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2008 Fu-Tong Wong a Taiwanese Violin Pedagogue Yuyu Chu

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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF MUSIC

FU-TONG WONG

A TAIWANESE VIOLIN PEDAGOGUE

By

Yuyu Chu

A Treatise submitted to the College of Music In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Music

Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2008

Copyright © 2008 Yuyu Chu All Rights Reserved

The members of the Committee approve the treatise of Yuyu Chu defended on June 10, 2008.

Alexander Jiménez Professor Directing Treatise

Beth Newdome Committee Member

Bruce Holzman Committee Member

Evan Jones Outside Committee Member

The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members.

ii

Dedicated to My parents, Mr. Chu Chun-Chi (朱春吉 ) and Mrs. Huang Chin-Shu (黃金淑), And My sister, Ms. Chu Ya-Li (朱雅勵)

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks go to my treatise committee members, not only for their suggestions and interest in this treatise, but also for their support and encouragement during the working process.

My greatest admiration goes to my treatise director, Dr. Alexander Jimenez, who spent hours and hours reading my paper and making corrections for me and giving me inspiring ideas during each discussion. He has influenced me so much not only musically but also in the philosophy of being a human being. Special thank goes to my violin professor, Professor Beth Newdome, who offered me guidance, advice, and warm support throughout the last year of my doctoral studies. I would like to express thanks to my committee members, Dr. Evan Jones and Professor Bruce

Holzman, for their warm-hearted support through my recitals and for helpful information about treatise writing. I am also grateful to my former major professor, Karen Clarke who retired from

Florida State University in 2007 and who helped me to adapt to the United States. I am thankful for her understanding and for listening to my heart during those two most formidable years. I would like to thank Mrs. Lucy Ho, who warmly supported my life in Tallahassee and the Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Chin-Jen Chen, who assisted me with recommendation letters. I am also deeply indebted to Professor Fu-Tong Wong who provided me with invaluable information and scores. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my family. This entire journey would never have been possible without their complete support.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………………… vi List of Musical Examples……………………………………………………………………………. vii List of Figures...……………………………………………………………………………………… viii Abstract……….…………………………………………………………………………………….... ix

Chapter One: A Brief History of Violin Pedagogy in Taiwan Influences from the West……………………………………………………………………. 1 The Suzuki Method…………………………………………………………………….……. 5 Group Violin Teaching in Taiwan………………………………………………………….... 7

Chapter Two: A Brief Biography of Fu-Tong Wong 1948-1968 China….………………………………………………………………………… 9 1968-1973 Cultural Revolution………...... ………………....………………………………. 10 1973-1983 Back to School...... ………………………………………………….……. 10 1983-1986 Taipei...………………………………………………………………………….. 11 1986-1990 New York… …………...………..………………………………………….…… 12 1990-Present Tainan ………………….…………………………………………………….. 12

Chapter Three: The Wong Teaching Method Transition to Group Teaching…………………………………………………………..…… 15 Techniques of the Group Violin Teaching Method………………………….…………….… 17 Publication...……………………………………………………………………………....… 58

Chapter Four: Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….... 60

Appendix:

A. Categorized listing of Fu-Tong Wong’s complete works …………………………………... 63 B. Copyright Permission Letter…………………………………………………………….…... 78 C. E.Q. and I.Q. Improvement Investigation Survey…………………………………………... 79

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………….…. 80

Yuyu Chu’s Biographical Sketch….…………………………………………………………………. 85

v

LIST OF TABLES

2.1 A Brief Chronological Biography of Wong ………………….…………………………… 13

3.1 Book One Content ……………………………………………………………………….. 21

3.2 Book Two Content ……………………………………………………………………….. 22

3.3 Book Three Content ……..……………………………………………………………….. 23

3.4 Book Four Content …...…………………………………………………………………... 24

3.5 Book Five Content ………………………………………………………………………... 25

3.6 Book Six Content ….……………………………………………………………………... 26

3.7 Book Seven Content …….………………………………………………………………... 27

3.8 Book Eight Content ……..………………………………………………………………... 28

3.9 Book Nine Content …………………...…………………………………………………... 29

3.10 Book Ten Content ………….…………………………………………………...... 30

3.11 Book Eleven Content …………………………………………………………...... 31

3.12 Book Twelve Content ……...…………………………………………………...... 32

3.13 Book Thirteen Content …….…………………………………………………...... 33

3.14 Book Fourteen Content ……….…………………………………………………………. 34

3.15 Book Fifteen Content ………………………………………………………………….... 35

3.16 Book Sixteen Content ……...…………………………………………………...... 36

3.17 Book Seventeen Content ……..………………………………………………...... 37

3.18 Book Eighteen Content ……….………………………………………………………..... 38

3.19 Book Nineteen Content ………………………………………………………...... 39

3.20 Book Twenty Content …………………...……………………………………………..... 40

3.21 Eastern Compositions …………………….…………………………..………...... 55

3.22 Western Compositions ……………………………………………..……………………. 56

vi

LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES

3.1 Book 2. No. 1 “Open Your Head Cover” Original Score ………………………...... 41

3.2 Book 2. No. 1 “Open Your Head Cover” Exercise ………...……………………………... 42

3.3 Book 2. No. 7 “Sweet Family” Original Score …………………………………...... 42

3.4 Book 2. No. 7 “Sweet Family” Exercise i ………..………………………………………. 43

3.5 Book 2. No. 7 “Sweet Family” Exercise ii ………..……………………………...... 43

3.6 Book 2. No. 7 “Sweet Family” Exercise iii ………..……………………….…………….. 43

3.7 Book 2. No. 10 “Old Duke!” Original Score …………………………………………….. 44

3.8 Book 2. No. 10 “Old Duke!” Exercise ………...…………………………………………. 45

3.9 Book 3. No. 12 “Jubilee!” Original Score ………………………………………………... 45

3.10 Book 3. No. 12 “Jubilee!” Exercise ………...…………………………………...... 46

3.11 Book 1. No. 1 “Little Bees” Original Score and Exercise ………...………...…………... 47

3.12 Book 6. No. 9 “C Major Study” Original Score and Exercise ………...………...... 47

3.13 Book 15. No. 4 “Jasmine” Original Score ………………………………………………. 48

3.14 Book 15. No. 4 “Jasmine” Exercise ………..…………………………………………… 48

3.15 Book 15. No. 7 “Great Wall Song” Original Score ……………………………………... 49

3.16 Book 15. No. 7 “Great Wall Song” Exercise ………...………………………………….. 49

3.17 Book 8. No. 3 “The Parade of Lions” Original Score …………………………...... 50

3.18 Book 8 No. 3 “The Parade of Lions” Exercise ………...………………………………... 51

vii

LIST OF FIGURES

3.1 Left Hand Shape No.2 ……………………………………………………………………. 18

3.2 Left Hand Shape No.1 ……………………………………………………………………. 18

3.3 Left Hand Shape No.3 ……………………………………………………………………. 18

3.4 Right Hand Natural Curve ………………………………………………………...... 19

3.5 Right Hand Curve For Keeping Bow Straight ……………………………………………. 19

3.6 Comparative Statistic of Eastern and Western Songs …………………………………….. 57

3.7 The Ratio of Seven Genres in Wong’s Method Books ………………………………….... 57

3.8 The Ratio of the Distribution of Ten Per Cent Income …………………………...... 59

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ABSTRACT

Although the history of violin pedagogy can be traced back to the days of Vivaldi, this treatise will focus on the influences in Taiwan from Russian violin schools as well as the Japanese violin method books. Great pedagogues such as Auer and Stolyarsky strongly influenced later violin pedagogy not only in the actual content of how to play the violin but also in the format of how to teach it to the Japanese. Moreover, not only the great tradition of violin music from Germany but also a great amount of folk songs are kept in the method books of Shinichi Suzuki. The main “Mother Tongue” philosophy of the Suzuki Method holds that all human beings are born with talent. The detailed expansion of using this talent in respect to violin playing is clearly indicated in the Suzuki Method. Because of its colonial background, the history of violin pedagogy in Taiwan is rather short; yet, it developed significantly within several decades after World War II.

Fu-Tong Wong, who is a violinist, a composer, a pedagogue and a writer, has contributed a large number of writings for both violin and group violin teaching, and also musical compositions. His unique background from World War II and the influences of the Cultural Revolution in China made him achieve his goals based on his insistent love music. Because he has gone back and forth between Taiwan and United States two times, his work in Taiwan has established a reputation as one of the most important violin teachers in Taiwan.

This treatise presents a brief history of Taiwanese violin pedagogy and gives a brief biography of Fu-Tong Wong in the context of that history. Additionally, this treatise will discuss how Wong developed his ideas for the method and why he changed his way from a teacher of virtuoso violin playing to one of group violin teaching. Finally, this treatise will introduce his method analytically and systematically. It will from here forth be referred to as “Wong’s Method.”

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CHAPTER ONE

A BRIEF HISTORY OF VIOLIN PEDAGOGY IN TAIWAN

Influences from the West

The history of violin pedagogy in Taiwan has undoubtedly been influenced by Western and Japanese violin schools. There is no evidence showing when violin pedagogy was introduced to Taiwan; the earliest pedagogical book that can be found, published in 1958,1 is The Research of Kayser Violin Studies (小提琴凱薩教本的研究) by Chun-Jen Lee (李純仁).2 It was not a new method book, but its presence proves that violin pedagogy in Taiwan adopted Western method books. Consequently, Ming Fong’s 1985 translation of The Art of Violin Playing (小提琴演奏與 教學法)3 and Wei-Chung Lin and Chien-Bin Chen’s translation of Principles of Violin Playing & Teaching (小提琴演奏與教學法)4 in 1988 were published and adopted in Taiwan.

Besides the method books which were designed for use in teaching one-on-one lessons, there were also group violin teaching method books published earlier in the twentieth century. For instance, the method books comprising the Graded Course of Violin Playing by Leopold Auer, which includes ten volumes and additional materials called Graded Course of Ensemble Playing, appeared in 1926.5 In addition, there are many other method books in group violin

1 Fu-Tong Wong, Violin Group Teaching Research and Practice (小提琴團體教學研究與實踐), (Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1999), 844. 2 Chun-Jen Lee, The Research of Kayser Violin Studies. (Taipei: Cheun-Yin Music Publication Company, 1958). All the translations in this treatise are by the treatise writer. 3 The original book was by Carl Flesch in German, translated and edited to English by Eric Rosenblith, (New York: Carl Fischer, LLC, 2000). 4The original book was by Ivan Galamian, (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962). 5 Heng-Chi Chiang, “An Action Research of Violin Playing in Small Group Teaching,” Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.16, No.1(Mar. 2003), 104.

1 teaching, such as F. T. Benjamin’s Free Violin School, published in 1889, and P. Rolland’s Young Strings in Action, published in 1971.

In reviewing the history of group violin teaching, it becomes apparent that there are two ways of teaching violin in a group setting.6 The first method develops the virtuoso violin player; technically this style of violin teaching is in a group lesson, but the content and method resembles more a masterclass in which one student is being taught a private lesson while the others observe. This way of teaching encourages students to get involved in the lesson as well as to foster competition among the students in the studio. In relation to the development of teaching virtuoso violin players in a group style, one cannot ignore the importance of Leopold Auer (1845-1930). Auer is known as the teacher of Nathan Milstein, Jascha Heifetz, Mischa Elman, Efrem Zimbalist, Miron Poliakin, Toscha Seidel, Raphael Bronstein and Cecilia Hansen.7 Nathan Milstein said, “In class, the pupils sat along a wall, in a line, like Arabs before a dance. When the professor approached, the pupils jumped up so that he would notice them and pick them to play for him.”8 Thus, we can see that Auer held the class in the style of group teaching but the actual content was a one-on-one lesson. The powerful influence of this group teaching style provides not only the development of a friendly rivalry between peers but also the motivation for becoming a better violinist. In fact, Milstein said that he learned more from the virtues and vices of the talented fiddlers in Auer’s class – including Heifetz, Seidel, and Poliakin – than he ever did from Auer himself.9 The last example of the virtuosic-style group violin teaching is Poliakin. Schwarz states, “Poliakin required the presence of every student at every class section; and they began at three in the afternoon and were attended not only by students but by fellow musicians, with people assembled outside to listen through half-opened doors”.10 Followed by his favorite student,11 Auer established the model of virtuosic group violin teaching and led the Russian violin school to its historical status in violin history.

