Improvisation and the Suzuki Method

- Elaine

I have been asked before

“How do you get started doing improvisation with the Suzuki Method?”

Well, I answer by explaining the steps I take with each student.
I have my young students learn to play the one octave A major, D major and G major scales, first in pizzicato, and then using rhythmic bow strokes. We sing a little song to learn the scale:

The little train goes up the hill. The little train comes down again.

Singing the notes of the scale to the words above, is quite easy and once they can sing it, they can play it. Once they play it on the violin, I tell them that they have just played the A major scale.

While they are learning the book 1 pieces, I have them use only the notes of one of these scales (they pick which one) to make up a little tune. I like to take advantage of the time and effort they are putting into playing the little folk tunes from the first half of the Suzuki Violin School Book 1. During this time, they are listening to the book 1 CD, also singing words to the tunes and then reproducing the tunes on the violin. I think that is a good time to let them start to make up their own tunes also. When we begin to improvise, we start by mixing up the notes of the scale we have chosen to make one phrase of music. There is only one rule:

“Start on the key note – the first note of the scale you have chosen – and end on the same note. Do whatever you want to in between.”

We keep doing that until it is easy. Then we add meter and when the student is ready, we can use the metronome for the beat.

Then as they learn the arpeggios, we can ease into the use of chords that fit under a tune, i.e. Twinkle. I plan to address these concepts a bit further in my next post.

Below is a another video of brothers Tristan and Zane, playing a fiddle arrangement found in a collection by Carol Ann Wheeler of the folk tune, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, plus improvisation around that tune.

Fiddle Arrangement

- Elaine's Violin Studio

Here is a fiddle arrangement of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, played by brothers Zane and Tristan. Older brother Tristan is playing an improvisation on the melody and I am accompanying them both on guitar. I like to get siblings playing together if they are interested in that. It adds interest for them and in these two boys instance, they are practicing something they really like doing. Tristan is very interested in improvisation. Sometimes I call it “applied theory”. You have to get acquainted with the chords and how they move to be able to fit into what is going on. Variations come as one gets comfy with simple harmonization that fits.
Enjoy!

Scales with Twinklers

- Elaine

As most of you know, beginners in the Suzuki method start off learning how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. This  is a very simple and well known children’s song, so chances are, the student can already sing the melody. Because the first set of pieces learned in the Suzuki method are variations on this song, we call our beginners, Twinklers. Our Twinklers can learn their first scale by singing it and I often sing it to the following words, (one syllable for each note in the scale):

“The little train goes up the hill. The little train comes down again.”

(The first sentence is the scale going up and the second is the scale coming back down – one octave.) I will play the scale for them, first pizzicato (i.e. plucking the notes rather than bowing) then the student does the same and practices this at home. Then we can bow a fun rhythm and it can become a monkey song – a good activity to insert between the focused learning tasks.

On the violin the first scales we learn are A major, D major and G major, while on viola it is D major, G major and C major. The student may start his or her scales in pizzicato (this removes the challenge of using the bow correctly, so we can just focus on the notes of the scale in the beginning). Then I have the student go up the scale naming each note as he or she goes, for example:

“A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A”

And they turn around and go back down again.

When they know the names of the notes on their instrument, they are ready to name the notes on the staff and effectively to begin reading music. This is where I recommend using I Can Read Music: A Note Reading Book for Violin Students (Volume 1). (Also available: I Can Read Music: For Viola Volume 1 and I Can Read Music: For Cello, Volume I). I use this book for various activities. When the book is open to lesson one, the Pitch page is on the left and the Rhythm page is on the right. For the Pitch page, the student names the notes and then plays them, one line at a time. For the Rhythm page, the student claps and counts and then plays and counts, one line at a time.

By the middle of the Suzuki Book 1, I have the students put the book on the stand and point to the notes as they listen to the recording and then practice. This is the daily routine.

“Did it Sound Better or Worse?”

