printables

Print coloring pages and activities away from the instrument. Activities for violin, viola and cello available including worksheets on clefs, rhythm cards, and instrument coloring pages.

  • great composers note reading worksheet paradis
    note reading,  worksheet

    Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Paradis

    The Great Composers note reading worksheet this week teaches about Maria Theresa von Paradis. Maria Theresa von Paradis was both a composer and performer in a time when women were not encouraged to do either. She performed, composed, and taught.  Maria Theresa von Paradis: Education Maria Theresa von Paradis’ parents named after Empress Maria Theresa, the empress of Austria. Her father worked as the Imperial Secretary of Commerce and Court Councilor. Maria Theresa von Paradis began to lose her eyesight at age 2. And she was completely blind by age 5. Paradis studied composition, keyboard and music theory with Vienna’s best teachers. Her composition teacher Antonio Salleri taught students who became famous. His students include Beethoven,…

  • Twinkle Patterns Rhythm Variations
    game,  prereading,  theory

    Pick an Apple – Twinkle Activity

    We are all social distancing since COVID-19 is here. That means extra time to practice. So here’s a game for beginners called “pick an Apple.” It is an activity that reinforces Twinkle. Right now there is no soccer practice, or play dates, or even preschool happening. While elementary and above are getting activities to do at home. Preschoolers don’t have work to do at home. In order to help parents take advantage of this time, I’ve created some resources to help them to solidify all the skills we use in Twinkle. Build in more receptions and keep their interest by creating different activities using the same skills. This activity is…

  • great composers note reading worksheet martini
    note reading,  worksheet

    Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Martini

    Learn about the life of Giovanni Battista Martini in The Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Martini. This worksheet helps violin students review staff notes that are on the A and E string. And the worksheet is also available for viola students. They will review the staff notes found in alto clef C and G strings.  Students can learn about the composer, Giovanni Martini, who wrote the first piece in Suzuki Book 3, Gavotte. And they will review staff notes. Have your students get to know about the composers of their music with The Great Composer series! Violin Download here Viola Download here Giovanni Martini was born in Bologna, Italy.…

  • Compose with puzzles
    creativity,  game,  prereading

    Compose with Puzzles

    Here is an activity for beginners to encourage their creativity. And learn to compose with puzzles.. This is the second activity for beginners for teaching composition. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to make improvising and creating less scary for violin students. It seems to me that if we include structured activities for improvising or composing, that students will be more likely to try it at any level of playing. Most beginners are willing to try anything. Since everything is new. And they are like little sponges absorbing information and sounds. I’ve also been looking for ways to do the same bow patterns and finger patterns packaged differently. It…

  • Happy heart practice chart
    printables,  worksheet

    My Happy Heart Practice Chart

    It’s Valentine’s Day is this week so here is a practice chart with hearts, My Happy Heart Practice Chart! As I was working on my group lesson plan I decided to incorporate a little holiday spirit into our class. I’ve had some parents mention that they are starting to struggle with practicing. And let’s be honest, I don’t always have a happy heart when practicing. Sometimes it’s really hard to practice with a happy heart. Our face looks like all those heart faces in the picture above. This is especially true when there is something else that seems a lot more fun. Maybe it’s sunny outside and all your friends decide…

  • great composers note reading worksheet paganini
    note reading,  worksheet

    Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Paganini

    The Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – 10 tells the story of Niccolo Paganini. This worksheet covers the E string notes – E5, F5, G5 and A5 for violin. For viola it covers the C string – C3, D3, E3, F3, and G3. There are variations as to the notes printed and the missing letters between the two sheets since they cover different strings. Because the Great Composer Note Reading Worksheet numbers 1-9 use the same pitches and are on the same strings, the violin and viola answers are identical. But on this worksheet they are different!  Violin Download here Viola Download here https://youtu.be/1M6FRoac4uU Suzuki students are first introduced to…

  • great composers note reading worksheet brahms
    note reading,  worksheet

    Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Brahms

    The Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – 9 tells the story of Johannes Brahms. This worksheet covers the three strings that the violin and viola have in common, the G, D and A string notes. You can download the worksheet below in either treble clef or alto clef.  Students can learn about the great composers while working on their note reading on the staff.   Violin Download here Viola Download here I did say that worksheet eight was the last covering these three strings, but I decided that a little more review and reinforcement never hurt a student. And the letters in the name Johannes Brahms lent themselves to the letters on these three strings.…

  • great composers note reading worksheet Dvorak
    note reading,  worksheet

    Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Dvorak

    This is the eighth installment in the Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet on Dvorak. This Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet covers the G, D and A string notes and is on the Czech composer Antonin Dvorák. You can download the worksheet below for either treble clef or alto clef.  Antonin Dvorak Why Dvoràk? You will find that several different string methods include themes from Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 9, New World.” And Suzuki students will be playing Dvorak’s “Humoresque” in Book 3. I also think it’s important that students are exposed to how Dvorák took the popular music of the people and incorporated it into his compositions. He never took composition…

  • note reading,  worksheet

    Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Mendelssohn Hensel

    Here is one of the great women composers note reading worksheet! Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel is one of the great composers of the 19th century. Her brother, Felix, was very famous in his lifetime. (Not all composers were famous while they were living.) Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel was not recognized as a composer, because she was a woman. But today, we recognize her as one of the great composers. In that time publishing companies did not publish music by women. But, they did publish a few of her pieces, but under her brother’s name! It was not until after she died that they published some of her compositions under her name. Aren’t you glad that women composers get published…

  • A Beginner Practice Story
    coloring page,  education,  holiday

    A Beginner Christmas Practice Story

    Where the idea came from  I have 6 beginners that I started this year and I’m teaching the pre-Twinkle beginner group class at the Centenary Suzuki School. So, my brain has been full of all things beginner. We had our holiday concert last night and played all of our favorite beginner and open string songs. Songs like, Up Like a Rocket, and Pumpkin on a Fencepost, Listen to the Bird Tweet and Open String Blues.  It will be 4 weeks before we have group class and so it got me to thinking about how to keep them practicing over the holiday break. So I created a beginner Christmas practice story.…