6 Ibid, 103. 7 Boris Schwarz, Great Masters of the Violin, (New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1983), 423. 8 Nathan Milstein and Solomon Volkov, From Russia to the West: The Musical Memoirs and Reminiscences of Nathan Milstein, trans. Antonina W. Bouis, (New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1990), 23. 9 Jessica Duchen, “Modest Master”, The Strad, March 2007, 67. 10 Boris Schwarz, Great Masters of the Violin, (New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1983), 455. 11 Nathan Milstein and Solomon Volkov, From Russia to the West: The Musical Memoirs and Reminiscences of Nathan Milstein, trans. Antonina W. Bouis, (New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1990), 25. Milstein said:” I

2

The second method, which tends to engage students more with violin playing, was developed in Odessa by Pioty Stolyarsky (1871-1944). One of his star pupils was David Oistrakh.12 Stolyarsky’s true vocation was to discover musical children, simulate their interest, and teach them the violin.13 Jelagin said, “While lessons were given, the small ones played on the floor with tin soldiers or dolls, later with toy violins imitating their elders. However, Stolyarsky was perfectly capable of guiding his advanced students through the concerto repertoire, as he proved in the case of David Oistrakh and other contest winners…. One of the fundamentals of his method was to instill confidence in the young pupil by assuring him that he had extraordinary talent…. The child worked with enthusiasm”.14 Obviously, Stolyarsky successfully developed the ability of imitation, which is a human characteristic that might be inspired in a pupil of any age. He also nurtured the students with novelties and provided them with the highest motivation to practice the violin. Moreover, Stolyarsky expanded the form of the class by adding ensembles; for example, he added cellists. Milstein recalled, “I remember doing Tchaikovsky’s Serenade Melancolique. Some cellists from the conservatory joined us and we sounded incredibly beautiful. Stolyarsky selected pieces for his pupils that could be played in unison – not only because it was easier for him to control the horde but because it was good for us: by playing together we learned from each other. We would glance around to see who was doing what and who was better…. At least it was fun at his school: We kids shouted, played with each other, fought, and jumped around like mad.”15 Unlike Auer’s class, Stolyarsky did not demonstrate or stop his pupils’ playing in the class. He hardly ever made comments to his pupils.16 Even though there is no direct evidence that he held private lessons, it is known that he did not work with each of the students individually in the group.17 Stolyarsky can be considered an originator of the group violin teaching method in the sense that he developed music-loving

can tell you that Auer liked Poliakin more than Heifetz… it’s just that he preferred Poliakin’s nervous impressionist style to Heifetz’s grand manner of playing.” 12 Schwarz, 459. 13 Ibid, 458. 14Juri Jelagin, Taming of the Arts. Trans. N. Wreden. (New York: Dutton, 1951), 204. 15 Nathan Milstein and Solomon Volkov, From Russia to the West: The Musical Memoirs and Reminiscences of Nathan Milstein, trans. Antonina W. Bouis, (New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1990), 6. 16 Ibid, 22. Milstein said, “Stolyarsky almost never made any comments to his pupils, they just ran through their works. And he never picked up a violin at all.” 17 Ibid, 23. Milstein said, “In Odessa at Stolyarsky’s, we had studied the Allegro Assai from Sonata no.3 for solo violin and played it all together – Josef Roisman, Misha Fainget, David Oistrakh, Edgar Ortenberg, and I. It was something of a musical kolkhoz (a collective farm), but it was good quality…. And since we played all together, Stolyarsky didn’t have to work with each other of us individually.”

3 motivation in his pupils and that he was a successful teacher. Stolyarsky not only advanced his students into conservatories but also introduced them to more famous teachers than him.18 He was not a stingy or a mean-spirited person. His generosity showed as he helped students to find better teachers, and his experiences in teaching violin made him become a great teacher. But, he was not recognized as this during his lifetime. In fact, his studio was called a “talent factory”19 by his detractors in 1911; not until his death in 1944 was his all-important contribution to the formation of the Odessa school of violin playing belatedly recognized by Soviet historians.

Both Auer and Stolyarsky had strong influences on later violin pedagogy. Auer’s group violin teaching style still exists in the conservatory. Stolyarsky’s group violin teaching style inspired later adherents such as Wong. Again, the purpose of Stolyarsky’s style of group violin teaching is not to develop the virtuoso but to engage pupils with the music and the enjoyment of playing the violin. The similar development of this method was also held earlier by Lewis Benjamin, Frank Benjamin, James Howell, and Albert Mitchell across the continent in the United States as they started similar programs for middle and high school students.20 Keene indicated, “Lewis A. Benjamin, Sr., taught violin in classes around the middle of the nineteenth century, and Sollinger reports that he was the first to teach orchestral instruments in classes in the United States. He was a performer and teacher in New York City and Brooklyn between 1847 and 1891. ” 21 Moreover, Keene also said, “Frank T. Benjamin followed his father’s footsteps, becoming a music teacher in New York City and Brooklyn during the last third of the nineteenth century…. Benjamin’s Children’s Carnivals, which were presented to large and enthusiastic audiences between the years 1883 and 1891, represented good examples of massed performances that seemed so popular during that period. Most concerts featuring large groups of performers were usually choral, but the Benjamins successfully included large numbers of instrumentalists. The sixth such carnival presented by Benjamin took place on May 17 and 18, 1889. A full house of 3,500 people on each of the two nights crowned his efforts. The performance took place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in the form of a musical variety

18 Ibid, 12. Milstein said, “Stolyarsky told me that he had talked with Auer; the Petersburg professor was willing to listen to me after his second concert.” 19 Boris Schwarz, Great Masters of the Violin, (New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1983), 457. 20 Heng-Chi Chiang, “An Action Research of Violin Playing in Small Group Teaching,” Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.16, No.1(Mar. 2003), 104. 21 Lewis A. Benjamin, Sr., The Musical Academy (New York: The Author, 1851). In A history of music education in the United States by James A Keene, p. 273.

4 show…. Two thousand children took part. An orchestra of three hundred students of the Benjamin Brothers Musical Academy plus fifteen hundred singers from the schools of Brooklyn participated.” 22 About James Howell, Keene noted, “Howell brothers of Cotton Plant, Arkansas, in the decade before the Civil War. Cotton Plant was not far from the Little Rock, a city which had between seven and ten private schools in 1838. A number of these institutions taught both instrumental and vocal music. James L. Howell and his brother Joseph taught music and sold instruments in Cotton Plant from 1849 to 1861.” 23 Last, Keene mentioned about Mitchell, “Albert Mitchell, a music supervisor in the Boston schools, was given leave in 1910 to go to England to study the class teaching methods used in England. When he arrived back in the country, he immediately organized violin classes in Boston. Mitchell held these classes after school with sixteen children per class. Three years later the results of his efforts were sufficiently impressive that his classes were admitted into the school day. He claimed Boston as being the first city in the United States to introduce systematic violin class teaching into the public schools.”24 Not intending to create professional players, these groups are regarded as original influences on the creation of group violin teaching methods; Mitchell especially is acknowledged as the “Father of Class Instrumental Teaching in America.”25

The Suzuki Method

Taiwan was under Japanese colonization from 1899 to 1948; in general, violin teachers in Taiwan were educated in Japanese languages and in the Japanese violin system. As a result, after they came back to Taiwan they continued to use the Japanese method books. For instance, the “Suzuki Violin School” method books by Shinichi Suzuki appeared in 1955.

Why is the “Suzuki Method” regarded as a talent education itself? Suzuki said, “Talent is no accident of birth. In today’s society a good many people seem to have the idea that if one is born without talent, there is nothing he can do about it; they simply resign themselves to what

22 Frank T. Benjamin, Free Violin Schools. (Philadelphia: Frank T. Benjamin, 1891). In A history of music education in the United States by James A Keene, p. 274-276. 23 James L. Howell, Howell’s New Class Book. (Cotton Plant, Arkansas: James L. Howell, 1859). In A history of music education in the United States by James A Keene, p. 272. 24 Albert Mitchell, The Class Method for the violin (Boston: Oliver Ditson Co., 1918). In A history of music education in the United States by James A Keene, p. 282. 25 Wassell, Albert. “Class String Instruction in America.” American String Teachers Association. Vol. 15-17, 1965- 1967. Winter 1965, 41.

5 they consider to be their fate. Consequently, they go through life without living it to the full or ever knowing life’s true joy. That is man’s greatest tragedy.”26 Suzuki insisted that talent can be taught through environment and good education. His method maintains that the potential of each single person is not inherited from parents but rather is developed after birth. The “Mother Tongue” concept is the main philosophy of the method developed by Dr. Suzuki. “Oh - why, Japanese children can all speak Japanese! … Any and every Japanese child – all speak Japanese without difficulty. Does that not show a startling talent?” said Dr. Suzuki.27 This concept was transferred into his violin teaching. How does one apply the “Mother Tongue” concept to violin playing? Renowned pedagogue William Starr said, “Much repetitive listening is necessary, just as it is in the acquisition of the mother tongue”.28 The Suzuki method applies the idea of repetition by having students listen to the same piece over and over until they memorize it. At the time that the Suzuki method was created, mothers would sometimes tie a radio to their children’s back, which kept the children listening to the song continuously as it played. Not only was “Mother Tongue” a philosophy, but Dr. Suzuki combined this thought with violin teaching, and, as a result, he taught countless children to play violin through his method. He also inspired children to reach other potentials and abilities. A former president of the Suzuki Association of the Americas in 1974, John Kendall, approved Dr. Suzuki’s theory and practice, noting “We often quote, but seldom practice, the old adage ‘Give me a child until he is six, and you can have him after that.’ Many educators have suggested and carried out plans for teaching music to pre- school children but there have been few explorations of the potential of children aged 3 to 6 years conducted on a more thorough or systematic basis than that in which Shinichi Suzuki has employed the violin as the medium.”29 In the development of outside potential, memorization is the most important;30 furthermore, the best advantage for group violin teaching provided by memorizing songs is that during the group classes or performances, students can concentrate more fully on musical expression and the tone quality without the distraction of music stands.

26 Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, Trans. Waltraud Suzuki, (USA, Summy-Birchard, Inc., 1983), preface. 27 Ibid, 1. 28 William Starr, The Suzuki Violinist, (USA, Summy-Birchard Inc., 1976), 7. 29 John Kendall, The Suzuki Violin Method In American Music Education, (USA, Summy-Birchard Inc., 1985), 16. 30 Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, Trans. Waltraud Suzuki, (USA, Summy-Birchard, Inc., 1983), 91. Suzuki said, “But I have found that the most important thing is “memory talent education.” The ability to memorize is one of the most vital skills and must be deeply inculcated…. You get so that you memorize immediately. And after you have learned something, you do not forget it. Memory skill can be acquired by anybody, if it is properly inculcated. Children of high scholastic standing at school are simply ones whose memory skill is usually well developed, and I believe that inferior students are merely ones who have not acquired memory skill.”

6

Besides the philosophy and main idea of the method, Dr. Suzuki also gave clear guidance regarding how the method should be taught. Kendall said, “Basically, it is a private lesson system, with each student receiving one lesson a week. But, in addition to this, about once a month the students of each teacher gather for unison and ensemble playing.”31 Aside from this gathering for ensemble playing, the private lessons were often mistakenly seen as a group teaching. Still, Suzuki’s private lesson system is relatively close to Auer’s group teaching style in terms of the meaning for the participants. William Starr gave a clearer definition of Suzuki’s private lesson: “Although Suzuki does advocate a special kind of group lesson, it is the private lesson that is the heart of this method. In talent education in Japan the private lesson is a social affair with often three or four children and their mothers in the studio at the same time. Suzuki wants the mothers and children to observe the lessons of others. The teacher teaches each child individually, although he may occasionally ask several children to play together. Lessons vary in length according to the need and capability of the child. Sometimes the lessons of beginners are only five minutes in length. Since mothers and children watch lessons of other students, however, the educative process continues while they are in the room observing.”32 In addition to the private lessons, there are group lessons which children enjoy most, and in group lessons, children are inspired by other advanced students.33 This part of the method is relatively close to Stolyarsky’s group violin teaching. Children enjoy the environment of playing with their friends and this mixture of different levels of students creates a friendly rivalry among them. The partial adoption of Auer’s teaching of one-to-one lessons and Stolyarsky’s group lessons show the influence of western violin pedagogy on the eastern world; it also demonstrates the indirect western influence on Taiwan.

Group Violin Teaching in Taiwan

Just as the western violin pedagogy methods influenced Japan, Japanese methods in turn influenced Taiwan’s violin pedagogy enormously. In fact, aside from the Suzuki method, there

31 John Kendall, 18. 32 William Starr, The Suzuki Violinist, (USA, Summy-Birchard Inc., 1976), 12. 33 Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, Trans. Waltraud Suzuki, (USA, Summy-Birchard, Inc., 1983), 95. Suzuki said, “In the classroom there are private lessons and group lessons. Parents who do not understand children think they are playing for the private lessons and that the group lessons are just recreation periods. So although they make sure that their children attend private lessons, they often fail to bring them to the group lessons. But the fact is what the children enjoy most is the group playing. They play with children who are more advanced than they are; the influence is enormous and is marvelous for their training. This is a real talent education.”

