Nora's Seventh Violin Lesson

Practice List To Do, Tue 10/2/2007 Lesson 7 Week 4
I. Identification of All Twinkle Rhythm Variations, Plus Early Book 1 songs
II. Bow Sets 3-5 times per day
III. Bow MHD, HB + other rhythms on left shoulder while singing the rhythm
IV. Violin Sets 6 times a day
V. Rosin Bow before violin part of practice
VI. “Dessert” Play MHD (and add HB and SBB) on E string within yellow tape on bow
VII. NEW String Crossing E to A and back A to E
VIII. The Pebble Game – E string repetitions X times of all rhythms (except twinkle slow)
IX. Sing A E F# and identify notes
X. Wipe violin bridge area with hankie before putting away

I. Identification of Twinkle Rhythm Variations, Plus:

Begin identifying these songs by their names during listening or in listening part of practice time:
Lightly Row, Song of the Wind …… Go Tell Aunt Rhody, O Come Little Children

For Rhythm Identification, Practice Strategies:
1. Hear the first line on the violin, slice, rub and clap are what he uses in lesson most
2. Give Nora a contrast of 2 choices: example: Is it Lightly Row or Twinkle Slow?
3. He said that Nora will need to know all channels of the rhythms, visual too (slicing).

Mr. S played rhythms or first lines on Nora’s violin and she identified most rhythms as she seemed to be looking out of his picture window or looking down. He did not mention her lack of eye contact as she listened to all but one of his samples. She gave him her attention when asked for the last rhythm. He did note that she needed to learn the rhythms visually (slicing). Nora needed the “shh” sound to identify “My name (pause) is Nora” but he still gives her slicing or other opportunity without “shh” to see if she can do it. Twice, she correctly identified “Song of the Wind” when he gave her the “woosh” of the wind sound at the times in the song where the violinist retakes a down bow. This was very similar to how Mima was identifying” Song of the Wind” for Nora on the few times we did this practice. He showed her Aunt Rhody and came back to it to see if she had learned it and again could not identify it. She was also unable to identify “O Come little Children”, and we have not worked on identifying these songs. She hummed along to finish all the songs he demonstrated and so he feels that she does know them on some level.

II. Bow Sets 3-5 times per day
1. Green Feet, Soft knees , Parent holds bow (horizontal)
2. Nora places fingers hanging curved over stick, soft hand, fingers spaced with air between each one, middle finger across from bumpy thumb, pointer on silver
3. Bow goes tip to ceiling and Parent points very close to tip and Nora looks at tip for count down from 10

Nora had a lovely soft bow grip, guided by Mr. S

III. Bow Practice MHD on left shoulder while singing the rhythm
Add HB and SBB rhythms

Although it never/rarely happened at home, Nora’s bow at the lesson was slipping off of her left shoulder. Mr. S recommended trying to use a toilet paper roll attached to her clothing on the front of her left shoulder. This would help to guide her bow on her left shoulder while her parent can make sure that her right shoulder is not raising and moving forward. *The toilet paper roll turned out to be too distracting and using the parent’s right hand to guide bow on Nora’s shoulder worked better.

He was especially noting that we should watch that Nora’s right bow arm shoulder remain down and relaxed. Nora’s shoulders should be directly over her green feet and nicely back and straight and should not twist, or raise, or move forward.

The example bowing should be fluid, legato type bow strokes and not too fast.


IV. Violin Practice Sets 6 times per day
1. Green Feet, Soft knees , Left arm softly on waist, Nora looks straight ahead, Parent holds violin by ribs and places violin, Nora turns head, drops head, left arms move up for thumb pillow.
2. Parent lets go of violin and holds something of interest at end of the scroll
3. Nora should look the object of interest for a count down – may use favorite toy
a. from 10
b. from 20 (she just barely did this at the lesson)
c. he would like to increase this to a high number … 30 and eventually more

Behavior Issues:
Nora never put her hands in her mouth, nose or hair – a first! Her hair was all in bands and barrettes, though I am sure that mommy Lisa would not have approved of the fashion statement. She did not get wiggly and watched and cooperated with Mr S quite well.

At one point in the lesson, Nora got off of her foot chart and he told her that she could take a 5 second “break” and after the count of 5 she should return to her chart – and she did!


