Horsehair Music

Music for Strings

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  • Home
  • The Magic of Music Theory
    • Pre-Reading Series
      • PreReading A
      • PreReading B
    • Primer
    • Book 1
    • Retail Stores
  • Music by Level
    • Level 1A
    • Level 1B
    • Level 2
    • Level 3
    • Level 4
    • Level 5
    • Level 6
    • Level 7
  • Music by Style Period
    • Baroque Era
    • Classical Era
    • Romantic Era
    • Modern Era
    • Pop Violin Titles
  • About
  • Shop
    • The Magic of Music Theory
    • String Solos
    • String Duets
    • String Trios
    • String Quartets
    • String Orchestra
      • Flex Orchestra Series
    • Piano
    • Retail Stores
    • Account
      • Cart
      • Orders
      • Downloads

New Series

the flex orchestra - violin book

New hymn arrangement series for beginning string players. Create your own combination of string ensemble with piano accompaniment or play them as a solo with piano.

  • want to write a christmas song
    creativity,  holiday

    Want to Write A Christmas Song?

    December 23, 2020 / No Comments

    I have found that students often get bogged down an discouraged by the many steps that go into writing a song.  After all, that’s sort of how they imagine the composition process going. In there minds it composing goes something like this…. … You pick up your violin, set the bow on the string, and suddenly you have this great inspiration and you play a completely new piece. Then you walk over to a computer and play it for the computer. The computer of course knows exactly what note you play (because your intonation is perfect). Certainly the computer knows exactly what rhythm you play (because there are no hesitations…

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    Romance by Anton stamitz

    Romance by Anton Stamitz

    September 4, 2019
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    Treble Clef Flashcards for Violin

    June 29, 2022
    joy to the world with Vivaldi

    Joy to the World with Vivaldi’s Gloria

    December 6, 2021
  • Composing with April Showers
    creativity,  education

    Composing with April Showers

    April 1, 2020 / No Comments

    Since today is April 1, it’s only appropriate to use do some composing with April showers. We have some of those April showers forecasted for the rest of the week. And appropriately this is the next step for my Twinkle group class in their composing journey.  The Beginning Steps Here’s what they have done already this year. First, we used Twinkle rhythm patterns that they already learned. They chose what order to play open A and open E. The could chose one Twinkle pattern to play for their whole composition. You can read more about this first step here at my blog post: A Beginning Step to Composing. Next, still using…

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    Star Spangled Banner Violin solo

    Piano Trio of the National Anthem

    February 5, 2020
    VIolin Arrangement Psalm 137

    Violin Arrangement of Psalm 137

    April 8, 2020
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    Chips & Salsa Time Signature Game

    April 8, 2022
  • Compose with puzzles
    creativity,  game,  prereading

    Compose with Puzzles

    February 19, 2020 / 1 Comment

    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…

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    Listen

    September 11, 2019
    VIolin Arrangement Psalm 137

    Violin Arrangement of Psalm 137

    April 8, 2020
    Twinkle Patterns Rhythm Variations

    Pick an Apple – Twinkle Activity

    March 25, 2020
  • Music glasses composing
    creativity,  prereading,  violin pedagogy

    A Beginning Step to Composing

    January 22, 2020 / 2 Comments

    How can we make composing and improvising less scary? I’ve gotten some horrified stares, some tears, some blank stares when I’ve asked kids to try and make something up on their instrument. So I’ve been thinking about that question. Could we incorporate some creativity using the tool of composition or improv from the very first year a student begins learning the violin? What would a beginning step to composing look like? Suzuki Principles Applied As Suzuki teachers we work to take complex techniques and break them down into smaller steps that students can accomplish. So I started by asking what are the elements or skills needed to compose? As an…

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    Easter Music for Violin

    March 5, 2023
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    Yoga App for Musicians

    September 19, 2019
    wobble gobble November vibrato challenge

    Wobble Gobble November Vibrato Challenge

    November 9, 2022
  • be a composer worksheet
    creativity,  improvising,  worksheet

    Be A Composer Worksheet

    September 18, 2019 / No Comments

    Give your beginning students a chance to be a composer with this worksheet! To strengthen reading notes for the kinesthetic learner without the instrument we can have them write. Even if it’s not the student’s primary learning style, I have found that having them write music solidifies their understanding of what is on the page. We all have a learning style, whether it is visual, kinesthetic or aural. One of these ways that we absorb information more quickly than other methods. When teaching note reading, we rely heavily on the visual aspect. And rightly so, we are learning to read notes. The other learning styles are present especially as we play (kinesthetic, aural)…

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    Parts of the Violin – Clip Cards

    March 15, 2022
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    Wedding Music for Violin

    July 1, 2023
    Group Class Dinosaur Day

    Group Class – Dinosaur Day

    March 4, 2020
  • fingerboard review galaxy race
    creativity,  education,  floor activities,  game,  printables,  violin pedagogy

    The Galaxy Race

    October 15, 2016 / No Comments

    Reviewing away from the instrument reinforces fingerboard knowledge, and a game is a great way to review, add variety into practice time, and help visual learners understand the fingerboard.

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    Christmas Liberia Youth Orchetstra

    We Wish You A Merry Christmas – String Orchestra

    November 6, 2019
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    A Beginning Step to Composing

    January 22, 2020

    Draw the Clefs

    February 26, 2025
  • creativity,  education,  violin pedagogy

    Learning to Learn

    July 8, 2016 / No Comments

    learn - gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught. As the years pass it is easy for teachers to forget what it is like to learn something new for the first time. Since many of us began playing when we were young we can’t remember what it was like not to know that there are groups of two and three black notes on the piano. Or that the bow fits around the spinner when packing up. This summer I decided to practice learning. One skill I had absolutely no knowledge or experience, learning to play guitar. The other skill, swimming, I had…

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    We Wish You A Merry Christmas – String Orchestra

    November 6, 2019
    March Practice Chart

    March Practice Chart

    March 3, 2023
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    Music & an Ipad

    August 1, 2016

About


VIOLINIST & BLOGGER

My name is Kristin and I’ve played violin since I was 5 years old. I’ve been teaching for over 20 years. You will find Horsehair Music is all things strings, specifically violin. I also enjoy arranging and composing. The store has some of my pieces for sale as well as links for collections from other publishers.

Tags

Arrangements Beginners Books Christmas Coloring Page Double Stops Fiddling Fingerboard ID Free Sheet Music Games Great Composer Series Group Class Ideas Holiday Intermediate Journal Late Intermediate Note Reading Practicing Preview Spot Review Rhythm Shifting Staff Note ID Suzuki Suzuki Quotes Suzuki Violin Technique Technology Theory Theory Sheets Twinklers Worksheet Worship Songs

Shop Sheet Music

It is well with my soul violin cello duet cover
What Love Is This - Violin Solo Cover
Grace Greater Than Our Sin - Cover

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