Want to Write A Christmas Song?
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…
Composing with April Showers
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…
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…
A Beginning Step to Composing
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…
Be A Composer Worksheet
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)…
The Galaxy Race
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.
Learning to Learn
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…
