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Thanksgiving Rhythm Worksheet
Here is a Thanksgiving rhythm worksheet for your students with the classic turkey drawing. Students will add up the number of beats in each measure and then using that total will follow the color code to color the picture. The rhythm patterns found in this worksheet use sixteenth notes and eighth notes. Students must identify the groups of notes with 1 beam or 2 beams or notes with 1 flag or 2 flags. Eighth note rests are also included. A fun way over Thanksgiving break to reinforce rhythm reading. Check out some of our other November worksheets. A much easier Thanksgiving rhythm worksheet for a beginner can be found here.…
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Coloring Pages for String Players
I like to introduce beginners to different musical symbols via a coloring page. They can learn how to recognize these symbols and what they are called. It’s a great way to begin basic music literacy. Students can color these different pages while listening to their Suzuki recording! Sign up for Amazon Music and stream Suzuki recordings. Amazon Check out these other coloring books for students to do while doing daily listening. For a basic theory book designed for kids, check out the series from Horsehair Music, The Magic of Music Theory. Activities designed to introduce students to basic music theory concepts. With listening assignments and writing activities even the smallest…
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Learn the Parts of the Violin
Ideas for teaching the parts of the violin.
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Flashcards
I was organizing my teaching basket and realized that I had lots of different sizes of flashcards. Which made it hard to keep track of everything and store them. So I redid my music alphabet cards, A scale cards, fingerboard ID, and treble clef first position flash cards. Now they are all the same size and fit my storage containers. Music Alphabet Flashcards or A Scale Flashcards You can do the same activities with either the music alphabet flashcards or the A scale flashcards. You can read more about some group class activities with these cards here. But these cards are great for saying the alphabet forwards and backwards. First,…
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Christmas Count-Down Practice Chart
I saw an advent calendar puzzle this year that had acts of kindness for each day of December. Ideas to help us be intentional being kind to others in a month that can be hectic, busy and tiring. It also helps us not think of ourselves in a month where we think about everything we want. It got me to thinking that it might be fun to do something similar with practicing. Helping my students want to practice and have a little spark of fun to practicing. So I created a Christmas Count-Down Practice Chart. Pick one tree or bell to do each day in the month of December. Some…
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Power of Listening
I got to play Peter and the Wolf Saturday for the family/kids concert. to It took me back to laying on the floor in front of our stereo system staring at the LP jacket of the recording and playing with the carpet. I listened to that record so many times! It’s amazing how imbedded that interpretation is in my mind all these years later. A few spots “felt” wrong to me Saturday just because it was different than what was on that recording. 🤣 (don’t worry I played what I was supposed to!) I was reminded: never underestimate the power of listening – especially as a kid!
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Hymn Settings for 2 Violins
Celebrate with us Horsehair Music’s newest publication, Immortal, Invisible: Hymn Settings for 2 Violins with Piano Accompaniment. This is a new collection of 10 violin duets. If COVID taught us anything, it is that playing music together is a gift to be enjoyed. These duets will be a great addition to any setting. Shop Now Titles include: This Is My Father’s World Be Still My Soul Immortal Invisible God Only Wise Christ Arose (Lo in the Grave) Like A River Glorious Rock of Ages Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah (with Apples in Winter) Hark the Herald Angels Sing The Love of God Sleepers Awake (Wachet Auf) Listen to Full Length…
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Primer Level
The Magic of Music Theory Primer level is now available at Amazon.com as well as ingramspark.com! This Primer level is perfect for the student who is age 6-10 who has started reading notes or is ready to begin reading. Incorporating the concepts taught in the pre-reading series. Students review pitch placement for the basic finger pattern for all 4 strings. New for this level is learning A and E string notes on the staff. Basic note values of quarter, half, dotted half and whole notes are reviewed. New for this level, 2 beamed eighth notes are introduced for students to recognize and draw. New in Primer level students will draw…
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Spot It!
Here is a new game, Spot It! to help students with terms. My students have struggled recently with knowing what the symbol is actually called. They know what does but the actual term often eludes them. So here’s a game to help them brush up on those terms. Based on the game in the U.S.A. known as Spot It, but in other countries as Dobble. Students have to find the symbol on their card that matches the card in the middle and say the name of the symbol. This version uses basic symbols for all music reading. So this version of Spot It is not string player specific. Download Spot…
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Music Theory for Little Violinists
I’m really excited to tell you that my NEW music theory workbooks are available this summer. The PreReading series has just been released. Primer, Book 1 and Book 2, will be available Fall 2024. My students have been testing out these pages and lessons for the last 5 years. I told my husband this is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted, not because the subject matter is hard, but explaining concepts in concise clear, and engaging manner was a challenge. I want a 4 or 5 year old or a non-musical parent to be able to understand. Lesson time is valuable and already rather full. So, I wanted each…