7 are many anonymous teaching methods created by teachers in Taiwan that are used exclusively in their own studios. In the early days, these methods were used privately and taught verbally without printed books. In this case, the teaching methods were highly individualized and the results uneven. Wong is regarded as the first violin pedagogue in Taiwan who published group violin teaching method books with more systematic and broadening materials. In conclusion, the history of group violin pedagogy in Taiwan is rather short and has developed within several decades since the first introduction by Bin-Cheun Lu (呂炳川).34

34 Fu-Tong Wong, Violin Group Teaching Research and Practice (小提琴團體教學研究與實踐), (Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1999), 57. Lu was the first to introduce Suzuki Method to Taiwan.

8

CHAPTER TWO

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF FU-TONG WONG

China 1948-1968

Fu-Tong Wong was born in Fan-Yu County in the Kuan-Tong Province of China in 1948. It was the most chaotic time in recent Chinese history. After the fourteen-year occupation by the Japanese, World War II ended in 1945, but the war between two parties, Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party, continued until 1949. Eventually the CCP occupied most of China. In the early 1950s, China undertook a massive economic and social reconstruction program. The new leaders gained popular support by curbing inflation, restoring the economy, and rebuilding many war-damaged industrial plants. The CCP’s authority reached into almost every aspect of Chinese life.1 Because of the policy of the “Great Leap Forward”2 in 1958, the government led the country into one of the deadliest famines in human history. Wong was born into a period in which China was in the midst of poverty and difficult times.

Wong began his education with his elder brother, transcribing works of Chinese literature every day. Not until the age of twelve did he have the opportunity to learn any instrument. He started with a mouth-organ and had no assistance from anyone with any music-based education until Hu, who was a friend of Wong’s brother, encouraged him to audition for the Youth Orchestra of Kuan-Tzo Orchestra; at that point he started to receive his music education. For three years in the youth orchestra he not only learned sight reading and basic theory, but also listened continually to recordings of works for violin, such as Mozart’s “Concerto No. 5”, played

1 U. S. Department of States, “Background Note: China,” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/18902.htm (2007), accessed 29 February 2008. 2 The “Great Leap Forward,” aimed at rapidly raising industrial and agricultural production. Giant cooperatives were formed, and “backyard factories” dotted the Chinese landscape.

9 by David Oistrakh. After entering high school and polytechnic school, he had a more formal music education; unfortunately, the “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution” was just beginning.

Cultural Revolution 1968-1973

The Cultural Revolution was officially launched by Mao Zedong, the Chairman of Communist Party of China, on May 16, 1966, as a campaign to rid China of liberal bourgeoisie elements and to continue the revolutionary class struggle. In spite of its official purpose, it was widely recognized that the revolution caused huge losses for China not only of human rights but also of its cultural treasures. This revolution was ended officially by Mao in 1969, but the term “Cultural Revolution” today is used widely to include the arrest of the Gang of Four3 in 1976. Wong was sent to a cultural camp in 1968 after graduating from Kuan-Tzo College of Music. His job was to train a group of illiterate people to play instruments and to teach them basic music theory. After two years of training, they had learnt not only Chinese instruments but also western instruments. During the period in which he served in the cultural camp, Wong built up the ability and confidence to write methods and to make plans for the rehearsal schedules, which helped him enormously later in writing books and method books. Fortunately, he left China after several years of serving in the camps for New York in order to assist his brother who had been in the U.S. before the Cultural Revolution.

Back to School 1973-1983

In 1975, Wong was working in a noodle factory in Chinatown and had nothing to do with music at all. Unexpectedly, he had a chance to listen to a concert by Si-Hong Ma who was a violin professor at Kent State University, Ohio. Wong played for Ma during the reception afterwards and was immediately invited to study at Kent State University. However during that time, Wong depended on his brother, and his brother was against Wong’s return to school. Ma and his friends invited Wong’s brother for a dinner and told him that Wong had a talent for music, and that if there was a chance for him to explore his talent, he should definitely do it. Wong’s brother finally agreed to let Wong study again at Kent State University and also provided his living costs. Wong started Kent State University in 1975 as a non-degree special

3 The Gang of Four was known including Jiang Qing and several backers, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao, Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen.

10 student, and he soon became a graduate student. In addition to Ma, he also studied violin with Albert Markov and composition with Walter Watson. Markov had a huge influence on Wong in the matters of violin pedagogy and violin performance practice.

After spending two years at Kent State University and earning his Master’s Degree, Wong returned to New York and taught with Ma as a teaching assistant. Before his return to New York, he got married to Ms. Yu-Wha Ma in Hong Kong in 1979. During his time in New York, Wong studied composition with Ji-Zen Chang for another three years which gave him more advanced training and a firm foundation.

Taipei 1983-1986

Wong was invited to teach at the National Institution of Arts in Taiwan through an introduction from Professor Ma in 1983. He was also the Concertmaster of the National Experimental Orchestra while teaching in the college. In spite of his busy schedule, Wong also devoted himself to writing and published several books during this period, including The Articles of Violin Teaching (1983), Talking About Music and Violin (1986), and Teaching How To Teach, Learning How To Teach (1986). Those publications are comprised of the notes and methods from his performing and teaching experiences, and also include the methods of both Ma and Markov. Besides violin teaching and performance, Wong studied composition with Yen-Lu, who was a professor of Su-Tzo University in Taiwan and Shen-Si Lin. Lin had a significant influence on Wong not only in composition but also in the traditional morality of Chinese culture. According to Wong, Lin always reminded him not to forget the purpose of composing, which is for the era, the people, the country, love, and beauty. As in composition, Lin uses the western compositional techniques mixed with the thoughts of Chinese philosophy. He impressed Wong by treating everyone with the same generosity and kindness with no bias to peers, students or even government officials. Lin had emphasized that the most important thing for composers is to get along well with people; unlike painters or writers, composers cannot complete a piece without an audience. However, the precious time of these three years in Taiwan came to an end when Wong’s brother called him back to New York. Undoubtedly, Wong did not want to give up his teaching career in the college, his position as Concertmaster in the orchestra, or the opportunity to continue studying composition with Lin, but he was forced to leave to help his

11 brother. Although his return to New York was involuntary and painful, he could not resist the traditional obligations of the family.

New York 1986-1990

In order to balance life between business and music, Wong started to compose prolifically. His compositional output ranged from solo vocal works to choral works, solo violin works, and method books. During that time he not only composed, but also wrote books such as Music Appreciation (1990). Wong’s nostalgic and patriotic style was strongly expressed and inspired during his stay in New York. In 1989, he composed a mixed choral work “The Colder, The Stronger” for the combined East-America Chinese Choirs. This work was performed at Merkin Concert Hall in New York. The performance brought him and his compositional works high acclaim, leading him to the end of his business life in New York and his return to Taiwan. After completing his commitment to the family business, Wong decided to go back to the career he had always wanted.

Tainan 1990-present

Wong moved to Taiwan and started teaching at the Tainan Technique University in 1990. At the end of 1992, he received a commission from Henry Mazer, music director of the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra, to compose a piece for violin solo with orchestra which would be performed in the orchestra’s European tour in 1993. The commission of a work for solo violin and orchestra was a new experience for Wong, so he decided to complete his ideas as the “Xi-Shi Fantasy”. Consequently, the “Xi-Shi Fantasy” was premiered by violinist Shien-Da Su and gained high acclaim in reviews in Vienna. A concert review appeared in Das Kurier, written by the famous critic Franz Endler, who stated, “Fu-Tong Wong’s Xi-Shi Fantasy is a perfect combination of Western and Eastern music.”4 After the premiere, the Fantasy was also performed in Boston Symphony Hall and National Concert Hall in Taipei by the same soloist, conductor and orchestra. In 1999, the collaboration culminated in a recording produced by Fong- Chou Records. Following by the success of “Xi-Shi Fantasy”, Wong became well-known among his generation in Taiwan and China. In addition to composition, he started the Wong group

4 Fu- Tong Wong, Enjoy the Music (樂在其中), (Taipei: Ebookcity Publication Company, 2004), 51.

12 violin teaching method with eight books, which was later expanded to twenty books with piano parts. The Method was initiated in 1992.

Dedicated to Henry Mazer, “Symphonic Poem of Hsiao Fong” for orchestra was completed initially in 1998 and was premiered by Van Anderson in the National Concert Hall with the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra. Interestingly, Wong was not satisfied with this work and the revised version was conducted by the composer himself and performed for a second time in Taipei. His enthusiasm and passion for composition earned him the distinction of the “Black- Dragon Award” in China for the ensemble piece “Fugato for Strings”. After achieving numerous successes in composition, Wong eventually focused his attention on composing and on writing the method for his group violin teaching method; he spent ten years experimenting and testing his pedagogical methods to arrive at the best results. The following Table 2.1 is a brief chronological biography of Wong and his compositions:5

TABLE 2.1 A Brief Chronological Biography of Wong

Year Age 1948 1 Born in Fan-Yu County, Kuan-Tzo Province, China. 1960 12 Entered the Youth Orchestra of Kuan-Tzo Orchestra. 1968-1973 20-25 Entered Cultural Revolution Camp. 1975 27 Studied with Ma at Kent State University. 1979 31 Studied composition with Chang and moved to New York. Earned Master’s degree and married in Hong Kong. Became teaching assistant to Ma. 1983 35 Taught in Taiwan for the first time. Studied composition with Lu. 1984 36 Studied composition with Lin. 1985 37 Started Opera “Xi-Shi”. 1986-1990 38-42 Moved back to New York and started choral compositions. 1990 42 Taught for the second time in Taiwan and moved to Tainan. 1992 44 Was commissioned to compose the “Xi-Shi Fantasy” for violin and orchestra. 1993 45 Premiered the “Xi-Shi Fantasy” in Vienna and started Wong’s group violin teaching.

5 The biography is based on Wong’s books that were published up to 2004 including, “Teaching How To Teach, Learning How To Teach” (1986), “Talking About Music and Violin” (1986), “Music Appreciation” (1990), “Respect In Musicians” (1998), “Violin Group Teaching Research and Practice” (1999), “Enjoying the Music” (2004), and “Wong’s Critics on Music” (2004).

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TABLE 2.1 - Continued

1994 46 Was commissioned to compose “Rhapsody of Taiwan”. 1995 47 Premiered “Rhapsody of Taiwan” and “Xi-Shi Fantasy” for the first time in the US in Boston Symphony Hall with Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Henry Mazer. Completed the “Symphonic Poem of Hsiao-Fong”. 1996 48 Directed first performance of Wong’s group violin teaching method, January 20. 1998 50 Premiered the “Symphonic Poem of Hsiao-Fong” and completed the symphonic work “In Memory of February 28’s Massacre”. 1999 51 Revised “Symphonic Poem of Hsiao-Fong” and performed it for the second time. Held the performance of the Wong’s group violin teaching of Tainan Region. 2000 52 Held the performance of Seven years anniversary of the Wong’s group violin teaching of whole Taiwan. 2001 53 Performed in Romania with the Variations from the “Symphony of the Hero with Great Eagle” for the first time. Premiered of the Opera “Xi-Shi”. 2002 54 Contributed to Wong’s group violin teaching; up to the present. 2008 60 Currently teaching at Tainan Technique University and also the Director of Wong’s group violin teaching method.

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CHAPTER THREE

THE WONG TEACHING METHOD

Transition to Group Teaching

In the 1980s, parents in Taiwan were very enthusiastic about having their children learn a musical instrument. One possible reason for this phenomenon might have been the rise of the economy in Taiwan; it may be true that these parents, who were children following World War II, wanted for their own children what they themselves could not have, namely musical instruments and instruction. Whatever the underlying reasons, parents in the late 1970s and 1980s were very much involved with their children’s music education. For instance, one of Wong’s students used to travel four hours weekly by train to study violin with him.1 Another student lived in Taipei, but whenever she had a lesson, her mother would travel five hours from another city in order to see her daughter’s lesson. Without a doubt, these examples show the great passion and enthusiasm that both parents and children had for music education in Taiwan during the 1980s.

The first time Wong went to teach in Taiwan in 1983, he was not even thinking of teaching violin to a group of students. Moreover, he criticized people who tried to teach group violin lessons, feeling that they were irresponsible and were only aiming to make money.2 He wrote some pedagogy books but they were for the purpose of developing professional players and virtuosos. Indeed, the original intent of violin pedagogy was to teach students how to play the violin in a correct way and aim for the highest quality; therefore, pedagogues such as Carl Flesch, Auer, and Ivan Galamian were trying to provide the best guide to playing the violin. Unfortunately, by the end of 1986, Wong was recalled to take care of his family business in New

1 Fu-Tong Wong, Violin Group Teaching Research and Practice (小提琴團體教學研究與實踐), (Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1999), 489. 2 Ibid, 490.

