A Pedagogical Guide: Using Sassmannshaus's Early Start on The

A Pedagogical Guide: Using Sassmannshaus’s Early Start on the Violin, Volumes 1 and 2 as a supplement to the Suzuki Violin School, Volume 1

A document submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Musical Arts

in the Performance Studies Division of the College-Conservatory of Music

Nov 12, 2011

Suhnah Yu

MM, University of Cincinnati, 2003 BM, Seoul National University, 1998

Committee Chair: Won-Bin Yim, DMA

ABSTRACT

The Suzuki method is one of the most popular methods for teaching the violin in the twentieth century. However, there are some problems that arise as a result of the approach taken in Suzuki Violin School, Volume 1. The purpose of this study is to identify these problems, which include the two lower strings, string crossings, fingerings, bow strokes, and bow division, and to provide solutions through the use of Egon

Sassmannshaus’s Early Start on the Violin, Volume 1 and 2.

Through a comparison of these methods, analysis of the difficulties and solutions and a detailed lessons guide, this document presents a plan to teach better key concepts and techniques of the first volume of the Suzuki method in a more thorough and gradual matter.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to my Committee Chair Dr. Won-Bin Yim for his contributions of time, interest, and excellent guidance. It has been an honor to work with him. I also would like to thank my Committee member Professor Lee Fiser for his time and insightful comments. I am so grateful to my Alexander Technique teacher Jennifer Roig-Francolí for her help and encouragement. The passion and enthusiasm she has for her teaching was contagious and inspiring for me. Above all, my Committee member and violin teacher Dr. Piotr Milewski has been my great teacher and incredible supporter in my time at CCM. I appreciate his enormous patience even during tough times in the DMA pursuit. I am also thankful for the excellent example he has shown as a successful violinist and professor.

My years in Cincinnati have been so special in large part due to many friends that became a crucial part of my life. I am grateful for continuous support and prayers, and faithful encouragement from my precious Korean friends; Yera Lee, Jay Jang, Hyunjoo Son, Kwang Jeon, Shinyoung Yang, Woohyung Lee, Saerom Kwon, and Saejin Yoon. I am especially indebted to my formal church pastor and wife, Pastor Chang and Sunyoung Kim, for their support, prayers, and mentorship. I would like to thank Katya Janpoladyan and Denny Lynch for warm, caring, and enormous support.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my deepest and the most sincere appreciation to Naeri Kim and Beom-Shik Shin, whom I consider as my family, for their unconditional love, persistent support, and enormous encouragement. I also would like to thank my family for all their patience and understanding. For my parents who raised me with a love of music and supported me in all my pursuits, and for my sisters Mina and Jung-a, my brother Hoon, and my sister-in-law Sora whose love and support during my times of the DMA pursuit are so appreciated. And most of all, I thank God to give me strength and hope, and to prepare everything I needed for this long journey even before it had been begun.

Suhnah Yu University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music November 2011

CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv CONTENTS v LIST OF FIGURES AND MUSICAL EXAMPLES vi

CHAPTER I 1 Introduction ...... 1

CHAPTER II 10 Comparison of the First Volumes of Suzuki’s Suzuki Violin School and Sassmannshaus’s Early Start on the Violin Audience ...... 11 Structure ...... 20

CHAPTER III 25 Problems in Suzuki and Solutions from Sassmannshaus The Two Lower Strings ...... 25 String Crossings ...... 28 Fingerings ...... 31 1. The Fingering of E0-A3 ...... 32 2. The Fingerings of E0-A2 and A3-A1 ...... 34 3. The Fourth-Finger Fingering ...... 35 4. The Low Second-Finger Pattern ...... 36 5. The High Third-Finger Pattern ...... 38 Bow Strokes ...... 39 Bow Division ...... 41