- Elaine

As previously mentioned, I spoke as a Suzuki Teacher Trainer to the String Pedagogy class at Colorado State University, about the progression through the Suzuki Violin School Books. One of the topics I covered was intonation.

Intonation needs to stay on the instinctive, intuitive level, so I watch for the first sign that the child hears when the notes sound better or worse. Most children do hear this difference and also subtly let us know that they do and are not quite sure what to do about it. Here is our chance to teach the appropriate basics, which would be, move your finger.

Nine times out of ten, they instinctively move the finger in the right direction and to the best ringing sound. If they do move it the wrong direction, a simple question is:

“Did it sound better or worse?”

In the case of worse, move it the other way. Sometimes I ask the child if the finger needs to move a little more. They very soon get the idea that they can get the pitch/sound that they want.

Finger pattern exercises and scales continue the process as far as pitch is concerned and also note learning on the instrument, which makes note learning on the page pertinent and make sense. For students who are further along in the repertoire, shifting the violin hand into the upper positions follows in line with these basics.

New Student Materials Checklist

- Elaine 1 Comment

When parents ask me what materials will be needed for beginner lessons, I recommend the following items:

  • Notebook and pencil for Mom or Dad, whomever is the practice companion at home;
  • Foot position mat for the child (I show you how to make one);
  • For quite a young child (under 5 years old), a home-made cardboard or a purchased foam “violin” may be used for a short time. This allows the youngster to:
    • Become accustomed to placing and holding the instrument correctly on the shoulder;
    • Learn how to carry and balance the instrument correctly;
    • Learn how to tap fingers in good form; and,
    • Learn how and where to place the “bow.”
  • When the child is ready to use a “real” violin, the teacher can measure the child’s arm to determine the size required. The parent has the choice of buying onto a trade-up-in-size plan, or renting from a local dealership or from one of the online companies (I like Shar Music and Southwest Strings. The violin outfit includes:
    • Violin;
    • Bow;
    • Violin case and rosin.

This list shows you what materials you’ll need when getting started with violin lessons. As you can see, some items are age-specific and therefore not appropriate for all beginners.

String Pedagogy Talk at Colorado State University

- Elaine 1 Comment

In November, 2012 I was asked to speak, as a Suzuki Teacher Trainer in violin to the String Pedagogy class at Colorado State University, here in Fort Collins. The talk I gave was about the progression and development of the skills necessary to successfully fulfill the requirements of the Suzuki Violin School Books 1 through 4.
These core ideas I covered during my presentation were:

  • Developing good intonation;
  • Developing successful and pleasing use of the bow;
  • Developing successful note reading skills;
  • An overview of the desired level of achievement for the repertoire.

In the coming weeks, I’ll publish some of these core ideas to my blog to share with any readers who may be interested. Stay tuned!

Congratulations Chad!

- Elaine's Violin Studio

Congratulations to Chad on all his hard work! He started teacher training with Elaine in 2008. He was honored at the 2012 Employee of the Year Banquet by the Poudre School District:
Chad Fisher awarded by Poudre School District at ACE Banquet

“Chad Fisher, coordinator of enrichment/violin tutor at Laurel Elementary School of Arts and Technology, is credited with growing a unique, school violin arts-based program that is recognized across the district. Since he began teaching violin at Laurel in 2008, the program has grown from 50 to 175 students. Chad, who teaches 40 small group violin classes weekly, also took the initiative to start a Mandolin club, Fiddle Club and Blue Grass Club, which meet either before or after school. He is eager to do whatever is necessary to create a successful experience for his students, including adapting a violin for a special needs student so that he could play from his wheelchair.
“Chad truly enjoys working with children and teaching them to play violin and mandolin. He continually seeks ways to improve the program and teaching. During the summer of 2010 Chad attended a national Suzuki training and learned that Laurel’s program is unique and may be the only violin program in the nation that serves K-5 students during the school day at no cost,” said Tommie Sue Cox, Laurel principal. “He is an ambassador in the Fort Collins community, promoting arts in Poudre School District.”

– Poudre School District