Prep for Twinkle Variation B
Today we are talking about prep for Twinkle Variation B. Variation B can be hard for some kids to get. It’s really hard for violinist to stop playing! Right? Whether it’s stopping at the end of a song, or just not playing through the rest! My orchestra director that I had growing up used to say, “I don’t like noodles, except in my beef stroganoff.” The fact that I remember that saying 20 years later, tells you how much we “noodled” while he was trying to give instruction in rehearsal. In Variation B that rest seems to make us forget to play the next note. I’ve had several students that rest and then put the next finger down. This pattern helps us learn to stop our bow, play the same finger again, and THEN switch fingers. Our Suzuki school uses the words “Ice Cream sh! Cone!” I also like to use numbers “1 2 sh! 4”
Group Class Activity
My students aren’t reading notes yet. We are still working on activating their ear so that they connect a tune in their head to their fingers. Or we use the phrase we are teaching them to “play by ear.” Even though that’s happening, I will still use musical terms and show musical symbols at times. So in today’s group class. I showed the class was a quarter rest was.
When the music number goes to sleep or rests, it changes shapes! I’ll usually make a side point about the fact that they don’t change shapes when they rest for their nap. They still look the same! But in music it looks different when it rests. It looks like a stretchy z then has a little tail that looks like a “c”. I draw it a couple times so they see me draw it. I’ll say while I draw it, “A stretchy z! Then a little tail that looks like a ‘c.’ “
How to Draw A Quarter Rest
Side Note: I have found that if you show students the quarter rest or even the whole note and use a software program, the student tries to draw it with the calligraphy font. They will color in the sides of the whole note so that they are thicker. I like to show them examples of music notation hand written so that they don’t spend unnecessary time drawing and coloring to make it look like it was written with a calligraphy pen. In my experience this has discouraged students from writing music or doing their theory if they think it has to be this intricate tedious process. (Soap box over!)
Now you will need 4 cards with one number 1 – 4 on each card. (You can print out the cards below, or make your own.) We clapped once as we said each number. (1, 2, 3, 4) Then one of the numbers could to go to sleep. You can choose, or they can choose which number. Turn the card over so that they see the rest on the back. Clap the number again, but rest at the quarter rest. Repeat this until all the numbers have had a chance to rest. Then end with number 3 resting. Then we talk about how that is just like “ice cream sh! cone!” That “sh!” is a rest!
Here is an exercise using Variation B to play going up and down step-wise on either the A or E string. Just a fun song to prep for Twinkle Variation B. I like to use these pieces to reinforce other techniques. What other aspect of playing does your student need to focus on? Do they need to work on watching their bow? Are the fingers landing with good table top placement? Are the fingers landing on the tapes? (This piece has lots of time in between to focus on that!) What about bowing? This pattern doesn’t always start on a down bow. Give the kids time to think about sticking their bow, and not lifting.
Download Play-Along mp3
Enjoy this little A string or E string calypso! You can dream about that beach vacation or those lazy summer days when the ice cream truck pulls into the neighborhood. Let me know how this piece works for your little violinist.
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