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Latimer Tuition

Online one-to-one violin tuition

Find a Grade 5 violin tutor

Prepare for a Grade 5 exam or develop your playing beyond the exam pieces. Tell us your board, route and current difficulties so your tutor search can focus on the violin skills you want to improve.

Request a Grade 5 violin tutor match
  • One-to-one tuition
  • Pay as you go
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A useful Grade 5 lesson starts with what happens when you play: a shift that lands out of tune, an uneven bow change, or a phrase that loses direction. The tutor can turn that difficulty into a focused practice task, then check it again in the music. Exam preparation also needs the components required by your chosen board and route.

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Grade 5 Violin tuition enquiry

Tell us what you know, skip anything you’re unsure about, and add a short description if you skip both subject and level.

  1. Tutoring brief
  2. Contact details

Final question

Contact details

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Your tutoring brief

Subject
Violin
Level
Grade 5

Free matching request skip anything you’re unsure about pay as you go when lessons begin.

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How one-to-one tuition can help

  • Accurate pitch through position changes and a controlled bow across the violin’s range
  • Pieces with clear phrasing, contrasting character and secure accompaniment entries
  • Practical tests or a complete recorded programme, according to the exam route

Available tutors

Grade 5 violin tutor profiles

Compare each tutor’s violin teaching and experience of your intended board and exam format. Use the introduction to discuss the learner’s starting point and how feedback would shape practice.

Portrait of Stacy Jarvis

Stacy Jarvis

Music and Russian Specialist

Manchester, United Kingdom

£35.00 per hourDBS checkediAccepting enquiries
MusicMusic PerformanceMusic TheoryPiano+2 more
  • She currently teaches Music at a primary school and provides private Violin lessons to a diverse range of students, including children with SEN.
  • Holds a Masters degree in Musicology from the University of Manchester.
  • Currently studying for her Doctorate of Music at the University of Birmingham, focusing on the conceptualisation of artistic ideas in nocturnes.
  • Holds a Bachelors degree in Violin Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music.
  • Has extensive experience teaching violin and piano to students of all ages, from Year 1 primary students to adult learners.

Stacy Jarvis is a music educator and violinist who teaches Music, Violin, Piano and Music Theory from KS2 to A-Level, with experience supporting children with SEN and adult learners.

Send a quick enquiry from here and the Latimer Tuition team will pass it on to Stacy.

View Stacy’s profile
Portrait of Wenyu Boris Xie

Wenyu Boris Xie

Mathematics, Physics, and Geography Specialist

London

£30.00 per hourDBS checkediAccepting enquiries
11+ (general)BiologyChemistryCreative Writing+8 more
  • Wenyu holds over 3 years' of teaching experience.
  • Currently studying for his Bachelors of Engineering in Civil Engineering at the University of Bristol.
  • Holds A*, A for Physics and Mathematics at A-Level.
  • Holds 5 A*s for Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Geography at GCSE-level.
  • Holds an ARSM Diploma in Violin Peformance and ABRSM Grade 8 in Piano Peformance.

Maths and physics tutor for KS2–A Level, plus GCSE Geography and 11+/13+. Civil Engineering MEng student at the University of Bristol with 3+ years’ teaching experience, offering tailored lessons with session reports and optional homework.

Send a quick enquiry from here and the Latimer Tuition team will pass it on to Wenyu.

View Wenyu’s profile
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Choose the board and exam route first

ABRSM and Trinity assess Grade 5 violin through different routes. Bring the syllabus and the exact exam name to the first discussion; a pieces book alone does not describe every requirement. The ABRSM examples below use the violin syllabus from 2024. Check the current syllabus and corrections before entering.