CHAPTER IV 43 Lesson Guide ...... 43

BIBLIOGRAPHY 81

LIST OF FIGURES AND MUSICAL EXAMPLES

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: The Shape of the Left Hand (Suzuki, p. 23) Figure 2: Allegro (Suzuki, p. 32) Figure 3: Open Strings (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 1, p. 6) Figure 4: The First Finger (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 1, p. 24)

LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES

Example 1: Four Sixteenth and Two Eighth Notes (a) in Twinkle Variation A and Eight Sixteenth Notes (b) in Twinkle Variation E Example 2: The Basic Rhythmic Motive in Twinkle Variation C Example 3: The Rhythmic Motive in mm. 1–2 of Lightly Row

CHAPTER I

Introduction

The Suzuki method is one of the most well-known methods for string instruction.

For over thirty years, it has been used all over the world and it remains for many musicians their first foray into music. Indeed, with its emphasis on ear training, imitation and repetition from a motivation that student should learn music the way they learn to

speak their language, the Suzuki method has changed or at least influenced musical

instruction since its inception. However, there are some problems that arise as a result of

Suzuki’s approach, and over the years many educators have seen the need to provide

supplements. Two of the most thorough of these are Charlene Wilson’s Teaching Suzuki

Cello: A Manual for Teachers and Parents, which provides many suggestions for

teaching cello with the Suzuki approach, and William Starr’s The Suzuki Violinist: A

Guide for Teachers and Parents, which is a comprehensive guide to Suzuki’s entire

method.1 In my teaching experience, I have found that I also needed outside sources to

supplement the Suzuki method.

1Charlene Wilson, Teaching Suzuki Cello: A Manual for Teachers and Parents (Berkley, CA: Diablo Press, 1980); William Starr, The Suzuki Violinist: A Guide for Teachers and Parents (Miami, FL: Summy- Birchard Publications, 1976).

Due primarily to the reliance on the ear as opposed to note reading—Suzuki delays an explanation of notation until the end of the book, and students learn the music by ear—, the early books include complexities in rhythm and melodic writing that one simply does not find in other methods. The first book is especially problematic in this regard. In order to learn each piece, a large amount of comprehensive preparation is required by both student and teacher due to the rapidity with which Suzuki introduces concepts and the complex rhythmic and musical material that accompanies them.

Students often have trouble learning a new technical principle within the context of the difficulty of the piece in which it is introduced. In this document, I have isolated five specific techniques introduced in Volume 1 that benefit from supplemental instruction, exercises, and pieces: the delay in teaching the lower strings, string crossings, fingerings, bow strokes, and bow division. Despite these problems, the Suzuki method is a very good method, largely because, by relying so much on the ear, it concentrates the student’s attention to the development of a good tone. Therefore, I still prefer to use the Suzuki method as my primary approach.

While there are many violin methods that could be used in lieu of Suzuki, or as a supplement, I find that Early Start on the Violin by Egon Sassmannshaus is a particularly useful method that compliments instructions in Suzuki. Sassmannshaus’s approach differs from Suzuki in many crucial aspects. For one, note-reading is introduced from the very first lesson. For the purpose of teaching pitch and rhythm, the method uses familiar folk songs, and frequently recycles a piece later to introduce a new technique, such as new fingerings, rhythms, and positions. Geared especially to children, it also utilizes a large-print format, a multitude of illustrations, and age-appropriate texts (lyrics), that

along with the familiar melodies make this book more approachable than other beginning

books. The innovation of this method lies in that Sassmannshaus introduced shifting and

playing in positions, usually considered advanced techniques, at a much earlier stage.

However, the thoroughness of this method also ensures that it takes a long time to get

through, which is why I prefer not to use it by itself. But, due to this thoroughness and

gradual approach, the method’s organization by technique as opposed to piece (Suzuki),

and its child-friendly format, it complements the Suzuki method well. So, in this study, I will examine deficiencies in Suzuki’s approach to technical problems in Suzuki Violin

School, Volume 1 and provide solutions using Sassmannshaus’s Early Start on the Violin,

Volumes 1 and 2. My analysis of these problems as well as the lesson plans I provide can

benefit teachers as they instruct students in the Suzuki method and provide them with a

means for making the Suzuki method more successful for students.

