Covenant Day School Violin Program
Dear CDS Parents,
My name is Julie Johnson and I am the violin/strings teacher at Covenant Day School. I have been hired
by CDS to build a violin program to provide students with an avenue to glorify God through learning,
performing and appreciating music.
Psalm 150 says, “Praise him with strings and pipe!... Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!” (English Standard Version)
Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is
anything worthy of praise, think about these things. “ (English Standard Version)
Playing the violin is a perfect opportunity to seek out the qualities in these verses. I encourage my
students to strive for excellence and in doing so they learn perseverance, commitment, concentration,
problem solving and many other skills that will help them grow spiritually and academically. They also
learn a lifelong appreciation for the art of music that expresses what words cannot.
There are currently two main parts of the violin program:
Violin Studio
I teach private lessons through my violin studio. The core of learning any instrument should be a oneon-one weekly lesson. I teach right on campus and I have students ranging from TK to 12th grade. The
students are involved in performances at the school including the prelude to the lower school Christmas
show and two violin studio recitals a year. Private lessons range from 15 to 60 minutes a week. The fee
is prorated according to the length of the lesson and is based on a rate of $52 an hour. Most students
start out with a 30 minute lesson which has a fee of $26 per lesson.
Classes
The other main part of the violin program is classes that are offered as electives. These are part of the
curriculum, take place in the regular class schedule, and have no additional fee. There are currently 3
classes. There is a class for 5th and 7th graders, a class for 6th graders, and a class for violinists in the
8th-12th grade Wind and Strings Ensemble. Private lessons with me or another teacher are not required
to enroll, though they are strongly encouraged. At least one year of playing is preferred for students in
the classes. A beginner class may be offered depending on enrollment.
The classes give the opportunity to improve basic violin skills, improve music reading, and play in an
ensemble. Students also learn music theory and how it directly applies to playing the violin.
Performance opportunities for the classes include the upper school Christmas Concert, Celebration of
the Arts and a performing arts chapel. The repertoire of the 5th-7th and the 6th grade class is drawn
from the Suzuki method and traditional method and will be adjusted to reflect the experience level of
the students in each class. Goals for each student will also be modified to accommodate their individual
level.
Violin students in the 8th-12th grade class are part of the Wind and Strings Ensemble under the
direction of Ms. Tuttle on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they come to
violin class where they work on classical chamber music for violins. This is a unique opportunity for
students to be able to learn and perform masterpieces from the classical repertoire. The students also
receive help with the assignments given in the larger ensemble, including scales and pieces performed in
the group.
My hope is that you will join me in building the violin program here at CDS. While many other schools
are dropping their music programs, CDS is expanding and this is a terrific opportunity to get in on the
ground floor!
Please contact me if you have any questions about me or the program or if you would like to get your
child involved in playing the violin at Covenant Day School. My contact information is below and further
information about me can be found at my website which is www.juliafarhijohnson.com.
Thank you for your time.
In Christ,
Julie Johnson
Violin/strings teacher
Covenant Day School
jjohnson@covenantday.org
www.juliafarhijohnson.com
704-517-7418
“There is nothing in the world so much like prayer as music is.” ~William P. Merrill
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” ~Victor Hugo