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York and unwillingly had to resign from the position of violin professor at the Art University in Taipei.3

The family business did not inspire Wong in any sense; he returned to Taiwan at the end of 1990. He found there were huge differences between the learning environment in Taipei and Tainan,4 and also found that the number of violin teachers had increased enormously. In short, it can be said that four reasons contributed to Wong’s decision to take up group violin teaching. First, the violin teachers in Taiwan in the early 1990s were getting younger and had higher levels of education. Those who stayed in Taiwan without studying abroad were eliminated from the perceived competition to gain students. Moreover, most of the schools also preferred to employ teachers with higher levels of education and also who were better players. Secondly, because of the location of Tainan, the quality of students was not as competitive as of those in Taipei.5 In other words, parents in Tainan did not often show the same enthusiasm and passion as they had before; certainly, the passion of the parents affects the motivation of the students. Thirdly, there were simply fewer students who wanted to study in the music college or in the high school class focusing on musical talents.6 With this decrease in students came increased competition among teachers, who faced greater difficulties in getting students. Lastly, new pursuits such as computers, games, and learning English were becoming more and more popular in the 1990s. People would spend hours in front of the computer instead of practicing violin.

In general, unlike before, parents and students in Taiwan since the 1990s have regarded violin playing as an interest instead of a professional skill that can be kept for life. The traditional one-to-one lesson was not affordable for most of the parents; yet even if it were affordable, it would be more appropriate for developing a virtuoso rather than an amateur. Facing all of these reasons, Wong decided to design a method which would be more appropriate for people with pure interest in playing violin and not aiming for a professional career. Specifically, the Wong group violin teaching method is a method for those who are interested in playing violin, whether they are adults or children.

3 Fu-Tong Wong, Enjoying the Music (樂在其中), (Taipei: Ebookcity Publication Company, 2004), 45. 4 He moved to Tainan in 1990 as previously mentioned in Chapter Two. 5 Fu-Tong Wong, Violin Group Teaching Research and Practice (小提琴團體教學研究與實踐), (Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1999), 491. 6 Students with musical specialties in performance are formed in a special class from elementary school to high school in Taiwan.

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Techniques of the Group Teaching Method

In Wong’s method, there are five major components that will be discussed in the following paragraphs. They are:

• Beginning Techniques • Goal and Contents of each book • Student Practice Suggestions • Special techniques for group teaching • Method song statistics and ratio by genre and style

Beginning Techniques

1. Pizzicato: Unlike the Suzuki method, Wong adopted the technique of pizzicato at the beginning stages instead of using the bow and playing open strings. In teaching group violin, it is easier for a tutor to monitor whether the left hand fingers of the students are put correctly on the string and if the student correctly holds the violin neck with the correct hand shape. For students, using the pizzicato technique provides more motivation for them, since it is less difficult in the beginning, making it easier for students to become familiar with the actual instrument. 2. Movable Do: In order to make reading music easier for all beginners, including both children and adults, it is necessary for them to avoid having to memorize accidentals. While the fixed Do system is required from book five, requiring students to read the music in the concert pitch, it is fine for beginning students to read the music in the movable Do and then later change to the fixed Do systems. 3. One string first: It is clearer and easier for a beginner to use only one string with both hands. In other words, there are no string crossings or left hand fingers crossing strings. Surely, not many tunes can be played on one string, but in the first volume and second volume, there are songs designed to use only one string. Moreover, Wong starts with the E string rather than the A string for two reasons; one, it reduces tension in the right hand since it does not require the player to lift

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the arm or tense the shoulder; it is also easier for the left hand fingers not to have to touch other strings except the E string. As a result, there is an additional advantage of using one string: when the string goes out of tune, it can still be played in a key relationship. When the parents or students cannot tune the instrument, they can still keep practicing without retuning.

4. One hand shape first: This is different from what is commonly seen in method books such as the Suzuki method. In Suzuki method, students all started with hand shape No.2 (Figure 3.1), in which the chromatic half step note is between second and third fingers of left hand. The twelfth song of Suzuki Book One, starts to use hand shape No. 1 (Figure 3.2) and the Fourteenth song changes to hand shape No. 3 (Figure 3.3).

FIGURE 3.1 Left Hand Shape No.2

FIGURE 3.2 Left Hand Shape No.1

FIGURE 3.3 Left Hand Shape No. 3

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Technically speaking, it is difficult for a beginner to switch between three different hand shapes within 17 songs in the Suzuki Book One, especially in songs 13, 14, 15 and 17 because they require a rapid change of different hand shapes that might be confusing for students. Wong’s method books, therefore, utilize hand shape No.2 for two entire books, and hand shape No. 1 and No. 3 are used in books 3 and 4. Not until book 5 is a mix of these three hand shapes used.

5. Upper half of the bow first: Playing with a full bow is an extremely unnatural physical moment. A natural movement is in a curve as shown in Figure 3.4, but the curve that is required to play a straight bow on the string is as shown in Figure 3.5.

FIGURE 3.4 Right Hand Natural Curve

FIGURE 3.5 Right Hand Curve for Keeping Bow Straight

Generally speaking, beginners tend to use their natural sense of moving the bow in the track shown in Figure 3.4. In order not to develop this incorrect habit, Wong decides to avoid the use of whole bow in the beginning. Use of only the upper half does not require the movement of the upper arm but only of the lower

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arm; it limits the bow movement to a minimum range and keeps the contact point in the same place. 6. Three fingers holding the bow first: In performance practice, the little finger and the third finger are commonly seen lifted when using the upper half of the bow. The strength produced by the pronation of the right hand emphasizes the tone quality and the depth of the sound. The movement prescribed by Wong is to hold the bow with the first three fingers and leave the little finger and the third finger on the back of the bow. This bow hold is only suitable for playing on the upper half of the bow. In addition to the improvement in tone quality, it is also good for beginners not to create tension on their little finger or look stiff.

Goals and Contents of Each Book

Wong’s method was designed for amateurs and children who are not aiming to be advanced violin players. Wong divided the required studying materials into twenty books ranging from the beginners level to Ave Maria by Schubert. In the experimental stage of this method, it was originally designed for four books but then expanded to twenty books. At first, the technical gap between each book was too wide for students who did not practice a lot. Eventually, the results showed that the smaller the gaps between each book, the easier it was for students to learn. Besides, the examinations7 for Wong’s method are offered two times a year, and students can decide to take examinations with different books or take them just once a year. In other words, students can learn a book in six months and keep up their motivation by learning more songs at their level rather than having fewer songs with a larger gap between each level. Following are the goals and contents of each book:

7 The examination is a test by playing violin, also with the judgments of intonation, tone quality, posture, rhythm and manners. By passing the examination, students will be awarded a certificate with noted book levels.

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TABLE 3.1 Book One

Book 1

Goals: Essentials*: • Learn how to sit, stand, hold violin with the ƒ Put the position tape on the fingerboard right hand, and hold the bow ƒ Check the bow hold and keep the bow straight • Learn how to hold the violin with the left hand on the string and learn hand shape No.2 ƒ Practice with unnatural curve and three fingers • Learn how to play with the upper half and the bow hold tip of the bow1 ƒ Emphasize that the left hand fingers correctly • Learn how to play basic marcato and slurred stand up and practice with hand shape No.2 bowing • Learn how to lift and put down the fingers on ＊ Principles for teachers to remind students. the fingerboard correctly

Content: 1. “Little Bees” ------Folk Song 2. “Nature” ------Folk Song 3. “Little Donkey” ------Folk Song 4. “Mr. Wang Has a Farm” ------Folk Song 5. “The Little Girl Carries a Doll” ------Chun Tao-Su 6. “Picking up Carrots” ------Anonymous 7. “Prepare For It” ------Fu-Tong Wong 8. “As Long as I Grow Up” ------Chin-Sun Bai 9. “Swimming Fish” ------Yu-Wen Fan 10. “Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 11. “Oh! Susanna!” ------Foster 12. “Ode to Joy!” ------Beethoven

1 Simulate the note by Pizzicato before playing, but play with bow in the actual learning process.

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TABLE 3.2 Book Two

Book 2

Goals: Essentials: • Learn how to play with the lower half of the ƒ Learn how to play with the lower half of the bow and hold the bow with five fingers bow with “Little Donkey” from Book 1, and use • Learn how to play with the whole bow the “Open Your Head Cover” in Book 2 • Learn how to play various bowings ƒ Learn how to play “Ode to Joy” from Book 1 • Learn how to check intonation with open with whole bow and use this technique for every strings song in this book

• Learn how manage bow changes with the ƒ Compete with each other to see whose bow can right hand fingers be the straightest

ƒ Start to teach how to use right hand fingers to manage the bow changes

Content: 1. “Open Your Head Cover” ------Shin Jian Folk Song 2. “Bowings and Rhythm Practice” - Fu-Tong Wong 3. “Happy Birds” ------German Folk Song 4. “Dragonfly” ------Shin-De Tzen 5. “Whole Bow Practice” ------Fu-Tong Wong 6. “Do It!” ------Han-Nan Chang 7. “Sweet Family” ------Bishop 8. “Fishing Song” ------Taiwanese Folk Song 9. “Jasmine” ------Chinese Folk Song 10. “Old Duke!” ------Foster 11. “Great Wall Song” ------Sheu-An Liu 12. “Ah! Lord!” ------Hymns

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TABLE 3.3 Book Three

Book 3

Goals: Essentials: • Learn hand shape No. 1 ƒ Change the tape on the fingerboard to hand • Develop the habit of checking intonation with shape No.1 open strings ƒ Keep seeking the highest standard of intonation • Learn how to do vibrato ƒ Start learning vibrato early and use the exercise to continue

Content: 1. “Hand Shape No. 1 and Scale” ---- Fu-Tong Wong 2. “Two Tigers” ------French Folk Song 3. “Swing” ------Lullaby 4. “Vibrato Practice” ------Fu-Tong Wong 5. “Christmas Eve” ------Lu-Bao Gu 6. “Happy New Year!” ------Chinese Folk Song 7. “Duda and Maria” ------Shin Jian Folk Song 8. “Counting Frogs” ------Chinese Folk Song 9. “Chinese Drums” ------Chinese Folk Song 10. “Santa Lucia” ------Italian Folk Song 11. “Humoresque” ------Dvorak --- 12. “Jubilee!” ------Handel

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TABLE 3.4 Book Four

Book 4

Goals: Essentials: • Learn Hand Shape No. 3 ƒ Change the tape on the fingerboard to hand • Keep learning vibrato shape No. 3 ƒ Songs 1 to 6 are in first position, and 7 to 12 are in half position ƒ Review songs from Book 2 to practice hand shapes No. 1 and No. 2 ƒ Eight songs are from previous book but are played on different strings and with different hand shapes. This is called 八舊二新 (80% Learned and 20% New).

Content: 1. “Little Donkey” ------Folk Song 2. “Oh! Susanna!” ------Foster 3. “Sweet Family” ------Bishop 4. “Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 5. “Azalea” ------Yo-Li Huang 6. “Lullaby” ------Brahms 7. “Holy! Holy!” ------Hymns 8. “Ode to Joy!” ------Beethoven 9. “Jasmine” ------Chinese Folk Song 10. “Arpeggio” ------Fu-Tong Wong 11. “Theme from Haydn” ------Haydn 12. “Jubilee!” ------Handel

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TABLE 3.5 Book Five

Book 5

Goals: Essentials: • Learn every note in C major and in first ƒ This is the beginning of using the fixed Do position changing correctly between different system; read and sing each song before playing hand shapes it • Learn how to play violin from reading the ƒ Help students to remember the fingering and music instead of reading the fingering position of each note markings on the score ƒ Songs 2 to 7 are in Major keys, 8 to 11 are in • Review pizzicato and marcato and learn how Minor keys, and 12 to 14 are in Chinese to do martelé pentatonic mode “Chi”; teach student how to • Review lifting and putting down left hand distinguish different keys fingers with preparation

Content: 1. “Scale and Hand Shape Studies” --- Fu-Tong Wong 2. “Ode to Joy! In C major” ------Beethoven 3. “Telling From the Wind” ------Je Huang 4. “Goose Song” ------Anonymous 5. “Seeking A Plum in the Snow”------Je Huang 6. “Left Hand practice” ------Fu-Tong Wong 7. “Message from the Angel” ------Hymns 8. “Girl from the Big City” ------Shin Jian Folk Song 9. “Swing” ------Fu-Tong Wong 10. “Little Dancing” ------Fu-Tong Wong 11. “Picking up Tea” ------Chinese Folk Song 12. “Dark Night” ------Taiwanese Folk Song 13. “Double String Practice” ------Fu-Tong Wong 14. “Embroider a Purse” ------Chinese Folk Song

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TABLE 3.6 Book Six

Book 6

Goals: Essentials: • Learn accidentals in the first position in C ƒ Spend most of the time helping students to Major change from using tapes to not using tapes on • Play the first position without using tapes on the fingerboard the finger board ƒ Help students get used to reading from the • Learn how to play double stops music and singing in the real pitch • Start to read dotted notes and slurred triplets with various bowings