ABRSM Practical Grade
Three pieces, one from each of Lists A, B and C, plus scales and arpeggios, sight-reading and aural tests. Preparation needs regular attention to the supporting skills as well as repertoire.
ABRSM Performance Grade
A continuously recorded four-piece programme: at least one piece from each of Lists A, B and C, plus an own-choice fourth. There are no separate scales, sight-reading or aural tests; the playing must sustain a complete performance.
Trinity face-to-face
Three pieces, technical work and two tests chosen from sight-reading, aural, improvisation and musical knowledge. Agree the choices early so practice covers the actual exam.
Trinity digital
The Technical Work pathway uses three pieces and technical work; Repertoire-only uses four pieces. Plan the recording from the chosen digital requirements.

Next step

Make a three-octave scale more secure

ABRSM’s Grade 5 violin requirements include a three-octave G major scale. That gives a concrete reason to work on position changes while keeping accurate pitch and an even sound. Here is an illustrative practice task for a learner whose shift keeps landing sharp.

  1. Locate the difficulty

    Play the G major scale slowly with an agreed fingering. Notice exactly where the hand moves and the next note is too high. Repeating the whole scale faster leaves that movement unchecked.

  2. Practise the landing

    Take the notes immediately before and after that shift. Establish the target pitch with the tutor, then practise moving between them slowly. Listen to the first sound of the landing note instead of relying on a late correction.

  3. Reconnect the movement

    Add the neighbouring notes, then return to the full scale. Use the required separate or slurred bowing and check that the pulse continues through the shift.

  4. Listen for progress

    The landing note is centred more consistently, the rhythm continues and the sound stays even across the change of position. Those are clearer signs of progress than simply reaching the top note faster.

What ABRSM examiners listen for in scales

Prepare reading and listening alongside the pieces

ABRSM Grade 5 sight-reading can include simple syncopation, changes between bowing and plucking, and position shifts. In unfamiliar music, those changes need attention before the first note. A useful lesson checks whether you can keep going when the music asks for several things at once.

  • Reading task

    In a short practice extract with a change from arco (bowed) to pizzicato (plucked), first mark the change and count through the surrounding rhythm. Rehearse the change of action slowly, then play the passage in time. The improvement is a change of sound without an extra, unwritten pause.

  • Listening task

    One Grade 5 aural task is singing six notes from a score. In this made-up pattern, D–E–F♯–A–G–F♯ (♯ means sharp), a learner might treat F♯ to A as another step. It spans a third: F♯–G–A. Sing those three notes, then leave out G and try F♯–A before returning to the complete pattern. This practises reading the distance between pitches; it is not an official test.

Practise how one piece leads into the next

For an ABRSM Performance Grade, choosing the fourth piece is part of shaping the whole programme. It must meet the own-choice requirements and suit the learner’s playing. Test the running order as well as the individual pieces: a demanding work that feels secure on its own may feel different at the end of a complete recording.

For example, suppose a lyrical piece is followed by a lively dance. The learner finishes the first piece well but rushes into the next. Practise the final phrase, the pause between pieces and the new opening as one sequence. Hear the next pulse before starting, prepare the first bow stroke and give the opening its intended character. Then try that transition inside a complete run. The aim is to arrive at the new piece ready to play it, with enough control left for the end of the programme.

Next step

Give Trinity technical work a musical purpose

Trinity’s face-to-face Grade 5 technical work includes a compulsory bowing exercise, followed by either scales, arpeggios and technical exercises, or studies. For the studies option, prepare all three: G-Whizz develops tone and phrasing, A Latin Adventure mixed articulation and bowing, and Swallows Gliding double stops and contrasts. A double stop means sounding two strings together.

For example, if one note disappears in a double-stop passage from Swallows Gliding, take that short passage from your copy. Listen to each note separately, then play them together slowly and check the bow’s contact with both strings. Put the passage back into its phrase and restore the marked contrasts. A useful improvement is hearing both notes clearly while the phrase still has direction. This is an illustrative practice approach; the syllabus sets the exam requirements.

Next step

How matching and Grade 5 violin lessons work

Latimer’s matching request is free. Tutors also offer a free introductory meeting to discuss goals, teaching approach and arrangements. Share a specific playing difficulty as well as the grade: it gives the conversation a practical starting point.

