Years with the violinTechnique, repertoire and performance
Based in Istanbul · Teaching in Turkish and English · Online and limited in-person sessions
GİRAYARSLAN
I’m a violinist, teacher and the founder of ARSLAN CLASSICS.
Here you’ll find my work on stage, my teaching and my writing.
Years of one-to-one teachingWith children, teenagers and adults
Koç University Orchestra · First ViolinOrchestral and ensemble experience
Koç UniversityLearning, feedback and individual differences shape my teaching.
One-to-one programmes in Violin, Understanding Music, Mathematics and Academic Mentoring, conducted directly by Giray Arslan. Lessons are primarily online. Limited in-person work in Istanbul is considered separately.
Explore ARSLAN CLASSICS
Flagship programme
Violin
Individual online violin education designed to move from your actual foundations towards musical independence.
Theory · History · Listening
Understanding Music
Music theory, structure, history and guided listening brought together without turning music into dry information.
Middle school · LGS · High school · TYT · AYT
Mathematics
Individual work that clarifies what is given and asked, rebuilds missing foundations and develops independent problem solving.
Planning · Study · Self-regulation
Academic Mentoring
One-to-one mentoring for planning, mock-exam analysis, priorities, study habits and self-regulation, informed by psychology.
Getting started
From programme selection to the first conversation.
After you apply, I review your goals and programme fit, then we clarify the next step together.
- 01Review the programmesIf you are unsure which one fits, say so in the application.
- 02Send the short applicationThe form takes approximately 3–5 minutes.
- 03Introductory conversationAfter the fit review, a 15–20-minute conversation is arranged.
I want students not only to play better, but to become better at learning.
Personalisation is not a lack of structure. The principles remain stable, while the route changes with the learner’s foundations, time and goal.
A technical problem may begin somewhere other than where it becomes visible. We look beyond the mistake to understand its cause, what repetition is reinforcing and how the student can learn to solve it independently.
Online, by design
The lesson does not end at the screen.
A clear camera angle, annotated scores, a personal practice summary and package-specific feedback give the student a usable plan for the week ahead.
- One-to-one teaching in Turkish and English
- Access across locations and time zones
- Limited in-person availability in Istanbul
01Clear camera angle02Annotated scores03Personal practice summary04Between-lesson feedback
Hello, I’m Giray.
Violin, psychology, writing and several combat sports.
I play violin, teach music and study Psychology at Koç University. Away from music, I train in judo, boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. They may look unrelated, but each demands attention, rhythm and knowing when not to force things.
Meet Giray Arslan
IN PRACTICE
The stage is where small decisions become audible.
What an audience finally hears grows out of decisions made in rehearsal, attentive repetition and listening together. I bring the same care to building a dependable way of practising.
Students and families
Students and families share their experience.
“Lessons with Giray make you feel taken seriously without placing you under unnecessary pressure. He notices mistakes, yet the way he explains them encourages you to try again rather than tense up. After a while, you do not only begin to play better; you also begin to pick up the violin with greater confidence.”
“He is a disciplined teacher, but not one who simply assigns work and moves on. When he realises that I have not understood something, he finds another way to explain it and makes sure it has genuinely settled. I leave the lesson with more than a page to practise: I know how to practise it.”
“Working with Giray taught me not only how to play pieces, but how to notice my own mistakes. That is one of the things I use most in the conservatory today: when a problem appears, I investigate where it comes from instead of giving up immediately. The most lasting habit he gave me was learning to take responsibility for my own practice.”
“What mattered most to me was that my daughter wanted to attend her lessons and finished each one knowing what to do next. Giray is disciplined, but he moves forward without diminishing a child’s enthusiasm. As a parent, being able to receive information when needed and seeing that the process is not being handled casually is also reassuring.”
JOURNAL
Visit the JournalWhat I listen to, read and think about.
Essays are published in their original language. A language option is available whenever a translation exists.
Music · 2024Heaven: Mitski, Jazz, and the Secret Architecture of Longing
A close listening to Mitski’s “Heaven”: jazz harmony, orchestral colour, elastic time and the unresolved architecture of longing.
Read →
Music · December 2023The Key to Everything
Bach, temperament, fugue and the peculiar pleasure of questions that become more interesting when they refuse to close.
Read →
Personal Essay · January 2022Çeliğin Sıcaklığı Hatırladığı Gece
Yıldızların göğün bağrında cereyan eden eski bir kavganın közleri gibi göründüğü bir gece; hafıza, metal ve insanın kendisine anlattığı hikâyeler üzerine.
Read →Tell me what you want to learn.
If you are not sure which programme fits, say so in the application and we can identify the right route together. Every application is reviewed by Giray Arslan.