Content: 1. “C Major Scale and Four Practices” ---- Fu-Tong Wong 2. “Confidence” ------Je Huang 3. “Play a Ball” ------Fu-Tong Wong 4. “Early Classical-Style Dance” ------Fu-Tong Wong 5. “Friends” ------Hymns 6. “Du Du Dun” ------Taiwanese Folk Song 7. “March for Army” ------Schubert 8. “Gavotte” ------Sai-Ke Kuo 9. “C Major Study” ------Keyser 10. “Ode to Joy!” ------Beethoven 11. “La Ronde des Lutins” ------Paganini 12. “Ave Maria” ------Schubert

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TABLE 3.7 Book Seven

Book 7

Goals: Essentials: • Learn accidentals in first position in A minor ƒ Read and sing before playing • Learn how to use irregular fingerings ƒ Practice slowly • Learn to perform trills

Content: 1. “A Minor Scale and Practice” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “The Night of Dover River” ------Ivanovich 3. “The Parade of Lions” ------Saint Saëns 4. “Sailors’ Dance” ------Russian Folk Song 5. “Three Cars” ------Russian Folk Song 6. “Half-Step fingering practice” ------Fu-Tong Wong 7. “Sho! Sho! Sho!” ------Taiwanese Lullaby 8. “Yun-Nan Folk Song” ------Yun-Nan Folk Song 9. “Gavotte” ------Bach 10. “Intermezzo” ------Bizet 11. “The March of Baroque Style” ----- Fu-Tong Wong 12. “Neo-Classical Scherzo” ------Fu-Tong Wong 13. “Romantic-Style Dance” ------Fu-Tong Wong 14. “Prelude” ------Bach

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TABLE 3.8 Book Eight

Book 8

Goals: Essentials: • Learn G Major and E minor in first position ƒ Emphasize tone production and vibrato • Learn how to adjust to the contact point ƒ Play the songs beautifully • Learn string crossing with right hand wrist • Learn left hand pizzicato

Content: 1. “G Major Scale and Arpeggio” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “Adagio” ------Dvorak 3. “The Truth is Forever” ------Hymns 4. “Walking to the West Gate” ------San-Xi Folk Song 5. “March” ------Fu-Tong Wong 6. “I Want to be a Soldier” ------Mozart 7. “Fantasy” ------Schumann 8. “Songs My Mother Taught Me------Dvorak 9. “American Songs” ------Pont 10. “Turkish March” ------Beethoven 11. “Ave Maria” ------Bach – Gounod 12. “E Minor Scale and Arpeggio” ------Fu-Tong Wong 13. “Theme from Swan Lake” ------Tchaikovsky 14. “Give Me a Rose” ------Shin Jian Folk Song 15. “Volga River Song” ------Russian Folk Song 16. “A Fairy Theme” ------Mendelssohn 17. “Dark Night” ------Taiwanese Folk Song 18. “E Minor Duo” ------Fu-Tong Wong

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TABLE 3.9 Book Nine

Book 9

Goals: Essentials: • Learn F Major and D Minor in first position ƒ Select the most difficult part in a song and • Make sure to correctly prepare the arm for the practice slowly left hand ƒ Read and sing before playing • Learn how to play the continuous down bow near the frog

Content: 1. “F Major Scale and Arpeggio” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “Truth is Forever” ------Hymns 3. “Flowers” ------South China Folk Song 4. “Su Wu Shepherd” ------Chinese Folk Song 5. “Theme from Figaro” ------Mozart 6. “Farewell” ------Irish Folk Song 7. “D Minor Scale and Arpeggio” ------Fu-Tong Wong 8. “Yao Dance” ------Anonymous 9. “The Death of Ase” ------Grieg 10. “The Song of Solveig” ------Grieg 11. “Theme from Bizet” ------Bizet 12. “Habanera” ------Bizet

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TABLE 3.10 Book Ten

Book 10

Goals: Essentials: • Learn D Major and B Minor in first position ƒ Practice assistant studies and play the scales • Learn advanced string crossing with right- ƒ Divide the longer songs into sections in order to hand wrist achieve better quality ƒ Avoid practicing from beginning to end with carelessness

Content: 1. “D Major Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “Friends” ------Hymns 3. “Song of Star and Stripes” ------Smith 4. “String Crossing Practice” ------Fu-Tong Wong 5. “Wedding Song” ------Ming Shin Du 6. “First Movement of Student Concerto No. 5” - Seitz 7. “B Minor Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 8. “Gavotte” ------Bach 9. “Prince Story” ------Rimsky-Korsakov 10. “Variation of Theme from Hun-Chun” ------Fu-Tong Wong 11. “Palace Song” ------Grieg 12. “Four Little Swans” ------Tchaikovsky

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TABLE 3.11 Book Eleven

Book 11

Goals: Essentials: • Learn B-flat Major and G Minor in first ƒ Practice Exercises and play the scales position ƒ Divide the longer songs into sections in order to • Learn nature spiccato achieve better quality ƒ Avoid practicing from beginning to end with carelessness

Content: 1. “B-Flat Major Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “Gloria” ------Handel 3. “Splash Water Song” ------Luo-Bin Wang 4. “The Great Master” ------Fu-Tong Wong 5. “Andante Cantabile” ------Tchaikovsky 6. “Swan” ------Saint Saëns 7. “G Minor Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 8. “Shepherd Girl” ------Chinese Folk Song 9. “Sailors’ Dance” ------Russian Folk Song 10. “Come Back to Me” ------Curtis 11. “Hungarian Dance No. 5” ------Brahms 12. “Slavonic Dance No. 1” ------Dvorak

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TABLE 3.12 Book Twelve

Book 12

Goals: Essentials: • Learn A Major, F-sharp Minor, E-flat Major ƒ Half of the songs in this book are from Bach; and C Minor in the first position the second half of the songs are from • Learn the difference between the styles of Beethoven. Ask students to distinguish the Bach and Beethoven difference between these two composers

Content: 1. “A Major Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “Minuet” ------Bach 3. “Corrente” ------Bach 4. “F-Sharp Minor” ------Fu-Tong Wong 5. “Minuet” ------Bach 6. “Gavotte” ------Bach 7. “E-Flat Major Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 8. “Theme from Für Elise” ------Beethoven 9. “Minuet” ------Beethoven 10. “C Minor Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 11. “Funeral March” ------Beethoven 12. “Theme from Symphony No. 5” ----- Beethoven

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TABLE 3.13 Book Thirteen

Book 13

Goals: Essentials: • Learn E Major, C-sharp Minor, A-flat Major ƒ Distinguish the differences between Brahms and and F Minor in first position Mozart • Encourage students to listen to the original ƒ Practice slowly in the difficult passages composition of the songs in this book

Content: 1. “E Major Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “The Warm Theme” ------Brahms 3. “Hungarian Dance No. 3” ------Brahms 4. “C-Sharp Minor Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 5. “Help me! God!” ------Brahms 6. “Hungarian Dance No. 1” ------Brahms 7. “A-Flat Major scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 8. “The Spring” ------Mozart 9. “Theme from Sonata” ------Mozart 10. “F Minor Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 11. “Melancholic Theme” ------Mozart 12. “Theme from Symphony” ------Mozart

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TABLE 3.14 Book Fourteen

Book 14

Goals: Essentials: • Learn every note in first position and play ƒ Practice the studies from Keyser to strengthen them fluently the foundation of left hand technique • Prepare to be able to play the whole piece ƒ Listen to the original composition to understand • Learn different styles of music including more about the music styles and content various international styles

Content: 1. “Studies” ------Keyser 2. “Bolero” ------Ravel 3. “Studies” ------Keyser 4. “Walking to the Continent” ------Chinese Folk Song 5. “Studies” ------Keyser 6. “F Major Duo” ------Fu-Tong Wong 7. “Studies” ------Keyser 8. “The Home of Cloud” ------Shen-Shi Lin 9. “Studies” ------Keyser 10. “Hymns” ------An-Lun Huang 11. “Studies” ------Keyser 12. “Swan Lake” ------Tchaikovsky

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TABLE 3.15 Book Fifteen

Book 15

Goals: Essentials: • Learn all the notes in the third position ƒ Practice the preparation before shifting • Learn the basic three types of shifting: same ƒ Try to catch the note without hearing it first finger shifting, borrowing note shifting, and ƒ Help students to get used to playing in the third scale type shifting position ƒ Songs repeated from previous books should be played in the third position

Content: 1. “Holy! Holy!” ------Hymns 2. “Old Duke” ------Foster 3. “Girl from the Big City” ------Shin Jiang Folk Song 4. “Jasmine” ------Chinese Folk Song 5. “It’s Small World!” ------American Song 6. “Two Tigers” ------French Song 7. “Great Wall Song” ------Sheu-An Liu 8. “Dream of South China” ------Fu-Tong Wong 9. “Gavotte” ------Bach 10. “Happy New Year!” ------Chinese Folk Song 11. “Alamuhan” ------Shin Jiang Folk Song 12. “Studies” ------Keyser 13. “Studies” ------Keyser 14. “Wedding” ------Mary

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TABLE 3.16 Book Sixteen

Book 16

Goals: Essentials: • Learn second, fourth and fifth positions ƒ Songs 1 to 3 are in the second position, 4 to 6 • Practice shifting in three different ways are in the fourth position, 7 to 9 are in the fifth • Get used to shifting among five positions position, and 10 to 12 practice shifting from first position to fifth position

Content: 1. “Sweet Family” ------Bishop 2. “In the Far Place” ------Bin Luo 3. “Little Donkey” ------Chinese Folk Song 4. “Ode to Joy!” ------Beethoven 5. “Butterfly” ------Anonymous 6. “Three Cars” ------Russian Folk Song 7. “Oh! Susanna!” ------Foster 8. “Making Airplane” ------Taiwanese Folk Song 9. “Picking up Tea” ------Chinese Folk Song 10. “Shifting Practice” ------Fu-Tong Wong 11. “Youth Dance” ------Shin Jiang Folk Song 12. “Farewell” ------Irish Folk Song

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TABLE 3.17 Book Seventeen

Book 17

Goals: Essentials: • Practice shifting from first position to fifth ƒ Practice bow strokes without using upper part of position right arm, and speed up with light spiccato • Learn natural spiccato technique

Content: 1. “Studies” ------Keyser 2. “The Death of Ase” ------Grieg 3. “Swallow” ------Shin Jiang Folk Song 4. “Green Pomelo” ------English Folk Song 5. “Fantasy” ------Schumann 6. “Minuet” ------Beethoven 7. “Studies” ------Kreutzer 8. “Ave Maria” ------Bach – Gounod 9. “Gavotte” ------Bach 10. “Andante Cantabile” ------Tchaikovsky 11. “Hungarian Dance No. 5” ------Brahms 12. “Drum Dance” ------Fu-Tong Wong

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TABLE 3.18 Book Eighteen

Book 18

Goals: Essentials: • Learn how to play a scale on one string ƒ Practice single notes separately before playing • Learn double stops and artificial harmonics the double stops ƒ Practice slowly with shifting on the same string

Content: 1. “A Major and Minor Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “South of China” ------Fu-Tong Wong 3. “Dudale and Maria” ------Shin Jiang Folk Song 4. “Pazzini Theme Variation” ------Declare 5. “Ode to Joy!” ------Beethoven 6. “F Major Melody” ------Rubinstein 7. “Four Little Swans” ------Tchaikovsky 8. “Fishing Boat in Darkness” ------Kuo-Chuen Lee

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TABLE 3.19 Book Nineteen

Book 19

Goals: Essentials: • Learn how to play scales and arpeggios in ƒ Listen to several recordings of each period three registers ƒ Emphasize tone production and tone quality • Distinguish the differences between Baroque, Classical and Romantic

Content: 1. “D Major and Minor Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “D Major Sonata First Movement” ----- Handel 3. “D Major Sonata Second Movement” -- Handel 4. “Studies” ------Mazas 5. “Prince and Princess” ------Rimsky-Korsakov 6. “Yearning” ------Fu-Tong Wong 7. “Thais Meditation” ------Massenet 8. “Fingers Practice” ------Fu-Tong Wong 9. “Minuet” ------Mozart 10. “Chinese Dance ‘Yu’ Mode in D” ------Fu-Tong Wong

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TABLE 3.20 Book Twenty

Book 20

Goals: Essentials: • Learn double stops in thirds, sixths, and ƒ Practice slowly wherever difficult octaves ƒ Practice with metronome • Learn various bowings • Learn different bow stroke techniques • Strengthen left hand technique

Content: 1. “Double Stops Scale” ------Fu-Tong Wong 2. “Lyrics” ------Yun-Chen Chin 3. “Bees” ------Schubert 4. “Mongolian Folk Song” ------Fu-Tong Wong 5. “Studies” ------Keyser 6. “Anitra’s Dance” ------Grieg 7. “Variations from Fishing Song” ------Fu-Tong Wong 8. “The Song of Ali Mountain” ------Fu-Tong Wong 9. “Studies” ------Kreutzer 10. “Ave Maria” ------Schubert 11. “Shepherd Song” ------Si-Tzon Ma 12. “The Missing of Homeland” ------Si-Tzon Ma

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Student Practice Suggestions

In addition to the songs and practice in the method book, Wong added some exercises which functions to help students test themselves or correct their own mistakes while practicing at home and in the class. Here are some examples that demonstrate Wong’s intention and approach:

Intonation Exercises

Book 2, No. 1: “Open Your Head Cover”

Original Score

MUSIC EXAMPLE 1

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Exercise

MUSIC EXAMPLE 2

Book 2, No.7: “Sweet Family”

Original Score

MUSIC EXAMPLE 3

42

Exercise i.

