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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…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Paganini
The Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – 10 tells the story of Niccolo Paganini. This worksheet covers the E string notes – E5, F5, G5 and A5 for violin. For viola it covers the C string – C3, D3, E3, F3, and G3. There are variations as to the notes printed and the missing letters between the two sheets since they cover different strings. Because the Great Composer Note Reading Worksheet numbers 1-9 use the same pitches and are on the same strings, the violin and viola answers are identical. But on this worksheet they are different! Violin Download here Viola Download here https://youtu.be/1M6FRoac4uU Suzuki students are first introduced to…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Brahms
The Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – 9 tells the story of Johannes Brahms. This worksheet covers the three strings that the violin and viola have in common, the G, D and A string notes. You can download the worksheet below in either treble clef or alto clef. Students can learn about the great composers while working on their note reading on the staff. Violin Download here Viola Download here I did say that worksheet eight was the last covering these three strings, but I decided that a little more review and reinforcement never hurt a student. And the letters in the name Johannes Brahms lent themselves to the letters on these three strings.…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Dvorak
This is the eighth installment in the Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet on Dvorak. This Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet covers the G, D and A string notes and is on the Czech composer Antonin Dvorák. You can download the worksheet below for either treble clef or alto clef. Antonin Dvorak Why Dvoràk? You will find that several different string methods include themes from Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 9, New World.” And Suzuki students will be playing Dvorak’s “Humoresque” in Book 3. I also think it’s important that students are exposed to how Dvorák took the popular music of the people and incorporated it into his compositions. He never took composition…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Mendelssohn Hensel
Here is one of the great women composers note reading worksheet! Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel is one of the great composers of the 19th century. Her brother, Felix, was very famous in his lifetime. (Not all composers were famous while they were living.) Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel was not recognized as a composer, because she was a woman. But today, we recognize her as one of the great composers. In that time publishing companies did not publish music by women. But, they did publish a few of her pieces, but under her brother’s name! It was not until after she died that they published some of her compositions under her name. Aren’t you glad that women composers get published…
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A Beginner Christmas Practice Story
Where the idea came from I have 6 beginners that I started this year and I’m teaching the pre-Twinkle beginner group class at the Centenary Suzuki School. So, my brain has been full of all things beginner. We had our holiday concert last night and played all of our favorite beginner and open string songs. Songs like, Up Like a Rocket, and Pumpkin on a Fencepost, Listen to the Bird Tweet and Open String Blues. It will be 4 weeks before we have group class and so it got me to thinking about how to keep them practicing over the holiday break. So I created a beginner Christmas practice story.…
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Listen to the Bird Tweet
Listen to the Bird Tweet is a great pre-twinkle song that helps us on our journey to Twinkle. The words are were created by Susan Kempter. Students play the rhythm from variation A in Suzuki Book 1 four times. At our school we first teach it using just 1 open string. So all 4 repetitions of the pattern are on one string. (But like any good Suzuki exercise, it can morph into whatever you need!) How this post developed: We have been doing lots of different pre-twinkle songs in group. Songs like, Up Like a Rocket, Pumpkin on a Fencepost, Chicken on a Fencepost, Open E Concerto, Open A Concerto,…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Haydn
This is the great composers note reading worksheet – 6 for beginning violinists and violist. This worksheet tells the story of Franz Joseph Haydn. The notes covered are only the G string notes for violin or viola. Students will identify the notes in order to fill in the missing letters so that they can read the story. It is yet another way to reinforce note names away from the instrument. And at the same time teach them about the lives of the composers. Students may not play Haydn’s works for a few years. But since Haydn was so influential in the development of the string quartet, his name and life are…
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Book Review Beyond the Music Lesson
Here is a book review of Beyond the Music Lesson: Habits of Successful Suzuki Families, by Christine Goodner. Having experienced every part of the Suzuki triangle herself, she is well qualified to write this book. She took Suzuki lessons as a kid, has been teaching Suzuki violin in the Oregon area for many years, and has also been a Suzuki parent when her son began violin lessons. As a violin teacher, I found the book extremely helpful to remind me of things I needed to cover with new Suzuki parents/ partners. Christine Goodner writes in the first chapter what motivated her to write this book: Over the last few years, I have been…
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Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Beethoven
Here is The Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet 5 on the life of Ludwig van Beethoven. This is a great worksheet to use with your beginning students. The notes covered are on the A and D string. And the note reading worksheet is available in treble clef for violin students or alto clef for viola. Students will identify the note name and use the letter to fill in the blanks to complete the word. Then, they can learn facts about Beethoven. Here is a great way to practice reading note names away from the instrument and learn about one of the great composers of violin music. You can also check out our other composer note reading…
