-
Wobble Gobble November Vibrato Challenge
I’m doing a November vibrato challenge for my students. Once a student has a basic working vibrato sometimes it falls by the wayside. Once the newness and excitement of learning vibrato has worn off they stop using it. I have to remind them to add it into their pieces. And keep giving a weekly assignment to use it. An assignment could be play tonalization and vibrate on every note. Or, play Chorus this week and vibrate on all the 3rd fingers. Another assignment could be, this week vibrate on all the notes that are eighth notes or longer in Humoresque. I’ve also said, “This is the vibrato section in Seitz.…
-
The Happy Farmer Fill in the Blank
When a student starts learning The Happy Farmer in Suzuki Book 1, I assign them The Happy Farmer Fill in the Blank exercise. This exercise helps them learn the form of the piece and the endings for the A theme. We discuss how there are 2 sections or themes in Happy Farmer, the A theme and the B theme. The B theme is always the same, and rather short. But the first two times we play the A theme we step down from F# on the D string – “F#, E, D” or “three blind mice.” Then when the A theme comes back after we play the B theme, the 3…
-
A Twinkle Etude – Twinklepated
I’m teaching the Boccherini Minuet from Suzuki Book 2 to several students. I give my students preview “spots” before we jump in to the whole piece. And one of the spots is the rhythm in measure 26 and measure 42. This syncopated rhythm is the first time this rhythm is found in the Suzuki literature. So for this reason I want to expose them to the rhythm before they get to it in the piece. Voila! A Twinkle Etude – Twinklepated was born. Twinklepated is a syncopated variation of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. What’s a Twinkle Etude? The concept of twinkle etudes is that students learn a new skill on an old song. In…
-
Christmas Violin Play-Along Books – Part 3
Here are 2 more reviews of books in the series Christmas Violin Play-Along Books. These collections are from Hal Leonard. The Play-Along Books are for different levels. You can also read about other Play-Along Books here: Part 1 and Part 2. Hal Leonard Violin Play-Along: Favorite Christmas Hymns Vol. 77 Arrangers: Peter DeneffPublisher: Hal Leonard CorporationLevel: 5 or 6 (because of position work) Pros: These arrangements are not just the melody part. Often the player plays through tune 2 or 3 times. But there is variety and variation that gives interest on each stanza. This would be a good collection for an intermediate player who is comfortable in 3rd position. It does…
-
Christmas Violin Play-Along Books – Part 2
This is a continuation of the violin Christmas Play-Along Book Reviews. See the titles and in each book. I have given a general level to each book. Each collection will have easier and harder pieces. The leveling is very broad in these Christmas violin play-along books. I have listed the key each piece is in and some of the techniques that are found in that piece. I would recommend all 3 of these books. They are for different levels of playing, but they all work well for their level. Lindsey Stirling Christmas Collection: Violin Play-Along Volume 81 Arrangers: Lindsey StirlingPublisher: Hal LeonardLevel: 6 Pros: Arrangements are taken from Lindsey Stirling’s album Warmer in the…
-
Christmas Violin Play-Along Books – Part 1
Do you love violin Christmas Play-Along books? True confession: I used to have a very snotty attitude toward violin play-along books. Through the pandemic I began to see these violin Play-Along book were meeting a need. First, these books come with performance tracks and accompaniment play-along tracks. In a world where students live in earbuds. Sometimes creating your own live music is disappointing. These books give them a soundtrack to play along to. Which is really exciting and can be very fulfilling for the student. Second, many of these books have more popular titles from movies and artists that students like and know. So, while there is a value of…
-
Winter’s Snow Christmas Violin Duets
Winter’s Snow is a collection of Christmas violin duets that I wrote in 2009. The first two books of arrangements that were published with Soundforth did not have recordings available with them. Some of my students will learn these this fall. I had some extra time this summer and so I decided to record these duets. Since I am a Suzuki teacher and I do a lot of online teaching, having recordings for my students is a high value for me. I saved the recordings in 4 different formats. The first is the violin duet with piano accompaniment. Next there is a recording of each part with the piano accompaniment.…
-
Violin Fingerboard Flashcards
Are you looking for a floor activity for a young student’s lesson? Or maybe mom needs an in the car activity on the way to violin lesson to get them thinking about violin. These violin fingerboard flashcards might be just what you need. Each card has a picture of the violin fingerboard. A small house is on each place on the fingerboard marking a pitch. The back of the card shows the letter name for that fingerboard house. Whether the student is reading on the staff or not, these cards help them identify and review fingerboard pitches. Choose the notes your students, and as they add new notes, add in…
-
New Arrangement – Amazing Grace
A friend from Virginia sent me a text asking if I knew of an arrangement of Amazing Grace. She had to play for a funeral and the family had requested Amazing Grace. I didn’t have any arrangements to suggest. So, I decided to work on one. It needed to be simple and straight forward, but a little bit more complex than just playing out of the hymn book. Because sometimes it’s just too hard to sing at a funeral, the family will have just instrumental music. I wanted the arrangement to be fairly simple so that people could hum or sing along if they wanted to. Irish Tune This summer, I’ve…
-
Apple Orchard A & E String Activity
The Apple Orchard A & E String Activity is a way to review finger numbers and note names on the A and E string. You can easily turn it into a game or just use it as an activity. Sometimes it is nice just to not have to win! This helps students think about the fingerboard in their mind and know the name of the note that the finger is playing. If you have a student with a broken arm, wrist, or jammed finger, this might be the perfect solution for lessons or practice time. To play the Apple Orchard A & E String Activity, you’ll need a die. I…