MUSIC EXAMPLE 4 ii.

MUSIC EXAMPLE 5 iii.

MUSIC EXAMPLE 6

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Bowing Exercises

Book 2, No. 10: “Old Duke!”

Original Score

MUSIC EXAMPLE 7

44

Exercise

MUSIC EXAMPLE 8

Book 3, No. 12: “Jubilee!”

Original Score

MUSIC EXAMPLE 9

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Exercise

MUSIC EXAMPLE 10

Preparation for Left Hand Fingers Exercises

Book 1, No. 1: “Little Bees”

Original Score and Exercise as Shown

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MUSIC EXAMPLE 11

Book 6, No. 9: “C Major Study”

Original Score and Exercise as Shown

MUSIC EXAMPLE 12

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Shifting Exercises

Book 15, No. 4: “Jasmine”

Original Score

MUSIC EXAMPLE 13

Exercise

MUSIC EXAMPLE 14

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Book 15, No. 7: “Great Wall Song”

Original Score

MUSIC EXAMPLE 15

Exercise

MUSIC EXAMPLE 16

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Trill Exercises

Book 7, No. 3: “The Parade of Lions”

Original Score

MUSIC EXAMPLE 17

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Exercise

MUSIC EXAMPLE 18

Special Techniques for Group Teaching

The most important thing in group violin teaching is to attract students and help them to maintain their motivation for learning the violin. According to the various methods mentioned in the previous chapters, there are many “tricks” that are used to keep students’ attention. Wong adopted many of them from other methods, and he also created many of them. This treatise will discuss five of them in particular and will go into detail regarding Wong’s experiences with using each of the teaching practices. The five practices are as follows:

• Studio Class Performance • Studio Competition • Games • Public Recitals • Parent Participation

Studio Class Performance

This performance can be in anytime during a class; for example, the end of the class or the beginning of the class. Why is the performance so important for the class? In the Suzuki method, even a child who has just learned how to hold the violin with the correct hand and walk

51 properly on the stage can perform.1 The concept of learning to move through the performance includes learning how to walk, how to hold the violin, how to hold the bow before playing, and how to hold the bow again after playing. In addition, students and parents give comments to each performer after they play and observe how others are doing from the studio class performance. Through the comments, students can receive feedback from everybody and remind themselves as many times as they hear it; also, they can memorize the songs by hearing them performed over and over. Most importantly, though, they can develop their confidence through performing. Students can either play an appointed song or songs that they choose for themselves. According to Wong, the appropriate time for studio class performance can be twice or three times during the learning stage of a book.

Studio Competition

Competitions in a studio class can provide a friendly rivalry and be very constructive if the students enjoy it and take it positively; also, the participation of parents can encourage students who have less motivation for learning violin in the group. Parents participate by joining the children and competing with them as well. In this way, the group can be divided by individuals, several groups, or two larger groups to compete against each other. Commonly, the teacher will not be the judge; instead, the participants and their parents vote for the winners later. Competition rules vary; criteria include who holds the bow most correctly, whose intonation is better, who can play the whole bow for the longest amount of time, whose manner is the best that day, and whose music reading is the best that day. Technically speaking, having the competition helps to correct the problems that occur and drawing students’ attention to changing bad habits and encouraging good habits. Unquestionably, the competition should be constructive and encouraging to all the participants in the class.

Games

The most effective way for children to learn something is through games. For instance, students can follow the teacher by walking and playing together in a circle and answering the questions that the teacher asks. This helps the students to memorize the song they are playing

1 Fu-Tong Wong, Violin Group Teaching Research and Practice (小提琴團體教學研究與實踐), (Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1999), 114.

52 and to improve their ability to play, since they must practice in order to catch up with everybody in the class and play together. Secondly, students may be divided into two groups and asked to clap while the other group is playing. This helps students to better understand the rhythm of the song. Thirdly, two groups of students can compete against each other in turns by answering questions from the teacher about things such as the intervals between two notes or the composers of the songs. Lastly, students can be divided into pairs by drawing and matching the same numbers. One student of each pair can then compose easy melodies on the blackboard which the other one will have to play. In this game, students will greatly improve their sight reading skills and their ability to combine rhythm and notes.

Public Recitals

Public recitals are presented for the students chosen from among all of the students of the class. Regular recitals are very important for the class to promote itself as well as to encourage students. Recitals can be held every six months according to the original design of the method books. When students finish a book and pass the examination of that level, they can be chosen to play in the public recitals.

Parents Participation

In Wong’s method, there are special classes that require parental participation. The first four classes are for parents alone, and are required before the children join later. The reason parents learn how to play the violin before their children is to help not only their personal relationships but also to provide parents with a correct model by which they can help their children practice at home. To the teacher, parents are essential for help at home. And yet, there is a possibility that they might even become the next teacher for the method if they enjoyed playing and teaching violin. The enthusiasm of parents will help carry out the administrative functions which can be the weakest part in an organization. The children will have the best approach to learn the violin because they can hear and watch their parents practicing at home; moreover, it might be an inspiration or a motivation for students to practice the violin in order to compete with their parents. In either case, parents learning the violin in advance of their children will have positive results. It might also be the best way for the parents to understand and realize how

53 difficult it is to play the violin, allowing them to provide empathy to their children in every aspect of the learning process.

Method Song Statistics by Genre and Style

Music of this treatise has been dedicated to describing the Wong group violin teaching method in detail in an effort to introduce it to a wider audience. Nevertheless, it is most important to distinguish this method from all other group violin teaching method books. In addition to its unique design for all ages, its underlying concept also has strong distinctive national features. It contains large sections of Chinese and Taiwanese folk songs which may not appear in other method books in such numbers. Furthermore, unlike the Suzuki method, Wong rearranged all of the songs in order to fit them into the overall design of group violin teaching, rather than just using existing sources or method books.

In connection with Wong’s interest in composition, he composed many songs not only for pedagogical purposes but also for virtuoso soloists. In this method, he composed many of the songs which are purposefully followed by the specific techniques in every book. Technically, they are easier for students and strengthen the fundamentals of violin playing rather than having to overcome difficulty with the techniques.

There are seven different genres of songs by the definition of types and origins which Wong desires to emphasize. As seen in the Table 3.21, they are divided into (1) Lullabies, (2) Folk Songs, (3) Art Songs, (4) Hymns, (5) Classical,2 (6) Wong’s own compositions and (7) Existing sources.

2 Classical instrumental works.

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Eastern Compositions TABLE 3.21

Lullabies Folk Songs Art Songs Hymns Classical Wong’s Existing

Book 1 7 0 0 0 0 2 0

Book 2 2 3 1 0 0 2 0

Book 3 0 4 0 0 0 2 0

Book 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 0

Book 5 0 4 2 0 0 5 0

Book 6 0 1 1 0 0 3 0

Book 7 1 1 0 0 0 5 0

Book 8 0 2 0 0 0 4 0

Book 9 0 2 0 0 0 2 0

Book 10 0 1 0 0 1 4 0

Book 11 0 1 0 0 1 3 0

Book 12 0 0 0 0 0 4 0

Book 13 0 0 0 0 0 4 0

Book 14 0 1 1 0 0 1 0

Book 15 0 5 0 0 0 1 0

Book 16 1 2 1 0 0 1 0

Book 17 0 1 0 0 0 1 0

Book 18 0 1 1 0 0 2 0

Book 19 0 0 0 0 0 4 0

Book 20 0 0 3 0 0 4 0

Total 12 30 11 0 2 56 0

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Western Compositions TABLE 3.22

Lullabies Folk Songs Art Songs Hymns Classical Wong’s Existing

Book 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0

Book 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0

Book 3 2 1 0 2 0 0 1

Book 4 0 0 0 1 6 0 0

Book 5 1 0 0 1 1 0 0

Book 6 0 0 1 1 4 0 1

Book 7 0 2 0 0 5 0 0

Book 8 0 1 2 1 8 0 0

Book 9 0 1 0 1 6 0 0

Book 10 0 0 1 1 4 0 0

Book 11 0 1 0 0 6 0 0

Book 12 0 0 0 0 8 0 0

Book 13 0 0 0 0 8 0 0

Book 14 0 0 0 1 2 0 6

Book 15 0 2 2 1 1 0 2

Book 16 0 5 2 0 0 0 0

Book 17 0 0 1 0 7 0 2

Book 18 0 0 0 0 4 0 0

Book 19 0 0 0 0 5 0 1

Book 20 0 0 0 0 3 0 2

Total 6 14 11 11 78 0 15

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The aforementioned charts represent the number of songs in each book divided into seven genres, along with the total number of songs in each genre for the entire series of method books. The figure below illlustrates the ratio of Eastern to Western musical styles present in all the method books:

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50

40

30 Eastern 20 Western

10

0 Lullabies Folks Art Hymns Classics Wong's Existing Songs sources

FIGURE 3.6 Comparative Statistics of Eastern and Western Songs

The Content of Wong's Method Books

Lullabies Folks Art Songs Hymns Classics Wong's Existing sources

FIGURE 3.7 The Ratio of Seven Genres in Wong’s Method Books

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The Publication

As previously stated, this treatise has focuses on the musical content of Wong’s group violin teaching method; however, regarding the whole system, there are some extraordinary ideas about how this method is going to impart behavioral concepts to children and develop a tradition of respect between teacher and students, as well as to grow students’ intelligence quotient and increase their concentration when they are performing specific tasks during this learning process. The value of behavioral concepts to this method is as important as manners are to the Suzuki method. In this regard, Wong designed an evaluation form1 for parents to observe and record improvement in students’ behavior beginning with their affiliation with Wong’s group violin teaching method; overall, parents have found that their children behave more politely and thoughtfully in general whether they are in school or at home. According to the results from the survey,2 the change in the emotional quotient is much more obvious than the change in the intelligence quotient; specifically, politeness, cooperating with people, confidence and the ability to handle frustration are enormously improved; additionally, students’ concentration, hearing ability and hand dexterity are more obviously improved.

The idea of how to foster the teachers for this method and advance them to a better career such as how to teach more advanced students will be discussed. Any person can become a teacher of Wong’s method, just as any person can be a student of Wong’s method. If a person has earned a degree in music, he or she will not need to pass the Book One examination as a student. If a person is without any musical experience, he or she will need to pass the Book One examination and get certificate as a student.3 Both of these qualifications make a person eligible to be a teacher of Wong’s method. First, the person will have to apply to be the teaching assistant of a tutor who has one or more certificate degrees higher than the applicant himself or herself, and will have to assist the tutor teaching class for a method book period. During this period, the person will not have to pay tuition to the organization. After the “co-internship” with Wong’s method, the person will pass the teaching certificate examination in one of two ways: by having five students pass the certificate examination by group studies, or by having eight students pass

1 See Appendix C. 2 Fu-Tong Wong, Violin Group Teaching Research and Practice (小提琴團體教學研究與實踐), (Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1999), 580. 3 The passing of each book = one certificate.

58 the certificate examination by individual studies. This system is for every degree certificate of every book in the method. A person can have more than one tutor while requesting to be a teaching assistant; in other words, a tutor can direct more than one assistant who is undertaking to be a new tutor. The judgment of whether a person can become a tutor all depends on the results of one’s teaching. In this way, the quality of teaching and the quality of tutors will remain at a high level and keep all the tutors teaching conscientiously. There are two compulsory requirements for the tutors from the organization in the Wong’s method. First, all illegal unauthorized copies of Wong’s method are restricted; second, ten percent of the income earned from teaching of each teacher should be paid to the organization. The distribution of this ten percent in the organization can be seen in the below (Figure Example 8); consequently, the previous two generations of tutors will help the teaching assistant to achieve their best potential, and the teaching assistants will receive the best guidance from all the teachers in the organization.

Distribution of the 10% income

Organization Previous Tutor 40% 40%

Second Previous Tutor 20%

FIGURE 3.8 The Ratio of the Distribution of Ten Percent Income

* For example, if the teaching income of a person is five hundred dollars, fifty dollars should be paid to the organization. Eventually, twenty dollars will be given to the previous tutor who just guided one as a teaching tutor and also ten dollars will be given to the second previous tutor who guided one in the last book level. The twenty dollars will contribute to the organization as funding for maintaining the organization.

