I agree maybe she isn't a child prodigy in the actual instrument... but, I believe she is a child prodigy in another area that is actually tougher if not impossible to teach and that is in her passion to perform and fearlessness to push herself in her artistry... very few musicians at this age connect with their audience as she does... regardless of someone's opinion of a violinist performing pop music on the streets, she didn't amass 8 million followers on this platform alone simply because she is adorable... she has a unique gift of capturing your heart and taking you along her musical journey if for only a few minutes... and in my humble opinion is what separates the good from the greats...

I definitely understand being defensive of Karolina as she is a child, very talented, and just overall a bright person. But this is absolutely the kind of respectful and helpful critique that musicians crave. So well done and helpful. I'm sure Karolina would agree. More of this, please!

Maybe she's not doing it exactly the way YOU want, but with nearly two BILLION views, and a net worth of over $13,000,000, I'd say she's doing it in a way that is right for her.

Murphy says she is "nowhere near" a professional level and then in the same sentence says she is "not quite there yet." How confusing. So I will rely on my ears as a former amateur musician who toured the western U.S. in a concert band as a teenager and who enjoyed her seriously proficient performance of the Mendelssohn, marveling at how she has attracted more than one million YT views for a 30-minute classical concerto. Murphy, could you let us know about other recordings of the Mendelssohn that have attracted a million views? She has brought the world a lot of joy, and a lot of business to your channel, which had to be the reason for your critique to begin with. Serious critiques are important. Yours leaves me a bit uncomfortable its motivation and flinty, confusing assessment of being "nowhere near" "not quite there yet."

I've met her in person when she played at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. I thinks she wants to be a performer like Lindsey Stirling and not a concert violinist.

If she is paid to play violin as her main occupation, then yes she is a professional. It bugs me when people think professional means master.

What is the point of musical performance? To give joy and passion to the listener or to have technical proficiency? Which is more important? She has 8.3 million subscribers. You decide.

OK, criticism is valid. A quick comparison brings out that she has room for improvement. Try listening to other violinists.

She is learning but with Ray Chen’s support it’s great to see they practiced a few months back. Well done for her hard work. First concert let’s be humble here

I would consider someone who can play the complete Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at 15 to be somewhat of a prodigy. Or at least very gifted. That's a hard piece.

I'm a violin beginner and I was simply impressed by how you made the "student sound", sound exactly like me.

Great feedback and very fair. She's an incredible talent but moreover an incredible young lady who has accomplished so much in her 15 years. Given she appears financially independent already, she can follow her dreams rather than someone else's.

Love this! Constructive criticism with praise where appropriate...its obvious you are a great teacher and just from watching this I have learned a lot on how to make my own Mendelsohn better. Thanks! hope this series continues, its so good! Props to Karolina for putting herself out there and getting back to her classical roots

Very well said. I hope people don’t take this as a negative review to the performer. Just think it’s a good lesson for who is learning violin, like my kids. The left hand tension is what my older one working on for the past few months. I hope he’ll get it relaxed one day lol

Karolina first learned to play the violin at age six and by the age of ten she was playing as a busker on the streets of LA. In order to attract an audience and make a living she adopted a style of play that was totally different than an otherwise professional violinist might demonstrate. She incorporated dance and movement and style into her performance that wouldn't even be considered when training a violin student. Most professionals would not even attempt to play in the style of Karolina. That style of play has to be done in ways different than you might otherwise expect. Over the last year she has put more and more emphasis on developing a more traditional classical style and you can see the changes in her performances when comparing one recent performance to the next. In a recent video when discussing a new violin purchase she mentioned a difference in the way she was approaching the fingering of her left hand. If you compare this performance with her most recent practice video you can see a remarkable difference. As far as I'm concerned, Karolina has made a profound difference in the way the contemporary public looks at the violin. They want more and more of it - 8.3 million subscribers on one channel with more than 10 million subscribers on all of her KZfaq channels together. Add an additional 10 million Facebook devotes plus her other social media accounts and you have quite an audience. An audience that wants more and more. Karolina is one of the few people who can deliver it.

I got the original video in my recommended, and I listened for a moment, but then clicked off. I couldn't reconcile the over the top enthousiastic comments with what I was hearing. This girl plays way better than I probably ever will. And I think she worked very hard to get to where she's at. But it's very clear to me that there's a lot of stuff for her to learn still.

I like her playing better and she has a talent above many too actually dance and control her violin in such a beautiful way. This in itself sets her apart with her sweet personality.

She has other great talents, she also plays piano, guitar and has a beautiful voice. See her cover of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters at age 13. It is magical. See her new video singing in French and playing violin, the song Voila. She is amazing!

This was Karolina's very first appearance and experience as a classical soloist with an orchestra in her entire life. And although she may not be a child prodigy in classical field you have to understand that she produces two improvisational pop music interpretations per week only by ear - just listening to original recordings without sheet music. She is capable to create one in an afternoon and perform it next day flawlessly. And as a music teacher myself I can understand perfectly that she has to develop - especially in classical field.

Man on top right yawns at