demonstrating not only the methodology required for whatever I am working on, but also the techniques for using the various tools (and also, crucially, for sharpening them).
She respects the integrity of my work and will seek, where possible, to demonstrate something on an alternative piece of wood or by explanation alone. If it is necessary to demonstrate something on my own piece, she will never do so without first seeking permission and will then keep it to an absolute minimum, such that I never feel that my work is no longer my own.
Ludivine is generous with her knowledge and expertise and is always keen to show me what she is working on and explain the methods and techniques behind it, which I find fascinating and enlightening. She is also generous with her time outside the classroom, having, on a number of occasions, prepared or fixed tools for me between lessons, a kindness which is much appreciated and suggests to me a genuine desire to support me and help further my progress.”