Violin Lesson October 19, 2007

Practice List, Tuesday 10/19/2007 Lesson 10 Week 5

1. Identification All Twinkle Rhythms, Lightly Row, Song of the Wind, Aunt Rhody and O’ Come Little Children


2. Singing and Hand Signing A, E and F#


• Note Cards, around the house and singing and hand signing A E F#


• Use a “pretty voice” when singing A, E and F#


• Get metronome for pitch (he had round Seiko) and use this for pitch match. As Mima or mom tune her violin Nora *raises her hand when she hears that the string is at the correct pitch (matching the source note).


3. KEY: Sing and clap rhythms (first part of twinkle “the bread”) while keeping total eye contact


4. Bow sets with “bumpy thumb” then tip up and look at tip for count


5. Shoulder bowing of twinkle rhythms (while singing), i.e. “listen please”


6. KEY: Violin Sets 6 times a day with soft left knee and head back for count to #, e.g. 10


7. Playing MHD, HB, SBB, W on E string


• Keeping bow on “red road” looking with “eyeballs” on her bow at bridge area.


• Remember head leaning slightly backward at the “back door.”


8. Playing MHD on E string and A string with string crossing: E “reach to” A and A “drop to” E


9. Pebble Game – E string repetitions X times of all rhythms (except twinkle slow)


10. Dessert: F# on the E string


11. Poem recitation


12. Music listening presentation (piece, composer, musician)

Explanations

1. Sing and clap rhythms (first part of twinkle “the bread”) *while keeping total eye contact with parent or Mr S
2. Get metronome for pitch (he had round Seiko) and use this for pitch match. As Mima or mom tune her violin Nora *raises her hand when she hears that the string is at the correct pitch (matching the source note).
3. Use a “pretty voice” when singing A, E and F#
4. Special listening: pick out a piece of violin music and listen to it all week. Come to lesson prepared to
a. Name the piece (e.g. “Romance in F composed by ____”
b. Composer
c. “Played by ______ on the violin”
5. Poem: Nora will memorize a poem of her choosing each week so that she can recite it with expression
a. Listening can be on, for example, Friday and the Poem can be on Tuesday

6. When Nora is playing rhythms on E and A, on the red road and looking at her bow, parent should be helping Nora to lean her head slightly backward over her left shoulder as her head is falling into a too forward (toward the bow side) position.
a. Mr S was doing this with his hand and no verbal directions were given

7. Dessert: F# on the E string
a. Mr S put a special piece of tape on Nora’s fingerboard to mark the place where the F# note will be made. The verbal cue will be:
i. TOUCH F#
ii. POP OFF
iii. Nora will practice F# as it comes in the first part of twinkle (He did not verbalize this idea that it is the “bread” of twinkle to her)
iv. MHD rhythm, A listen” (MHD), “your turn” (very rhythmic): (A) A (E) E (F#) F# (E) E

b. The first finger (left index finger) placement is very very light, barely depressing the string
i. If she does not have enough pressure to make the F# sound, parent gently helps just a teeny bit – touching on top of her finger. This should be mostly just the weight of her finger.
ii. Mr. S made a small diagonal ink mark on Mima’s finger to show that the finger should be touched to the string on the inside or thumb side corner of the fingertip. (It slants from corner of finger nail out toward flashy part of finger tip
1. He said that he teaches a low relaxed somewhat flat finger position as contrasted with an upright “square” finger position that is sometimes taught by other teachers.
2. He said that this will be a more relaxed position from which to learn vibrato in the future

8. Playing MHD on E string and A string keeping bow on “red road” looking with “eyeballs” down on her bow at bridge area

a. Begins with bow set, and violin set done as much as possible without direction or words (some physical touch cues)
b. Nora should now be able to point to tickle spot on her L index finger and no longer needs ink mark
i. Mr. S used his right hand to gently hold Nora’s violin left thumb and hand at scroll end of violin after violin was up

ii. Mr. S gently pushed the side of Nora’s head in a backwards direction when it fell (collapsed) too far forward
1. He said we might want to say some single word for this adjustment if we think it would help
2. He explained to Mima that sometimes he tells students that when they are looking at their bow road, they are peering around in a backwards manner “looking out the back door”. This is to give the idea or feeling of glancing or looking backward at the bridge area and may help Nora not to move or tip or turn her head in a forward direction.

c. Help Nora to “open her elbow” and not move the arm behind her back
i. She was bowing with a bit of a stiff elbow in a backward movement rather then opening her elbow joint as she is doing nicely for her shoulder bowing
ii. Use gentle touch at elbow (he did not tell her to do anything, he just touched her

d. He is now asking Nora to do more than just play several rhythms in a row without

9. Singing A, E, and F# with hand signs (and note cards)

Mr S said that Nora had made great improvement with this activity. He decided not to add new notes “D” and C# since she still needs to be more successful with the A E F#. She did one particularly wonderful singing of A after she did a good F# and he loved that one! She needed to use a “pretty voice” not screeching or yelling. She also needs to use hand signs spontaneously with her singing. Needs to be learned 100% before we go on

Mr S used Nora’s note cards flipping from one to the next, asking her to sing and make the hand sign for the note.

At the end of the observed lesson, L’s grandma told us that Nora would be learning D and C#, but Mr S does not do the same thing with his 2 beginners; he gives very individualized lessons. For example, the other student is not yet playing on the A sting, but she can sign and sign her notes reliably.

10. Identification All Twinkle Rhythms, Lightly Row, Song of the Wind, Aunt Rhody and O’ Come Little Children

Nora had some difficulty paying attention for this beginning part of the lesson – twisting and eating her hair and looking out of the window. As Mr S played variations on the violin, Nora identified MHD, but not SBB (she said HB and stayed with that answer despite his showing her all modes of SBB, including clapping and rubbing)

He worked on green feet and “look at me” when you clap and sing the rhythm

He did not stay with this activity as he said he had other things to teach Nora today

When Nora told him that Lolo does HB, he was very excited and wondered if when the parrot learns all of the variations, perhaps Nora can bring him to group class to show everyone!
Nora took several tries to tell him this thought, each time saying just the first words of her sentence and then repeating that beginning phrase over and over until the whole idea came out. (very reminiscent of Pablo at this age!) Mr S did not hurry her and gave her his full attention and time.

Notes

Oct 19th Nora showed him her 51 pennies that she earned for 51 times keeping bow on the red road while keeping eyes always down.” She tried about 10 times with Mr S and got 4 “pennies.” She looked up for more than half of the tries and occasionally her bow slipped toward the bridge.

Nora was coughing a bit since she has had a cold. Mr S said that L.(prior lesson) has just recovered from Strep Throat.

Mima’s turn on her full sized violin:

Mr S showed Mima the F# exercise and had Mima teach it to him on the full sized violin

Nora took notes in her notebook and showed him her word “zoo” and a few other word attempts after we were finished and he really gave her his full attention as she showed him her work, even though it was past the actual end of our lesson time.