  1. Describe the learner

    Include the board and route, pieces already studied, any earlier grades and the main difficulty. Say whether the aim is an exam, returning to the violin or playing more confidently in an ensemble.

  2. Check the tutor’s fit

    Discuss experience with the named Grade 5 syllabus, how they teach shifts and bowing, and how they would balance repertoire with the required tests. Explain any learning needs and what has helped in previous lessons.

  3. Agree the cost and rhythm

    Each tutor sets their own hourly rate, shown on their profile. Standard lessons are billed afterwards on a pay-as-you-go basis. Agree lesson length and frequency around the work to be done and the practice time the learner can manage.

  4. Review a short preparation cycle

    Choose a technical target, a passage to develop and any supporting test to practise. At the next review, compare the same passage and include a complete piece or programme run. Use what remains difficult to decide the next priorities and whether an exam date is realistic.

How Latimer tuition works

Make the violin easy to see and hear online

Latimer tuition is online first and one-to-one. Microsoft Teams is the default platform; you and the tutor can agree another suitable option. In-person lessons depend on an individual arrangement with the tutor.

  • Have a playable violin and bow, rosin, a music stand and the correct score or syllabus materials available for lessons and home practice.
  • Position the camera far enough away to show the bow’s full movement and the left hand. Leave space to play without hitting furniture.
  • Test whether the tutor can hear a quiet sustained note and a louder passage clearly. Agree any audio-setting changes during setup.
  • Keep the same edition of the music available to both of you so bar numbers and markings are easy to discuss.
  • Plan accompaniment rehearsal and any exam recording separately from the lesson call. Share access needs early, including any help needed to set up or tune.

Tell us what your Grade 5 playing needs next

Include your board and exam route if known, current pieces, main playing difficulty and preferred lesson times. If you are learning without an exam, describe the music you would like to play.

Request a Grade 5 violin tutor match

Support and clarity

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

Do I need Grade 4 violin or Grade 5 Theory before ABRSM Grade 5?

Neither is a formal prerequisite for ABRSM Grade 5 violin. The learner still needs the playing foundations for the grade. ABRSM’s supporting qualification requirement begins at Grades 6–8: Grade 5 or above in Music Theory, Practical Musicianship or an accepted solo Jazz alternative. Grade 5 violin and Grade 5 Music Theory are separate qualifications.

Can an adult or returning player work towards Grade 5?

Yes. Bring music you can play now so the tutor can assess your starting point, including any technique that feels unfamiliar after a break. You can use Grade 5 repertoire and musicianship as a learning goal without booking an exam.

Will I need an accompanist?

Where the music has a written accompaniment, plan for it. ABRSM Practical and Trinity Grade 5 face-to-face exams require live accompaniment. ABRSM Performance and Trinity digital exams permit recorded accompaniment. Confirm the rules for your route, and agree who will arrange the accompanist, rehearsal and any recording.

Who books the violin exam and handles the practical arrangements?

Agree this before entering: identify who will make the booking, confirm the syllabus and repertoire, arrange accompaniment and, for a digital route, prepare and submit the recording. Check the separate costs of exam entry, music and accompaniment with whoever is arranging them; do not assume they are covered by the lesson rate.

How long will Grade 5 preparation take?

That depends on the starting standard, route, repertoire and practice between lessons. A first assessment can identify the main gaps; later complete run-throughs show whether they are becoming secure. Set a review point before committing to an exam date, rather than assuming the same number of lessons suits every learner.

Can lessons and exams accommodate additional needs?

Tell the tutor which explanations, demonstrations or practice reminders help the learner. Raise exam access needs with the board before booking. Trinity considers reasonable adjustments individually and requires advance application for each exam; follow ABRSM’s own process for an ABRSM entry. Lesson adaptations do not automatically change exam conditions.

What should we work on after Grade 5?

Review which parts of the playing have become secure and which still need attention. The next goal might be ensemble music, a recital programme or a later grade. If you plan to enter ABRSM Grade 6, check its supporting qualification requirement while planning the next stage.

Further information

Useful links and resources

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