From Bach to Beat Loops

Let’s Learn about the Violin

The violin is a part of the string family of instruments, with origins dating back to 16th-century Italy. In a symphony, the violins vastly outnumber any other instrument in the orchestra. The violin we know today has gone through some major changes since its original design. Alongside the traditional violin, modern violin makers have created new innovations such as the electric violin, silent violins, and multi-string violins that blend the shape and size of the traditional violin with different structural elements to create exciting genre-bending sounds.

As you can see, just because the violin is old doesn’t mean it’s gone out of style. Join violinist, composer, loopstation specialist, and UMS artist facilitator Dan Fecteau to explore the sound, history, and modern capabilities of this extraordinarily versatile instrument.

Explore the accompanying slides and worksheets to learn more about the violin.

About the Artist

Daniel Fecteau is a music educator, violinist, composer, and live-looping specialist. He taught elementary orchestra for seven years in Connecticut before moving to attain his Master’s in Music Education at the University of Michigan. He is passionate about inspiring motivation in students, using effective sequencing during instruction, and fostering students’ musical creativity. While at the University of Michigan, he spearheaded inclusion initiatives by creating the Queer Social program, which earned him an MLK Spirit Award. In addition to his work as a teacher and leader, Daniel is also a skilled musician. His live-looping electric violin performances won the Gottlieb Variations Award and the Michigan Prize at the Briggs Competition, and his chamber group has performed at international conferences and alongside the acclaimed music group Time for Three. A personal highlight of his career was his performance with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland in 2022, where dancers choreographed an original ballet to his music as part of their modern ballet series, Momentum.