Embrace the Squeak: Why Making Mistakes is the Key to Fun Fiddling!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how kids approach the world with a sense of wonder and pure fun. How often do you see a child just playing, exploring, seeing what they can do next?

Somewhere along the way, we adults start worrying about doing everything just right, and we lose that sense of curiosity and adventure. I see it all the time with my students—some stop as soon as they make a “bad” sound. Others get so scared of making mistakes that they get stuck, playing at the same pace over and over.

But for me? I love pushing my limits. I love seeing where the wheels fall off in my practice room (and, of course, keeping them on when I’m performing!). That’s the time to see how fast I can go, how loudly, how many notes I can fit in a bow, or how slow I can play. There’s so much room to experiment and have fun with it!

So next time you make a sound you don’t like, try approaching it with a sense of wonder. Play around with it! See if you can make that squeaky or crunchy sound again. What happens if you try to make it worse?

It might sound strange, but those “bad” sounds are just part of the process. The more you play with them, the more you’ll understand what’s going on and how to fix it. And hey, even the sounds you don’t love can teach you something!

Remember—music is fun. Music is play. Don’t take it too seriously. Play around with all the sounds you can make. Some will be keepers, and some will be lessons, but they’re all part of the journey.