The Hudson area has gained a new resident musical couple with Erica Jacobs-Perkins and Ben Stuchbery who moved here from NDG about a year ago. Erica plays the violin and Ben is the flautist in their band, the "Cygnus Trio," which also includes Ben's brother, guitarrist Jonathan Stuchbery. They perform music ranging from baroque to folk, dances and new commissions. You can listen to their music and buy downloads on their website, thecygnustrio.com. Their band activity is less than it used to be, now that they are raising their two-year-old, but Erica gives music classes locally and hopes to add more students.

Erica has created an attractive music studio in an outbuilding behind their house on Cote St. Charles. When we met there, the sun was shining in through the windows across the piano and potted plants. I sat in an easy chair while she explained how she approaches teaching music, and specifically the violin, to young children. She believes that the child can learn the basics of music in an intuitive way. "They become musically literate the same way they learn a language," she says.

To put this intuitive learning into practice, Erica borrows from the Suzuki Method but also uses Kodaly-inspired elements with an emphasis on the experience of music, starting with singing. She has children as young as four years old singing a simple folk song based on a recording. A book shows pictures of the song's musical notes and how they go up and down. The children then locate the notes on the piano and start to understand the concept of a musical scale.

During these exercises, Erica often has the children hold a pencil the same way as they would hold the bow of a violin. As they progress, they are given a violin to hold in front of them, like playing a cello, and they pluck the strings to get the notes they found on the piano. Once Erica feels they have understood the basic concepts, they can start playing the violin with tape marking the different notes. "That works like training wheels on a bicycle," says Erica.

Throughout the lessons, Erica says the children learn organically. "It's hard to explain things to a young child so they understand the concepts. Instead, they try things and do things, learing that way." Once they start playing the violin, Erica focuses on technique. "Setting up the playing technique and practising is very important," she says. All through the lessons she tries to keep the children engaged. "They have to want to come to the lessons," she says. That and the support of the parents makes for successful learning.

Born in upstate New York, Erica studied music at McGill and has been playing the violin for 25 years. You can listen to samples of her music on her website, ericajacobsperkins.com and she is available as a violin soloist for different events. She loves her set up with the separate music studio and can't wait to welcome more local music students.

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