Remember that next week will be our last official week of lessons for the school year! The week after will be a make-up week, and then our summer session will start. Make sure to check your emails and texts for your schedule!

Jaron 
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (1 octave, doing our usual posture and bow hold check each time before playing), G Major scale (2 octaves, and practice both ascending and descending scale replacing open strings with fourth finger), and Etude (practice playing through without stopping and with a consistent tempo, focus on transition to third line, plus remember to stretch your fourth finger to reach that E).

Olivia – good luck with your final projects and exams!
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: Review 2-octave Major and minor scales (try to memorise fingering patterns for each scale, and try to review F Major scale, which we haven’t done in a while), Go the Distance (practice full run-throughs and prepare to finish by summer), Spring (you tend to be a bit flat in this piece so make sure to move your left hand up the neck of the violin a little bit), and see if there’s anything you’d like to add to our Zero to Hero arrangement, especially for the speaking parts!

Amaia – I appreciated your dedication and focus today, even though you were a little frustrated!
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: G, D, and A Major scales (1 octave, doing our usual posture and bow hold check each time before playing), and Perpetual Motion (play fourth finger exercises 0-1-2-3-4-3-2-1-0 on each string, stretch and exercise pinky finger to build muscles and flexibility in that finger, and practice playing through without stopping and with a faster tempo).

Isabella 
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: Practice holding violin under chin with hands and no hands (in both plucking and bowing position, and make sure to maintain posture while playing exercises instead of just first few seconds of playing), review bow hold and window washer exercises, practice bowing down-up-down-up on each string, play A-string, D-string, and G-string bowing exercises on the second page of the packet, and practice first phrase of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star theme in Suzuki Violin Book 1.

Grace
– Reminder: remember to call the office to discuss your fall violin schedule!
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: 2-octave Major and minor scales (focus on scales with shifts – that’s when your arm tends to tense and results in the scratchiness in your sound), and Waltz (practice playing open string slurs to try to achieve smoothness in the sound).

Hendry – missed you today, I’ll see you next week!
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: C, D, E-flat, E, F, and G Major scales (2 octaves, doing our usual posture and bow hold check each time before playing, and stretching fourth finger in E Major), D minor scale (2 octaves – natural, melodic, harmonic, review fingering positions for natural scale for the Gavotte), and Gavotte (watch out for shift to third position in second section, stretch pinky finger to keep fourth finger A from being too flat, and treble clef exercises on musictheory.net if you wish).

Thank you, stay safe, and happy playing!