I hope everyone is enjoying the great weather outside (while socially distancing, of course)!
Jaron – great work today! I know learning new notation can be quite difficult, so I appreciate your patience and attention!
– Reminder: I forgot to check in with you about this in class today, but make sure you have bought/ordered Suzuki Violin Book 1. Hopefully, we can start with the first song next week!
– Recommended practice time: 15 min/day, 5 days/week
– Practice: Finger patterns (0-1-2-3-3-2-1-0) on G string and D string, and feel free to try them on A and E strings even though we didn’t play them in class yet! Also practice Mary Had a Little Lamb, and when playing, make sure your bow is between the bridge and finger board, and that your bow hand is curved, your left wrist is straight, and your violin is parallel to the floor. Finally, review the name of the strings: (going left to right) G D A E. I use Good Dogs Always Eat to memorise the strings, what sentence can you think of?
Olivia – thanks for being such a trooper with your broken string and replacing it! I’m glad everything worked out and that you can play with all strings again.
– Recommended practice time: 30 min/day, 5 days/week, or small, achievable goals
– Practice: All A scales (major, minor natural, harmonic, melodic) and try to remember the finger patterns for each scale, Judas Maccabeas (accidentals and bowings), and Mamma Mia (try to play to the end on your own, and listen to the music to before playing! I notice you tend to play better when you take a second to pause and look at the notes and play in your head, before playing on the violin).
Thank you, everyone! Happy playing!