Cue the violins: Children learn fine arts at the youth center Published Aug. 21, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Erica Holbert-Siebert 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Katlyn Zunker, 23, teaches violin to a range of age groups from 4 years old to the teenage years at the Youth Center. She has been stationed at Scott with her husband for three years, and she said she really enjoys teaching kids of different age ranges who are self-motivated to learn an instrument that is time-consuming to practice. Adam Clark, 9, has been learning from Zunker since February, and he has made room during his summer days for the lessons and homework. "The violin was actually a birthday present for me, so I got my violin in January. Then my mom noticed classes were available at the Youth Center, she asked me if I still wanted to take classes. I said of course," said Adam. Zunker said, "He's at a great age to learn the violin, because he's at the age where he knows enough arithmetic to understand the theory behind it that we do at the beginning. He's very good about getting ready for the lesson, such as tightening the bow and adding rosin before we go over sections of songs." Rosin is the substance that a violinist uses to make their bow sticky. If a bow's hair has never been rosined it will not create the familiar sound Adam is learning to refine. "The practice we cover starts with learning the parts of the violin, and then we get into bowing exercises and working on scales," said Zunker. "To help retain the lessons, we go over older songs to make sure they're comfortable with them." Adam rattles off scales he is learning during lessons, and has his favorite songs, as well as the ones he has yet to master. His favorite song doesn't have much of a pattern, but it has a good rhythm and he likes the way it sounds. He said it's great to earn stickers, which were dotted continually in his homework music book, when he does well on a section of a song he has learned. Zunker has been playing since she was 8 years old, so she can relate to the initial frustration of not being able to accomplish more than a few notes. She said learning to play at a younger age definitely helps open a student's mind to practicing to get better, rather than comparing themselves to others and giving up. But, she said, anyone can learn to play and maintain their love of the violin at any age with determination. Zunker also teaches all of her students to maintain and clean their violins after each use. Before housing the instrument in its case, Adam and Ryan go through steps that include loosening the bow, cleaning the rosin off the violin so it doesn't erode the glossy finish, and remembering what the homework is for the next class. Ryan Cooper, 9, said he is learning songs from the Legend of Zelda game in the two months he has been practicing on the violin. He likes to play by ear in a repeating game that Zunker starts by playing notes, which Ryan will copy. "The students get really into it, like when they find their own enthusiasm for learning a new song. Violin can be frustrating at first to learn, but when the concepts start to come together, that's the best feeling ever because I know they're going to be okay and hopefully continue with it," said Zunker. There are different ways Zunker said she keeps her students focused, depending on their personality, by helping them with songs they want to learn, and ensuring they know when their practice has paid off. Overall, it's the drive they come with all on their own to want to create music that keeps them coming back to practice. Violin classes are held Monday through Friday for ages 5 and up. For more information on classes at the Youth Center, call 256-5139.