V. Rosin Bow Procedure: Rosin each day before practice
1. hold rosin in left hand
2. bow in right hand - hold bow firmly at frog but not actual bow set grip
3. place bow on rosin track, use whole bow strokes frog to tip
4. do 7 strokes (count one and two and)
5. lightly wipe off violin bridge area with light handkerchief at the end of practice

Nora did this nicely one he got her to use the whole bow, she started with just tiny strokes on the rosin, something we have not seen at home. He liked the idea of the small rosin cake encased in wood to prevent cracking. He said she can graduate to a different and more fragile, cloth wrapped rosin later.

VI. “Dessert” is MHD, HB, SBB, Washington, played on E string at yellow tape marked on Bow Stick
new* work to stay on just the E string he said
1. Green Feet, Soft knees, Right Bow hand set with parent, Left arm softly across waist
2. Violin set with parent, Parent maintains grasp on scroll of violin
3. Parent guide bow by screw to place on E string at lowest part of yellow tape
4. My Turn – parent moves bow downward to begin rhythm, keeping bow stroke within yellow, Your Turn: parent lets go of screw but continues to guide right elbow
5. Nora is to try to stay within the yellow tape bow playground area and to stay on E string


VII. NEW Practice String Crossing E to A and back A to E

Touch Bow to E string (play a rhythm on E My Turn, Your turn) and rock bow to A string and play a rhythm on A My turn your turn
a. Reach to A string, bow hand leads and arm follows
b. Drop to E string, arm leads and hand follows

Nora did beautifully on this exercise and Mr S seemed especially pleased that she was able to isolate and play on just one string at a time. She played on the A string for the first time ever and she stayed on the A string for the MHD rhythm. He commented that this ability to play on just one string at a time was unusual in his experience. He said that there were lots of things to help teach this one string playing, but that it seems at this point that she will not need these strategies.

VIII. The Pebble Game – “The Burn”

New Practice Game for these rhythms to encourage Nora to play one after the other without a break – she should keep standing on her green feet with violin in playing position. In the lesson I think that she actually played all the rhythms at least once with him except perhaps “twinkle slow” as Mima plunked 8 pen caps into a china mug.

a. He said he liked this game best when pebbles (little rocks) were dropped into a container for each practice item that is done without break (green feet violin up and go through all repetitions or exercises).
b. If Nora does get off green feet, lower violin, or otherwise break the rhythm of this practice exercise then all the pebbles go out of the cup and we begin again to try to get ALL of the pebbles into the cup.

Going for “The Burn” :
He said he wished he had found more than the 8 pen caps he found. But Nora looked very challenged to be doing 8 rhythms in a row at this lesson. He explained that this was a technique to help provide Nora a just right challenge, something that seems a real stretch, but that is actually within her grasp if she really really tries. He said that doing things over and over again that are not very hard makes the lesson and practice a bit boring and doing things that are too hard do not help learning. The “burn” is a special challenge that the teacher tries to set specifically for each student to promote learning and interest.

IX. Practice Music Reading and Pitch Training (not addressed on this lesson)

Note Card Game:
1. Mix note cards up and place on the floor face up with all cards showing
2. Parent names a note (may give hand sign to assist if needed)
3. Nora is to first sing the pitch of the note as she names it
4. Then she finds the note card with the note on the staff

End of Lesson:
When he was finished with demonstrating to Mima how to change from back and forth between the E and the A strings, he asked Nora to do the goodbye bow.
Nora found her red feet and bowed beautifully and smoothly and said “Thank you for teaching me Mr. S”.

Mima please remember to bring violin next time to work with Mr. S

Mr S said that the pictures Mima is taking must be adorable and they will be great at Nora’s graduation and he looks forward to seeing them.

Mr S told Nora that the really fat cat at the lesson house (the one that he said sort of looks like a balloon cat) is named Winkie.

Additional:
Nora picked out a big chocolate chip cookie from the store at the end of the street. We had a great time at Clemyjonti park ,and met Hanna who came up to Nora and introduced herself. Hanna will be 4 years old at the end of December. She lives in Rockville and goes to a morning preschool. Her mom has taught her lots about numbers and she is a beginning reader as well. Hanna and her mom were there with a few friends and their mothers. Her friends spoke mostly Spanish, so Mima got a chance to practice for her class tonight.
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