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A Scale Group Lesson Activity
Are you looking for good group lesson activities for pre-twinkle students? Teach the A scale in group lesson with this activity. It uses gross motor skills, visual skills, and helps students work on their sequential processing. We have been working on learning the A scale in my weekly pre-twinkle group lesson. Here are the steps that I am working through. These steps will take almost 3 months to complete. Stay on the step for a few weeks until students can do the step confidently and easily. Step 1 My two group classes are absolute beginners. For the first three weeks of class we sang up the A scale using these motions: A…
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Swamp Rhythm Memory Game
I loved to play the game “Memory” as a kid. So I thought I would create a rhythm memory game with a swamp theme for my students. Growing up we had a couple different versions, but the one I remember best was animal memory. There was an animal on each card, and one animal was a picture of the full grown animal. While on another card was a picture of a baby animal. The players set all the cards out face down, and then would take turns turning over two cards. Your goal was to turn over the full grown animal and its baby animal on the same turn. If…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Schumann
A new note reading worksheet on one of the great composers, Robert Schumann. Students learn note names. And can learn about the composer who wrote “The Happy Farmer.” Schumann did not write much string music in comparison to all his piano and vocal compositions. But, his compositions for string players are significant in string repertoire. String players should be familiar with his chamber works, the string quartets, piano trios, quartets, and quintets. But my favorites are the violin sonatas. Learn more about Robert Schumann in The Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet #4! Facts about Robert Schumann Schumann began composing at age 7. Robert would entertain his friends by improvising music…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Gossec
Here is a note reading worksheet about the great composers, Francois Gossec. These worksheets are designed specifically for string players. And they are for violin and viola students who need to review the staff position of 5 notes of the D penta-scale. The worksheet reviews the first 4 pitches found on the D-string in 1st position. Once the student knows the letter of the note, by filling in the blank below they can discover the word. After filling in all the blanks students can read about this French Baroque composer. Suzuki students will recognize one of Gossec’s works as the last piece in Book 1. You can find other great composer note reading worksheets…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Handel
Use this great composers note reading worksheet about George Frideric Handel with your beginners. The notes covered are only the A string notes. So you can download the note reading worksheet in treble clef or alto clef. Students will identify the note name and use the letter to fill in the blanks to complete the word. Then, they can read the story about Handel. Here is a great way to practice reading note names away from the instrument and learn about a great composer of violin music. You can also check out our other composer note reading worksheets here. Violin Download here Viola Download here Interested in learning more about Handel? Here are some audio books and audio stories that tell…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Bach
Here is a great composers note reading worksheet on Bach for beginning violinists. I was listening to Beyond the Music podcast a couple weeks ago and their guest, Clair Allen, mentioned teaching her students about the composers of the pieces they are learning. Christine and Abigail mentioned growing up listening to cassette tapes of stories of great composers., and suddenly, it took me back to my own cassette tape collection. I loved these stories and listened to them over and over and over. The Music Masters Series – Johann Sebastian Bach So, this gave me the idea of creating a note reading worksheet. The notes covered are only the A string…
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Parts of the Violin
One of the activities I do at the very first lesson is teach the parts of the violin or viola. Both the student and I sit on the floor and we place their violin on the floor in between us. I will point to the violin and beginning on the same pitch as open A, I’ll sing, “Here is the violin.” The student then points and sings the same thing. Then moving up a step to B, I’ll sing, “Here is the scroll.” Going through all the parts of the violin. When the pitch gets up to the next A octave, I will then step the pitch back down until…
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Clef Coloring Page
Download a clef coloring page for your beginning string students. This is for students who are just being introduced to the staff and clef signs. You can download and print the clef coloring page for each clef from the links below each picture. You can listen to your Suzuki CD or any classical music while coloring. So, turn on your Suzuki CD, break out the crayons and have fun! Clef Coloring Page Treble Download here Alto Download here Bass Download here Suzuki CDs You can also check out other recordings such as, Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, or Peter and the Wolf. Students learn about intonation, musical phrasing, good ensemble playing and…
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How To Draw a Treble Clef
Drawing a treble clef can be a little bit daunting for young students. It looks like likes of swirls and squiggles. I’ve had more than one student give a horrified look when I ask them to draw a treble clef. If you break it down into smaller steps, it’s not overwhelming. Giving reference points to which staff lines gives guidance as to size and shape. So download the worksheet on how to draw a treble clef below. Before the advent of computers and even music typewriters (Yes! that really is a thing) music was hand written using a wide-nib quill. This caused notes and notation to look like it was…
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Learning the Staff
Through the years, I’ve sort of pieced together worksheets or drawing worksheets on blank staff paper for little violin students learning the staff. I’ve found some worksheets online that aren’t keyboard specific and used those. Since moving, I’ve had some extra time the past few months and I’ve just started a beginning student. The perfect circumstances to create some worksheets staff worksheets for violin students who aren’t reading yet. I’ve made the mistake of starting to teach note reading from the note reading book and I find myself explaining in one lesson, staff, line-notes, space-notes, treble clef, quarter-notes, measures… What was I thinking!!!! No awards for that lesson. It makes me…
