Enjoying Violin Technique - Germansuzuki.de

Dear Violin Teachers, Dear Parents,
This book of technical exercises on one- and two-octave scales and
arpeggios is intended for Suzuki students working on Volumes 3 to 5.
Its object is to offer an enjoyable method for familiarizing students with
these more or less unpopular exercises. Its playful character as well as
the numerous technical applications aim at giving new life to rigid
practicing and teaching routines.
You probably will ask yourselves how practicing scales and arpeggios
could be “enjoyable”. Quite simple! We shall link practice to
interactive, playful elements. To this end we use dice as well as the key
and practice cards from this book, see pages 28 — 34. To make these
cards more hard-wearing, it would be a good idea to copy the entire
page, to laminate it and then cut out the individual cards.
The cards and dice invite you to take part in numerous activities. If, for
instance, a certain key is to be learned, all one- and two-octave scales
and arpeggios should be practiced with different rhythms. The number
of eyes on the die will determine the rhythm, see pages 6 -11.
The die may also indicate how many FAULTLESS repetitions should
be practiced. During group classes, the children may throw the die for
themselves or for a fellow student. This will liven up the lesson and,
subsequently, improve concentration.
As soon as reliable results have been achieved in a certain key, the
practice cards on pages 33 and 34 may be used. They indicate special
points of emphasis like posture, intonation or tone quality.
Only if FAULTLESS repetition and a beautiful tone are at the centre
of practice, good violin skills may be acquired and absorbed for later
easy recall.
After several scales and arpeggios have been learned, the key cards shall
be used. They will be placed into a box, and the child may take a card.
This game will help the child to get used to regular repetition of the
scales and arpeggios studied so far.
The key cards are grouped in three levels:
LEVEL 1: Suzuki Volume 3, One- and Two-Octave Scales & Arpeggios
LEVEL 2: Suzuki Volume 4, One- and Two-Octave Scales & Arpeggios
LEVEL 3: Suzuki Volume 5, One- and Two-Octave Scales & Arpeggios
In addition, three-octave scales should be used from Volume 5 onwards.
They are, however, not included here.
The key cards allow the child and its parents to gain an overview of the
scales and arpeggios for their particular level, whereas the practice cards
specify important practice points. The die is used to liven up the lesson
and to create excitement. Employing these small aids sparingly and
sensibly to develop creative little practice games will contribute towards
a lively and focussed learning environment.
Another way to promote a child’s motivation for practicing is to play
with piano accompaniment. Downloads are available for piano
accompaniments in all keys, contributing towards the pleasure of shared
learning during group lessons.
I would like to encourage all teachers to arrange one group lesson on
technique per month, preparing its teaching content during individual
classes. Wishing you and the children an enjoyable time building a stable
violin technique, according to the slogan a joy shared is a double joy!
Kerstin Wartberg
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