Years with the violinTechnique, repertoire and performance
Based in Istanbul · Teaching in Turkish and English · Online and limited in-person sessions
GIRAYARSLAN
Violinist · Educator · Founder of ARSLAN CLASSICS
This site brings together my work on stage, my one-to-one teaching, my writing, and ARSLAN CLASSICS — Academy of Music & Arts.
ARSLAN CLASSICSAcademy of Music & Arts
Years of one-to-one teachingWith children, teenagers and adults
Koç University Orchestra · First ViolinOrchestral and ensemble experience
Koç University · PsychologyInforming an approach attentive to learning, feedback and individual differences
ARSLAN CLASSICSAcademy of Music & Arts
One-to-one programmes in Violin, Understanding Music, Mathematics and Academic Mentoring, conducted directly by Giray Arslan. Online teaching is the main format; limited in-person work in Istanbul is reviewed separately.
Enter 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 · High school · AYT
Mathematics
Individual work focused on reading a problem’s architecture, rebuilding foundations and constructing solutions independently.
Psychology-informed study systems
Academic Mentoring
A structured academic system for planning, mock analysis, priorities, habits and self-regulation—not therapy or motivational theatre.
Three steps to begin
A clear route from programme to conversation.
The application is considered, but not complicated. You describe the need first; the right working format is then clarified together.
- 01Explore the programmes, or simply say that you are not sure which one fits.
- 02Send the short three-to-five-minute application.
- 03After review, we can arrange a 15–20-minute introductory conversation where useful.
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; the route changes with the learner’s foundations, time and goal.
A technical problem may begin somewhere other than where it becomes visible. We examine the cause, what repetition is reinforcing and how the solution can become independent.
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
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; in practice, each demands attention, rhythm and knowing when not to force things.
Read the short introduction and full biography
IN PRACTICE
Performance, rehearsal and teaching are different forms of the same attention.
What an audience finally hears is built from small decisions in rehearsal, repeated work and the ability to listen together. I look for the same thing in teaching: not a theatrical shortcut, but a method that becomes reliable over time.
Students and families
They describe what the work actually feels like.
“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 JournalMusic, psychology, art and questions that refuse to leave.
Essays remain in their original language. A text is not handed to a machine merely to make two columns look symmetrical.
Tell me what you want to learn.
Apply to an established programme or propose a personal route combining approved fields. Every application is reviewed by Giray Arslan.