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Spot It!
Here is a new game, Spot It! to help students with terms. My students have struggled recently with knowing what the symbol is actually called. They know what does but the actual term often eludes them. So here’s a game to help them brush up on those terms. Based on the game in the U.S.A. known as Spot It, but in other countries as Dobble. Students have to find the symbol on their card that matches the card in the middle and say the name of the symbol. This version uses basic symbols for all music reading. So this version of Spot It is not string player specific. Download Spot…
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First Position Card Game
Here is a first position card game for beginning violin students. It’s spring time, kids are ready to be out of school and playing outside. They are tired after all the testing. Having a variety of activities for lessons or practice can be a good thing at this time of year. What Do They Need To Know? Students will need to know the letters for the basic finger pattern position in first position on all 4 strings. 1st finger a whole step above the open string, 2nd finger a whole step above 1st finger, 3rd finger a half step above 2nd finger and 4th finger a whole step above 3rd…
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Pick A Daisy – G String Game
Here is fingerboard game called Pick A Daisy a G string game. Reinforce fingerboard letters with a fun game away from the violin. This game covers the pitches in first position on the G string for 1st finger – A, 2nd finger – B, 3rd finger – C and 4th finger – D. You can also use Pick A Daisy G string game with viola students. Since the pitches and finger numbers on both instruments, students can play together. And you can play Pick A Daisy while listening to your recording! A win, win! Fingerboard ID on the G String Since I use the Suzuki violin method the first piece…
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Finger Number Bingo
Looking for some new ideas for the new year? Here is a game Finger Number Bingo. I was looking for a pre-reading piece for one of my piano students and some of the piano activity pages I saw had me thinking about how to incorporate them with my violin students. My brain seems to come up with these ideas when I am supposed to be thinking about something else or going to sleep. Any one else? I adapted a piano finger number game for violin finger numbers. It’s a game that helps reinforce left hand finger numbers for beginners, and practice partners can play easily with students at home. You don’t need to…
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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…
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A Scale Group Lesson Activity
Are you looking for good group lesson activities for pre-twinkle students? Teach the A scale in group lesson with this activity. It uses gross motor skills, visual skills, and helps students work on their sequential processing. We have been working on learning the A scale in my weekly pre-twinkle group lesson. Here are the steps that I am working through. These steps will take almost 3 months to complete. Stay on the step for a few weeks until students can do the step confidently and easily. Step 1 My two group classes are absolute beginners. For the first three weeks of class we sang up the A scale using these motions: A…
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Swamp Rhythm Memory Game
I loved to play the game “Memory” as a kid. So I thought I would create a rhythm memory game with a swamp theme for my students. Growing up we had a couple different versions, but the one I remember best was animal memory. There was an animal on each card, and one animal was a picture of the full grown animal. While on another card was a picture of a baby animal. The players set all the cards out face down, and then would take turns turning over two cards. Your goal was to turn over the full grown animal and its baby animal on the same turn. If…
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Learn the Music Alphabet
Learn the music alphabet this summer using ice cream. Who doesn’t love a dripping ice cream cone on a hot summer day? Summer arrived with a bang here in Louisiana and our temperatures are in the 90’s with the humidity level about as high, I’m using ice cream cones in my lesson today to teach the music alphabet. Today we are going to talk about skips and steps through the music alphabet. There are several activities you can do with or without the instrument. And we can celebrate summer with ice cream scoops. Stepping Activities to Learn the Music Alphabet 1. Music Alphabet Mix-Up – mix up the scoops on…
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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.