Japanese pedagogue Shin’ichi Suzuki (1898–1998) was born in Nagoya, Japan.

When he was seventeen, he heard a recording of Schubert’s Ave Maria, played by the

famous violinist, Mischa Elman (1891–1967), which he credited with his desire to learn

to play the violin. After a few years of lessons with a local teacher in Tokyo, Suzuki went

to Berlin in 1921 and studied with Karl Klingler (1879–1971). Upon returning to Japan,

he began teaching violin and gave string quartet concerts with his brother. In 1930, he

became president of the Teikoku Music School and conductor of the Tokyo String

Orchestra. In 1946, he helped to found the music school in Matsumoto that would

eventually be known as the Talent Education Research Institute. Talent Education refers

to the method of instruction he developed. In this pedagogical philosophy, Suzuki argued

against the notion of special talent for certain individuals and believed that every child

has potential that can be highly developed through proper training and a beneficial

learning environment.2 Suzuki based his method, originally developed for violin

instruction, on the manner in which children learn to speak their own language, a concept

he called the Mother Tongue Method. His emphasis on learning music by ear rather than

reading musical notation at the beginning of instruction comes directly from this

approach. It is the central difference between his method and others’, and is often at the

heart of criticism of his method. However, note reading is an important aspect to the method that is introduced later, depending somewhat on the age of the child. Suzuki also

advocated the importance of social interaction and he encouraged his students to play in

ensembles as well as public concerts in the hope of achieving natural and enjoyable

performances.

Suzuki’s Suzuki Violin School contains ten volumes in a graded method that

begins with “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” Variations and culminates with W. A.

Mozart’s Violin Concerto in D Major, K. 218. The Suzuki method was first published in

Japan in the 1950s and its popularity quickly spread throughout the world. In the United

States, the impact was first felt after a demonstration, in which Suzuki and many of his

students performed for American educators in Philadelphia in 1965. The Suzuki

Association of the Americas (SAA) was formed in 1972 to provide programs and

services to members throughout North and South America. The SAA currently has a

membership of 8,000 individuals and its primary goal is the training of teachers to better

teach the methods. The following instruments are included in this training: violin, viola,

cello, double bass, harp, guitar, piano, flute, and recorder.

2Suzuki Method International, An Introduction to the Suzuki Method (Princeton, NJ: Birch Tree Group, 1984), 5.

Much has been written about the Suzuki method. However, Suzuki’s own writings are still very important sources for understanding his method. In two of his most important books, Ability Development from Age Zero and Nurtured by Love, Suzuki introduced many of his philosophies on the way children learn and develop.3 He gave suggestions for implementing his method and stressed the importance of the parent in the child’s music education as a “home teacher.” Many later books on the Suzuki method, especially in English, are largely reiterations of Suzuki’s own writings.4 Two pedagogues that contributed to the American acceptance of the Suzuki method are John D. Kendall and William Starr. Kendall was the first American teacher to study with Suzuki in Japan and he produced several important works on the Suzuki method. His concern went beyond individual music lessons as he wanted to incorporate philosophies and principles of the Suzuki method into the American classroom.5 Like Kendall, Starr is considered

3Shin’ichi Suzuki, Ability Development from Age Zero, trans. Mary Louise Nagata (Athens, OH: Ability Development Associates, 1981); and Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education, 2nd ed., trans. Waltraud Suzuki (Miami, FL: Warner Bros. Publications, 1983); see also, “Selected Instructions Given at the Annual Talent Education Teachers’ Meeting,” American Suzuki Journal 2, no. 2 (July, 1974): 5–6; The Suzuki Concept: An Introduction to a Successful Method for Early Music Education, ed. Elizabeth Mills and Therese Cecile Murphy (Berkeley, CA: Diablo Press, 1974); An Introduction to the Suzuki Method (Princeton, NJ: Suzuki Method International, 1984); Tonalization (Princeton, NJ: Suzuki Method International, 1985); Shinichi Suzuki: His Speeches and Essays (Secaucas, NJ: Summy-Birchard, 1989); Man and Talent: Search Into the Unknown, trans. Kyoko Selden (Ann Arbor, MI: Shar Products, 1990); and Young Children’s Talent Education and Its Method, trans. Kyoko Selden (Miami, FL: Summy- Birchard, 1996).

