Many people who play a musical instrument are drawn to it because of a particular event or experience; I remember as a young child a memorable concert where Sarah Chang played the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and from that moment on I was transfixed!  However, it is easy to become ‘bogged down’ in the formalities of practising, and the frustration of having to learn scales “because my teacher said so!”  Of course, these things are extremely important when learning an instrument and scales should be a regular part of any practise.  But learning the violin should be fun too, and shouldn’t ever become a chore.  Practice is much more constructive when it is viewed in a positive way, so whenever you find yourself in a frustrating encounter with a B flat major arpeggio, take a deep breath, remember why you started playing in the first place, and carry on!