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CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

Wong’s group violin method is a method for any age. The main purpose of this method is to popularize violin playing in Taiwanese society. The design of this method is to minimize the technical gaps between each book and make it as easy as possible for everyone who plays it. The qualification of being teachers for each book of Wong’s Method depends on the teaching results which strengthens the teaching qualities, and ensures that the teachers themselves keep learning and practicing. Why is this? According to Wong, if you can play, you can teach. For example, in this method, once one learns how to play the first book, one is eligible to teach it. By the time one passes the second book, one can apply to teach the first book. While teaching the second book, one has to keep practicing and learning book three and beyond; otherwise, the students may play as well or better than the teacher. Overall, this method is especially designed for the non-professional music-loving person who is interested in violin music. The eldest beginner in the practice of Wong’s Method was a sixty-three-year-old grandmother who started learning the violin at the same time as her grandchildren. The youngest student of Wong’s Method was three years old.

Based on the writer’s personal experiences with the Wong Method, there are five teaching techniques that are valuable for all violin teachers:

1. Comments from teachers and peers: Comments from peers should be more quantitative and correctable such as intonation, rhythm, posture and bowings. Comments from teachers should be based on the comments from students with specific explanations. Additionally, teachers should emphasize familiarity with a piece, including an emphasis on the musical emotions present in the piece. Generally speaking, comments are very

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important in group violin teaching since teachers cannot spend much time correcting or demonstrating one-on-one. 2. Personalize materials for individuals within a group as appropriate: For example, if a student is obviously more advanced than other students, the teacher should assign him or her next piece or more advanced studies instead of playing same thing with other students in the same group. Meanwhile, the teacher can ask the student to play in front of other students to inspire them to practice harder. It is very important for a teacher to assign appropriate studies to students according to their ability even within the group teaching class. 3. Group activity: For example, divide a piece into several sections and have the players play each section in turns or as assigned by the teacher. Moreover, while one is playing, all the other students are divided into small groups and take responsibility for watching the different aspects of violin playing, such as intonation, bow hold, bowings, arms and left hand positions. The students will give comments about those techniques later. From this learning activity, performers can concentrate on violin playing, others can observe the general mistakes, and then, teachers can evaluate students’ understanding of violin playing and knowledge of music. 4. Group discussions: Teachers should give time for students to discuss in the group the piece they are playing and how they practice at home. For example, the teacher might assign a section of the piece they are studying and make the students think of bowings and fingerings other than those in the printed version, to be discussed the next time in class. Even more, students can share and discuss the practice procedure of the most advanced player. It is most important to leave time for students to figure out what are the best ways of practicing and best approaches for themselves. 5. Additional studying materials: In addition to Wong’s Method, teachers can also encourage students to find something that they like that is appropriate for them. It is important to keep their motivation for learning and playing the violin high. The additional materials can be classical music or non-classical. Occasionally teachers may need to arrange the music in a better format in order to be appropriate for the students’ level.

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In conclusion, not only Auer, Stolyarsky, Benjamin, Mitchell and Markov influenced Wong in most every aspect of violin pedagogy, but so did Suzuki and Ma. In spite of the extraordinary artistic consequences of the Cultural Revolution, Wong succeeded as a pedagogue, a composer, a performer and a writer that resulted from more than thirty years of learning and studying. His contribution to group violin teaching has had an enormous influence of violin pedagogy in Taiwan. Consequently, the Method popularized violin music, and encouraged people from housewives to grandmothers, from every part of society interested in playing violin as well as teaching it. The mixture of different pedagogical methods adopted philosophically from Suzuki, technically from Stolyarsky and culturally from the adoption of a great amount of Chinese folk music has made this Method unique. Therefore, because Wong made the first serious study of group violin teaching, because he taught such classes successfully with children and adults, because he wrote a successful method book for the Taiwanese people and finally because of his inventions to improve Taiwanese violin pedagogy – because of all of these, he should be acknowledged as the “Precursor of Violin Group Teaching in Taiwan.”

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APPENDIX A

CATEGORIZED LISTING OF WONG’S COMPLETE WORKS

Solo Vocal Works

Classical Chinese Poems

Papaya (1979) Poem: Shi Jing (詩經)

Telling in the Dream by Chiang Chen-Ji (1981) Poem: Su Shi (蘇軾)

The Bridge of Magpie on Chinese Valentine’s Day (1981) Poem: Chin Guan (秦觀)

A Lea of Golden Clothes (1983) Poem: Du Cho-Niang (杜秋娘)

Yo Ji Yin (1984) Poem: Meng Chao (孟郊)

Crying in the Night (1984) Poem: Lee Yu (李煜)

The Beauty of Yu (1984) Poem: Lee Yu (李煜)

Lan Tao Sa (1984) Poem: Lee Yu (李煜)

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Reminiscence of Chi-Bi, Yearning for Nu-Jao (1985) Poem: Su Shi (蘇軾)

The Yearning of Love (1986) Poem: Wang Wei (王維)

The Dawn of Spring (1987) Poem: Meng Ho-Tzen (孟浩然)

The Flower of Butterfly Love (1987) Poem: Yen Su (晏殊)

The Flower of Butterfly Love (1987) Poem: Liu Yung (柳永)

The Spring of Tower Jade (1987) Poem: O-Yang Shou (歐陽修)

Beautiful Moonlight (1987) Poem: Su Shi (蘇軾)

Sentimental Remembrance (1987) Poem: Su Shi (蘇軾)

The Farewell to Bao (1987) Poem: Wang Guan (王觀)

The Song of the Plum Flower (1987) Poem: Sian Ji-Tan (向子譚)

Seeking for the One, You Ever Loved So Much (1987) Poem: Shin Chi-Ji (辛棄疾)

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Thinking Deeply in the Quiet Night (1988) Poem: Lee Bai (李白)

Singing on the Stage of Yo-Cho (1988) Poem: Chen Ji-On (陳子昂)

Jeremiad of the Homeland (1988) Poem: Shin Chi-Ji (辛棄疾)

The Song of a Lea of Gold (1988) Poem: Gu Jen-Guan (顧貞觀)

The Song of a Lea of Gold (1988) Poem: Na Lan Shin De (納蘭性德)

The Deepest Yearning of Love (1988) Poem: Na Lan Shin De (納蘭性德)

The Surviving Experiences of War (1989) Poem: Shi-Jing (詩經)

Living with Nature (1989) Poem: Tao Yueng-Ming (陶淵明)

In Memory of Chin-Erh (1989) Poem: Anonymous (佚名)

In Memory of Wang-Sun (1989) Poem: Na Lan Shin De (納蘭性德)

Climb Up High (1989) Poem: Du Fu (杜甫)

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The Everlasting Secret (1990) Poem: Lee Shane-Inn (李商隱)

Drinking Song (1990) Poem: Lee Bai (李白)

All songs above are in the collections of “Songs of Classical Chinese Poems of Wong”, published by Wong’s Music Company in 1994 in Taiwan.

Modern Chinese Texts

Ah! Homeland! (1975) Text: Shin Whua (星華)

The Song of Freedom (1979) Text: San Miao (山苗)

The Stars of Sunset (1982) Text: Shu Shan-Chan, San Miao (舒巷城, 山苗)

The Song of Plum Flowers (1984) Text: San Miao (山苗)

The Glory of Lu-De (1984) Text: Liang Han-Tzao (梁寒操)

Singing a Song (1984) Text: San Miao (山苗)

Smile (1984) Text: San Miao (山苗)

Beaten the Teeth and Swallow the Blood (1984) Text: San Miao (山苗)

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Thank You! God! (1984) Text: San Miao (山苗)

You Don’t Owe Anybody (1985) Text: Pei Wen (佩文)

Sleeping Lotus (1985) Text: Liu Sia (劉俠)

The Language of Flowers (1985) Text: Liu Ming-Yi (劉明儀)

The Fallen Sun (1986) Text: Anonymous (佚名)

Let’s Have a Better Tomorrow! (1987) Text: Liu Ming-Yi (劉明儀)

Love the Treasure-Time You Have (1987) Text: Liu Ming-Yi (劉明儀)

Tomorrow Morning is Another New Beginning (1987) Text: Liu Ming-Yi (劉明儀)

An Unspoken Consensus (1988) Text: Shen Li (沈立)

Yearning (1988) Text: Chiao Yu (喬羽)

The Red Touraco (1988) Text: Shen Li (沈立)

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The Wave Disappeared after the Boat Passed (1988) Text: Shen Li (沈立)

Telling Fairy Tales (1988) Text: Chiao Yu (喬羽)

The Grace of Teacher is Forever in My Heart (1989) Text: Tzen Yung-Yi, Liu Shin (曾永義, 劉星)

The Dream of South China (1989) Text: Liang Bao-Erh (梁寶耳)

The Disappeared Water (1990) Text: Shen Li (沈立)

Sleep Peacefully (1990) Text: Shu Yu (徐訏)

When Someday (1991) Text: Shin Lin Ji (杏林子)

Directions (1991) Text: Shu Chien-Wu (許建吾)

Flowing Cloud (1992) Text: Hong Chin-Yo(洪慶佑)

A Beautiful Trace (1992) Text: Deng Chan-Kuo (鄧昌國)

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The Desolate Life (1993) Text: Chen Ray-Liu (程瑞流)

All songs above are in the collections of “Songs of Modern Chinese Texts of Wong”, published by Wong’s Music Company in 1994 in Taiwan.

Vocal Ensemble

Water (1993) Duet by Baritone and Soprano Text: Shen Li (沈立) Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1994 in Taiwan.

Choral Works with Orchestra

Tien Sin Chien 天行健, 君子以自強不息 (1987) Text: Yi Jing (易經)

The Colder, The Stronger 歲寒, 然後知松柏之後凋 (1987) Text: The Analects of Confucius (論語)

Confidants Needn’t Know Each Other 知音不必相識 (1987) Text: Luis Cha (金庸)

All songs above are in the collections of “Choral Compositions of Wong”, published by Wong’s Music Company in 1994 in Taiwan.

Mixed Chorus

The Bloody River 滿江紅 (1976-1991) Text: Yue Fei (岳飛)

Ask the World, What is Love? 問世間, 情是何物 (1979-1989) Poem: Yueng Hao-Wen (元好問)

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Singing a Song 唱歌歌 (1984) For Soprano and Chorus Text: San Miao (山苗)

Smile 微笑 (1984) For Soprano and Chorus Text: San Miao (山苗)

Thank you! My Lord! 感謝您, 天父上帝 (1984) Text: Anonymous (佚名)

The Sand in the Sky 天淨沙 (1984) For three-part male chorus Poem: Ma Chi-Yueng (馬致遠)

The Music of Peaceful Times 清平樂 (1985) Text: Huang Tin-Chien (黃庭堅)

The Variations of Yearning Songs 相思詞變唱曲 (1985) Poem: Wang Wei (王維)

The Recall of the South 憶江南 (1986) For three-part female chorus Poem: Wu Tzao (吳藻)

Picking Up Mulberries 採桑子 (1987) For Unaccompanied Chorus Text: Liu Ming-Yi (劉明儀)

The Same Way 志於道 (1987) Text: The Analects of Confucius (論語)

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The Way as a Man 君子之道, 莫大乎與人為善 (1987) Text: The Analects of Confucius (論語)

The Spring of Tower Jade 玉樓春 (1987) Poem: O-Yang Shou (歐陽修)

The Red Touraco 杜鵑紅 (1988) Text: Shen Li (沈立)

The Grace of Teacher is Forever in My Heart 師恩長在心房 (1989) Text: Tzen Yung-Yi, Liu Shin (曾永義, 劉星)

Grass 草 (1989) For Unaccompanied Chorus Poem: Bai Gi-Yi (白居易)

Flowers 鮮花 (1990) For Unaccompanied Chorus Text: Shu Yu (徐訏)

Pray in the Night 夜祈 (1990) For Soprano and Unaccompanied Chorus Text: Shu Yu (徐訏)

Thinking Deeply in the Quiet Night 靜夜思 (1990) For three-part female chorus Poem: Lee Bai (李白)

Don’t Cross the River 公無渡河 (1991) For Unaccompanied Chorus Poem: Anonymous (佚名)

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The Sea and The Sky 海闊天空 (1991) Text: Huang Chien-Kuo (黃建國)

The Memorial Song of February 28’s Massacre 二二八紀念歌 (1992) Text: Tzen Yung-Yi (曾永義)

All songs above are in the collections of “Choral Compositions of Wong”, published by Wong’s Music Company in 1994 in Taiwan.

Opera

Xi-Shi (1986-1993) Text: Chinese literature Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1993 in Taiwan.

Concertos

Memorials (1970-1995) For Solo Violin and Full Orchestra Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1989 in Taiwan.

Xi Shi Fantasy (1986-1993) For Solo Violin and Full Orchestra Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1993 in Taiwan.

Symphonies

Symphony of the Hero with Great Eagle (1976-1988) Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1992 in Taiwan.

In Memory of February28’s Massacre (1993-1995) Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1998 in Taiwan.

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Rhapsody of Taiwan (1994-1995) Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1995 in Taiwan.

Symphonic Poem of Hsiao Fong (1995-1998) Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1998 in Taiwan.

Chamber Music

Fugato for Strings (1982-1991) Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1991 in Taiwan.