4See, for instance: Kay Collier Slone, They’re Rarely Too Young…and Never Too Old to “Twinkle!”: Teaching Insights into the World of Beginning Suzuki Violin (Ann Arbor, MI: Shar Publications, 1985); Edward Kreitman, Teaching from the Balance Point: A Guide For Suzuki Parents, Teachers, and Students (Western Springs, IL: Western Springs School of Talent Education, 1998); and David R. Collins, Dr. Shinichi Suzuki: Teaching Music from the Heart (Masters of Music) (Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds Publishing, 2002).

5See John D. Kendall, The Suzuki Violin Method in American Music Education: What the American Music Educator Should Know about Shinichi Suzuki (Washington: Music Educators National Conference, 1973); “Suzuki’s Mother Tongue Method,” Music Educators Journal 83, no. 1 (July, 1996): 43–46; and Suzuki Violin Method in American Music Education: A Suzuki Method, rev. ed. (Princeton, NJ: Suzuki Method International, 1999).

one of the pioneers of the Suzuki method in the United States. His writings are more

practical in nature. In his large-scale guide for teachers and parents, The Suzuki Violinist,

he provided detailed information on proper teaching techniques for each piece in the

entire method.6 This book is one of the most well-known and useful teaching guides for the Suzuki teacher. Starr also stressed that a large amount of preparation is needed to

learn the Suzuki book. In The Suzuki Violinist, he mentioned “The private lesson should fall into three parts, as should home practice sessions: 1) work on the current piece, 2) review for reinforcement, and 3) “preview” work on problems to come.”7 Elizabeth

Weston Hofeldt’s thesis, “The Companion Book to Shinichi Suzuki’s Suzuki Violin

School, Volume 1,” is similar to Starr in suggesting comprehensive discussions of each

piece and is focused on preparation of each piece, but she only examines the first

volume.8 This source was especially useful because she breaks down each piece into

small units for practicing and provides substantial details on how to learn each unit.

However, she does not compare the Suzuki method with others.

There are a couple of comparative studies of the Suzuki method with other violin methods, including Theodore Schlosberg’s DMA thesis, “A Study of Beginning Level

Violin Education of Ivan Galamian, Kato Havas, and Shinichi Suzuki as Compared to the

Carl Flesch Method,” and Marianne Perkins’s A Comparison of Violin Playing

Techniques: Kato Havas, Paul Rolland, and Shinichi Suzuki.9 Both of these sources

6Starr, The Suzuki Violinist.

7Ibid., 14.

8Elizabeth Weston Hofeldt, “The Companion Book to Shinichi Suzuki’s Suzuki Violin School, Volume 1” (DMA thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2000).

provide differences in approach and philosophies of the methods they discuss, but neither

of them is for the purpose of providing an approach to beginning violin teaching that

combines positive elements from more than one method. Further, neither of these studies includes the Sassmannshaus method.

Egon Sassmannshaus (1928–2010), German violinist and pedagogue, was born and grew up in Wuppertal, Germany. Although he was largely self-taught on the violin,

he briefly studied with the German-American violinist, Walter Schulze-Priska in the late

1940s. His career included time as the assistant principle violist for an orchestra in

Würzburg, Germany in the late 1950s, and he always kept a private studio of pupils. In

1976, he became director of the municipal music school in Würzburg and served as an

educational consultant to many of Germany's most influential educational organizations.

