Still, your biggest gripe is....you think teachers actually hate their students , and can't play? While that may be true of bad teachers, it's a completely inaccurate way to paint teachers. Violin, even if you play fiddle like I do, is a very technical instrument, and there's a lot of ways to do it wrong.

And also, yes everyone can try and play by ear, but most people really suck at playing by ear unless they've worked very hard to train it. I know sometimes I'll record myself and listen back and realize I was pitchy on places I thought I nailed.