Strings & Music

Strings players & rehearsing / Fair Talent Search

Class 3 are learning how to care for their instruments, good posture, how to hold their instruments, because that is an important place to start. They're learning how to bow now and just how to be with their instruments. Then we learn how to pluck and we started a tune called Hoedown, which is a very good foundation piece to work with bowing on. (Hoedown is a type of American folk music). 

We work with on our bowing without any left hand at first, just on the open strings. We just do one thing at a time, and we build on it. Then when we're done with it and we do it by ear. 

If you're staring at notes then you can't have any focus on what your body's doing. It is a different kind of thinking and awareness. We expect the students at this stage just to focus on the action of the left and right hand. 

It's a difficulty with the string instruments, especially viola and violin. You've got to hold them up and then do something completely different with your left hand and your right hand. 

The children are not having to try and create notes yet, everything is done by ear. We need to start strengthening their hands, so they need to practice. 

Class 3 students at home should be practicing 15 minutes a day. A little bit but often is the best thing. 15 minutes a day, every day, that's all!  Usually the hardest thing is getting the instrument out of the case. Once they get into a routine of doing this each day just for 15 minutes it is easy. Parents could ask, "Could you play me that tune you're learning at school? Play me what you learned in the lesson today?"  Encouraging them to get out their instruments and practice is a good thing. 

Until the actions are automatic and in a good and stable way in their bodies, they can’t cope with looking at reading music of whatever kind. When they are ready we do a very simple code with colours and numbers to start off with before we start reading proper music. 

I want them to be able to play songs as soon as possible and feel like they can make music together. There is the joy! The first performance for parents from Class 3 with be at the end of the Term 1.  

Regards, 

Jane