Further, his students have held some of the most important appointments in the European

music world, including principal positions with many leading orchestras and foremost

teaching posts. His teaching methods became popular through presentations at German

conferences as well as larger European conferences in the late 1960s and early 1970s,

resulting in the publication of his handwritten materials.

Sassmannshaus published the first volume of Early Start on the Violin in 1976

and followed it with three more volumes. This method, which has been expanded to

versions for viola and cello, is still one of the most widely used methods for string

pedagogy in Europe. It has only very recently been translated into English (2008), and so,

it is not yet as popular in the United States as other methods. However, it has been

9Theodore Karl Schlosberg, “A Study of Beginning Level Violin Education of Ivan Galamian, Kato Havas, and Shinichi Suzuki as Compared to the Carl Flesch Method” (DMA thesis, Rutgers State University of New Jersey, 1987); Marianne Murray Perkins, A Comparison of Violin Playing Techniques: Kato Havas, Paul Rolland, and Shinichi Suzuki (n.p.: American String Teachers Association, 1995).

recently capturing people’s attention primarily through the “Sassmannshaus Tradition” at

the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), which is a music

program created by Kurt Sassmannshaus, who has expanded upon his father’s method.

The Sassmannshaus tradition offers not only private lessons to students ages four and

above, but it also provides music theory and chamber-music group classes. In addition to

translating and editing his father’s book, Kurt Sassmannshaus offered the first of what is

intended to be many teacher training seminars in May, 2010 at CCM, to demonstrate the

unique aspects of this method and how they can be best taught. These instructional

seminars and workshops also provide certification to teachers who attend them.10

As for scholarly literature on the Sassmannshaus method, there are no important

studies available. Virtually no commentary exists in English, and in German, there are

only a few short and simplistic articles about his career and teaching style. For instance,

in his “Frueher Anfang auf Streichinstrumenten: Egon Sassmannshaus Erweitert Sein

Unterrichtswerk (Early Start on the String Instruments: Egon Sassmannshaus Expanded

His Educational Work),” Manfred Krueger assesses Sassmannshaus’s books including all

the volumes of Early Start and Christmas Play Book for Strings.11 However, he does not

go beyond providing general information. Therefore, my document will be one of the

first detailed discussions of this important method.

Suzuki emphasizes that success in the Suzuki approach depends upon the

relationship of children, parents, and teachers. It is very important that parent help their

child in practice at home, acting in a way as an assistant teacher. This relationship

10More about the Sassmannshaus Tradition, visit http://www.sassmannshaus.com/index.html

11Manfred Krueger, “Frueher Anfang auf Streichinstrumenten: Egon Sassmannshaus Erweitert Seit Unterrichtswerk,” Neue Musikzeitung 37, no. 6 (1988), 30.

between the child, parent, and teacher is often called as the Suzuki triangle.12 I will borrow this concept for my document and aim for an audience of these individuals. It can help a Suzuki student who wants to know how and what to practice. Parents can find useful advice for each piece and helpful materials to help their children with their practice.

And, teachers using the Suzuki method will benefit from this combination of methods, which presents key concepts and techniques in a more thorough and gradual manner.

In the next chapter, I will compare and contrast the first volumes of each method, finding major differences in terms of the intended audience for the actual instruction and the structure of each method. The third chapter explores the problems in Suzuki I have addressed above—delaying on introducing the two lower strings, string crossings with difficult rhythms, complicated fingerings, bow strokes and bow division—and provides solutions from Sassmannshaus. In the last chapter, I present a detailed guide of each lesson that synthesizes the Suzuki and Sassmannshaus methods. The lesson guide consists of reviews from previous lessons, new techniques, important points, and listening assignments.

12Kreitman, Teaching from the Balance Point, 4.