Swordsman (1984-1989) For Chinese Traditional Instrumental Orchestra Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1994 in Taiwan.

Variations on the Theme by Chen Chu-Shui (1991) For String Orchestra Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1991 in Taiwan.

Violin Works (with Piano Accompaniment)

South of the Yangtse River (1976) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Sheng Dance (1976) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Remembrance (1976) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

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Song of the Wagon-Driver (1976) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Hand- Drum Dance (1976) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Chinese Dance in D (1979) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Chinese Dance in E (1979) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Mongolian Folk Song (1980) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Drum Dance (1980) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Tibetan Love Song (1980) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Ali Mountain Song (1980) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Da-Lu Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

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Variations on the Theme of An-Ping (2005) For Solo Violin Published by Wong’s Music Company in 2005 in Taiwan.

Variations on the Theme by Deng Yu-Sian (2005) For Solo Violin and Piano Published by Wong’s Music Company in 2005 in Taiwan.

Piano Work

Suite “Bu-Non” (1996) Published by Wong’s Music Company in 1997 in Taiwan.

Audio Book

The Greatness of Chinese Literature 為古人傳心聲 (1995) Published by Lullaby Publication Company in 1996 in Taipei.

Books

Wong, Fu-Tong(黃輔棠). The Articles of Violin Teaching (小提琴教學文集). Taipei: Chuan Publication Company, 1983.

______. Talking About Music and Violin (談琴論樂). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1986.

______. Teaching How To Teach, Learning How To Teach (敎敎琴,學敎琴). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1986.

______. Music Appreciation (賞樂). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1990.

______. Respect In Musicians (樂人相重). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company. 1998.

______. Violin Group Teaching Research and Practice(小提琴團體教學 研究與實踐). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1999.

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______. Shu Duo-Chin Violin Group Teaching Method (徐多沁小提琴集體課教學法). Wu-Han: Long River Art Publication Company, 2002.

______. Enjoying the Music (樂在其中). Taipei: eBookCity Publication Company, 2004.

______. Wong’s Criticsms on Music (阿鏜樂論). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 2004.

Violin Pedagogy Methods

Wong’s Violin Entry Level Method Book with Piano Accompaniment (1983) Published by Chi-Tsai Music Publication Company in 1984 in Taipei.

Wong’s Violin Scale System (1985) Published by Chinese Music Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei

Twelve Etudes for Rhythms (1985) Published by Chinese Music Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Duet for Beginning Shifting (1985) Published by Chinese Music Publication Company in 1985 in Taipei.

Group Violin Pedagogy Methods (Method Books with Piano Accompaniment)

Wong’s Violin Group Teaching Methods Volume 1-12 with Piano Accompaniment (2006) Published by Wong’s Music Company in 2006 in Taiwan.

Dissertations

Wong, Fu-Tong (黃輔棠). “Three Advanced Techniques of Violin Playing” (小提琴高級技巧三 論). Journal of Tianjin Conservatory of Music (天津音樂院學報). Tianjin: Tianjin Conservatory of Music. Fall, 1996.

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______. “Dissertation on the Polyphonic Voice-Leading on the Single Melodies of J. S. Bach’s Violin Works” (論巴哈小提琴作品單線條中的多聲部). The International Academic Conference Papers of Tainan University of Technology 2002 (國際學術 研討會). Tainan: College of Music, Tainan University of Technology, 2002.

______. “Dissertation on developing the entry level violin teachers of Wong’s Group Violin Teaching Method” (黃鐘教學法培訓入門小提琴師資之成果與方法探討). The International Academic Conference on String Instrument Papers of Fu-Jen University (弦樂國際學術研討會). Taipei: College of Music, Fu-Jen University. November, 2005.

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APPENDIX C

E.Q. AND I.Q. IMPROVEMENT INVESTIGATION SURVEY

Name: Male/Female: Age:

Tel: Class: Book level:

Period of learning: Teacher:

E. Q. I. Q.

How much do you feel your children are How much do you feel your children are improving after beginning the method? improving after beginning the method?

Strong Less None Strong Less None 1. Politeness □ □ □ 1. Concentration □ □ □ 2. Temper □ □ □ 2. Memorization □ □ □ 3. Patience □ □ □ 3. Observation □ □ □ 4. Cooperation □ □ □ 4. Imitation □ □ □ 5. Responsibility □ □ □ 5. Dexterity □ □ □ 6. Thoughtfulness □ □ □ 6. Hearing □ □ □ 7. Thankfulness □ □ □ 7. Literature □ □ □ 8. Confidence □ □ □ 8. Mathematics □ □ □ 9. Handling □ □ □ 9. Other subjects □ □ □ frustration 10. Overall subjects □ □ □ 10. Comportment □ □ □

Comments:

Name: Date: Signature:

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Ammer, Christine. The A to Z of Foreign Musical Terms. Boston, MA: E. C. Schirmer Music Company, 1989.

Auer, Leopold. Violin Playing As I Teach It. Westport, CT.: Greenwood Press, 1957.

______. Graded course of violin playing Book I. New York: Carl Fisher, 1926.

Bachmann, Alberto. An Encyclopedia of Violin Violin. Traslated by Frederick H. Martens and edited by Albert E. Wier. U.A.S.: Da Capo Press, Inc., 1966.

Bellman, Jonathan. A Short Guide to Writing about Music. U.S.A.: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc., 2000.

Courvoisier, Karl. The Technique of Violin Playing: The Joachim Method. New York: Schirmer, Inc., 1987.

Crabtree, Phillip D., and Donald H. Foster. Sourcebook For Research in Music. Revised and expanded by Allen Scott. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2005.

Dounis, Demetrius Constantine. The Dounis Collection. New York: Carl Fischer, LLC., 2005.

Flesch, Carl. The Art of Violin Playing Book One. Translated and Edited by Eric Rosenblith. New York: Carl Fischer, 1924.

Galamian, Ivan. Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1962.

Gerle, Robert. The Art of Practising the Violin. London, Stainer & Bell Ltd., 1983.

______. The Art of Bowing Practice. London, Stainer & Bell Ltd., 1991.

Gruenberg, Eugene. Violin Teaching and Violin Study. New York: Carl Fischer, 1919.

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Hermann, Evelyn. Shinichi Suzuki: The Man And His Philosophy. Miami, FL: Summy- Birchard Inc., 1981.

Jelagin, Juri. Taming of the Arts. Traslated by Nicholas Wreden. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1951.

Keene, James A. A History of Music Education in the United States. U.S.A.: University Press Of New England, 1987.

Kempter, Susan. How Muscles Learn: Teaching the Violin with the Body in Mind. U.S.A.: Summy-Birchard Music, 2003.

Kendall, John. The Suzuki Violin Method in American Music Education. Princeton, NJ : Suzuki Method International, 1966.

Kennedy, Michael. The Oxford Dictionary of Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Kolneder, Walter. The Amadeus Book of the Violin: Construction, History, and Music. Translated by Reinhard G. Pauly. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 1998.

MacCall, Carolyn. Group Lessons for Suzuki Violin and Viola. U.S.A.: Summy-Birchard Music, 1993.

Martens, Frederick H. Violin Mastery Interviews with Heifetz, Auer, Kreisler and others. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2006.

Milstein, Nathan, and Solomon Volkov. From Russia to The West The Musical Memoirs and Reminiscences of Nathan Milstein. Translated by Antonina W. Bouis. New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1990.

Mozart, Leopold. A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing. Translated by Editha Knocker. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985.

Pougin, Arthur. The Life and Music of Pierre Rode. Translated by Bruce R. Schueneman. Kingsville, TX: Lyre of Orpheus Press, 1994.

Pernecky, Jack M. Teaching The Fundamentals of Violin Playing. U.S.A. Summy-Birchard Music, 1998.

Roth, Henry. Violin Virtuosos – From Paganini to the 21st Century. Los Angeles, CA: California Classic Books, 1997.

Schwarz, Boris. Great Masters of the Violin. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1983.

Sampsel, Laurie J. Music Research A Handbook. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2009.

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Sandys, William, and Simon Andrew Forster. History of the Violin. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2006.

Silvela, Zdenko. A New History Of Violin Playing. U.S.A.: Universal Publishers, 2001.

Starr, William. The Suzuki Violinist. Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.A.: Kingston Ellis Press, 1983.

Steinhardt, Arnold. Violin Dreams. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.

Stern, Isaac, and Chaim Potok. My First 79 Years. U.S.A.: Da Capo Press, 1999.

Steinschaden, Bruno. Zehetmair, Helmut. Ear Training And Violin Playing. Miami, FL. Suzuki Method International, 1985.

Stowell, Robin. The Cambridge Companion to the Violin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

Suzuki, Shinichi. Young Children’s Talent Education & It’s Method. Translated by Kyoko Selden. U.S.A. Summy-Birchard Inc., 1996.

______. Nurtured by Love The Classic Approach to Talent Education. Translated by Waltraud Suzuki. U.S.A.: Summy-Bichard Inc., 1983.

Szigeti, Joseph. Szigeti on the Violin. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc. Publishers, 1970.

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

Wong, Fu-Tong (黃輔棠). The Articles of Violin Teaching (小提琴教學文集). Taipei: Chuan Publication Company, 1983.

______. Teaching How To Teach, Learning How To Teach (敎敎琴,學敎琴). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1986.

______. Violin Group Teaching Research and Practice (小提琴團體教學 研究與實踐). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1999.

______. Enjoying the Music (樂在其中). Taipei: Ebookcity Publication Company, 2004.

______. Talking About Music and Violin (談琴論樂). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1986.

______. Music Appreciation (賞樂). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 1990.

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______. Respect In Musicians (樂人相重). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company. 1998.

______. Wong’s Critics on Music (阿鏜樂論). Taipei: Da-Lu Publication Company, 2004.

Magazines

Walker, Gregory. “It’s Never Too Late: How to build confidence as an adult amateur.” Strings, May 2007, 56-57.

Cohen, Madelyn. “Fast Boat to China.” The Strad, May, 1991, 434-436.

Duchen, Jessica. “Modest Master.” The Strad, March 2007, 66-69.

Sand, Babara L. “Hand of Steel.” The Strad, September 1997, 946-953.

Chadwick, Evelyn. “Confessions of a Flesch Pupil: Yfrah Neaman shares some memories of his teacher.” The Strad, December 1994, 1220-1225.

Campbell, Margaret. “David Oistrakh’s Last Pupil: Rimma Sushanskaya.” The Strad, October 1994, 964-971.

Wen, Eric. “DeLaying Tactics.” The Strad, November 1984, 516-518.

Journals

Chiang, Heng-Chi. “An Action Research of Violin Playing in Small Group Teaching.” Journal

of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.16, No.1 (Mar. 2003)97~122.

Cook, Clifford A. “Japanese String Festival.” Music Educators Journal, Vol. 46, No. 2. (Nov. – Dec., 1959), pp. 41-42.

______. “Suzuki in Oberlin.” Music Educators Journal, Vol. 51, No. 5. (Apr. – May, 1965), p. 80.

Eddy, M. Alexandra. “American Violin Method-Books and European Teachers, Geminiani to Spohr.” American Music, Vol. 8, No. 2. (Summer, 1990), pp. 167-209.

Edmondson, Rebecca. “Beginning Violin: Pizzicato vs. Arco.” American String Teacher, Vo l . 55 , No. 1. (Feb., 2005), pp. 50-53.

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______. “Suzuki’s Mother Tongue Method.” Music Educators Journal, Vol. 83, No. 1. (Jul., 1996), pp. 43-46.

______. “The Resurgent String Program in America.” Music Educators Journal, Vol. 50, No. 1. (Sep. – Oct., 1963), pp. 45-48+51.

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Biographical Sketch

Yu-Yu Chu, a Taiwanese native, was born in Kaohsiung City in 1978, and started his violin study at the age of six with Professor Tze-Nan Tzeng. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in 2000, he went to the United Kingdom for his graduate studies.

While pursuing his post-graduate diploma in the Birmingham Conservatoire in England, Chu studied with Professor Jacqueline Ross, who was the head of strings. Under the tutelage of Professor Ross, Chu won the string prize of the year 2003 and at a major competition in Birmingham, the “Symphony Hall Recital Prize,” which offers a recital credit in the Birmingham Symphony Hall, famous home of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. During the recital season, Chu appeared in the UK paper Evening Standard as a recital soloist in the Birmingham Symphony Hall. Additionally, Chu was also selected to play first violin for the CBSO for a year in which only one student player is allowed in every section.

In September 2005, Chu arrived at Florida State University to study with Professor Karen Clarke; Chu became her teaching assistant and taught private lessons to undergraduate students and non-performance major graduate students. In addition, Chu also taught chamber music and served as Concertmaster of the University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dr. Alexander Jiménez. Starting in 2007 he studied with Professor Beth Newdome following the retirement of Professor Clarke. He is an active violinist both in Taiwan and U. S.

Chu plays a violin made by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, 1860, and a bow by Pierre Simon.

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