CHAPTER II Comparison of the First Volumes of Suzuki’s Suzuki Violin School and Sassmannshaus’s Early Start on the Violin

The methods of Suzuki and Sassmannshaus vary greatly in many ways. The layouts, plans, instructions, emphases, intended audiences, and goals, among other issues, are inherently different between the two. Even the lengths of each—Suzuki has ten volumes and Sassmannshaus four—expose the contrasting objectives and purposes. By the time a player has reached volume eight of Suzuki, s/he is entering the early advanced stage and the method at this point resembles an anthology of advanced pieces more than an instructional method. While there are still some introductions of advanced techniques, especially in the newer edition as opposed to the original, the focus in the later books is securely on the performance repertoire. In contrast, the Sassmannshaus method is shorter and if taken to completion will produce a player somewhere around the late intermediate range. This method prepares the student for the repertoire without exploring it to the same degree as Suzuki. At the heart of these differences then is this basic contrast: The

Suzuki method above all focuses on pieces while the Sassmannshaus on a gradual explanation of the essential techniques.

In the first volume of each method, the differences are perhaps even more

pronounced as they are both geared for the beginning of a player’s career, yet

demonstrate manifestly dissimilar approaches. In this chapter, I will compare and contrast

these volumes in terms of two basic issues. First, that the Suzuki and Sassmannshaus

methods are geared to different intended audiences as can be seen in their basic styles,

layouts, instructional devices, etc; and secondly, that Suzuki’s essential structure is one

based on the pieces, while Sassmannshaus is on technique. Most of the many variances

between these volumes, from the most minor to the most important, can be viewed in

light of these two points of departure.

Audience

Although the Suzuki method is intended to develop young string players, and is

often used for ages younger than with other methods, the intended audience is clearly

directed towards adult teachers and parents. As such, the teacher will continually act as a medium passing on the contents and instruction from the volume to the child. There are two ways in which this volume reflects this approach: the overall layout and look of the

method, and the lack of notational instruction, which is often the object of much criticism

of the method. In contrast, the Sassmannshaus approach is one geared directly toward the

student and thus seeks to appeal to the sensibilities, psychology and learning styles of

children. The teacher is still important as a guide, but the actual pages of the method are

intended to be read by the student and to serve as the primary teacher.

The layout of the volumes reflects this approach distinctly. The Suzuki method, geared towards adults who will pass on the instruction and music to the student, uses small-print notes and texts. The introductory material before the actual pieces is quite large—the Twinkle Variations begins on page 25—and covers a wide amount of topics

dealing with posture, tone, practicing, lessons, and even provides exercises to be prepared before and during the learning of the pieces. With the exception of the pictures (mainly photographs) found primarily in the opening material of instruments, individuals posing

with proper posture, holding bows and finger patterns, Suzuki does not include many

illustrations. There are no superfluous drawings, images, or artwork designed to appeal to

children (See figure 1).

Figure 113

The printed page, then, is entirely black-and-white, and consists mostly of instructional text and music. Although the first third of the pieces are folk or children’s songs, Suzuki does not include lyrics to any of them, and the remainder of the pieces, reflecting the

13Shin’ichi Suzuki, Suzuki Violin School, Volume 1 (Princeton, NJ: Birch Tree Group, 1978), 23.

traditional repertoire, have dry, generic titles like Allegro, Etude, and Gavotte (though

The Happy Farmer is an exception).

The accompanying writing likewise is complicated and adult oriented. Further, every instruction is translated into four different languages: English, French, German, and

Spanish.14 This feature, international as it may be, makes for a busy page and lends to it a

complexity difficult for children. (See the instruction in Figure 1). Moreover, each page

of the music, in addition to the actual piece, is overloaded with a large amount of preview

exercises and descriptions. In Allegro (see figure 2), for instance, the piece appears at the

top of the page with numerous material underneath. The new techniques introduced,

which in this case includes staccato playing and the fermata, are discussed in each of the

four languages as well as a list of questions designed to illicit reflection from the student.

Although the tone and voice is directed to the student, this list requires the help of the

teacher to decipher the numerous issues contained within. An exercise for the fourth-

finger is also included. This page is representative of the whole method; it is dry, matter-

of-fact, and heavy with instruction that can be easily understood by the teacher, but then

relies on him/her to relate the salient points to the student, especially the younger ones.

14The first edition also includes Japanese.

Figure 215

15Suzuki, Suzuki Violin School, 21.

In contrast to Suzuki, the Sassmannshaus method speaks directly to the student,

even young ones, through language, format and design that are overall very child-friendly.

The use of color helps to grab the attention of the student. His notes and staffs are in large

fonts, almost twice as big as those of Suzuki. His instructions are likewise larger and,

compared with Suzuki, minimal and direct and each page looks simple and spacious.

Also, with almost every piece in his Volume 1, he includes illustrations, some of which are closely related to the title or contents of the pieces or exercises. In Open Strings

(Sassmannshaus, p. 6), for instance, he includes a picture of an elephant, whose first letter,

E, corresponds to the E string. These illustrations are designed to be fun and colorful, and grab the attention of the young student. (See also figure 3)

Figure 316

16Egon Sassmannshaus, The Sassmannshaus Tradition: Early Start on the Violin, Volume 1. (New York: Bärenreiter, 2008), 6.

When Sassmannshaus introduces new fingering, he includes a picture of the violin fingerboard, but this is an illustration rather than a photograph. In The First Finger

(Sassmannshaus, p. 24), for example, the proper placement of the first finger is shown on a fingerboard (See figure 4).

Figure 417

17Ibid., 24.

Also differing from Suzuki is that each instruction is only in one language, and that

Sassmannshaus includes lyrics to nearly every song. In fact, he stresses singing,

mentioning with Open Strings (Sassmannshaus, p. 7), that all exercises should be sung

first. All of these general layout issues make this method approachable for children.

Another feature distinguishes the methods is the use of musical notation and terms.

Suzuki delays the introduction of note reading. It is his goal that the students develop an ability to discern good tone with their ears. However, since note reading is an essential part for learning music, he does include Musical Notation Guide (Suzuki, p. 45) at the

very end of the book, in which, he introduces the G clef, key and time signatures, note

and rest values, and various musical symbols including bar, bar line, and repeat sign, all

of which had been used in the music of Volume 1. In contrast, Sassmannshaus introduces

note reading in the very beginning of the book. As if to directly challenge Suzuki’s

approach, in a page somewhat similar to Suzuki’s (though simpler), he gives the note

values and their symbols. Although they share many of the contents, Sassmannshaus

includes bowing indications but excludes the key signatures, which appear in Suzuki’s.

Suzuki also uses musical terms frequently and from the very first piece. The

Twinkle Theme, introduces the simple dynamic indications. Then, in the fourth piece, Go

Tell Aunt Rhody, crescendo and diminuendo marks are used. He gives tempo indications

from the second piece on, including those pieces with the tempo as title: Allegro,

Allegretto, and Andantino. Starting with Allegro, Suzuki uses more complex tempo terms

including ritardando and a tempo. Repeat signs appear in the third piece, Song of the

Wind, and Gavotte first uses D. C. al Fine. Suzuki also includes more advanced bow

techniques like tenuto in the Twinkle Theme, bow lift (as indicated by ) in Go Tell Aunt

Rhody, and the accent in Allegretto. Except for repeat signs and tenuto markings,

Sassmannshaus does not include any musical terms in his Volume 1.

Structure

Suzuki essentially structures his Suzuki Violin School by piece rather than technique. Volume 1 consists of seventeen pieces that are graded in terms of difficulty.

Many of these are by Suzuki himself, including the first piece, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little

Star Variations, and numbers eight through twelve: Allegro, Perpetual Motion, Allegretto,

Andantino, and Etude. Folk songs, including, Lightly Row, Song of the Wind, Go Tell

Aunt Rhody, O Come, Little Children, and May Song, account for pieces two through six, with Long, Long Ago by T. H. Bayly serving as the seventh. The last five items come from the classical canon, mostly transcriptions of piano music. There are three minuets by J. S. Bach, The Happy Farmer from Robert Schumann’s Album for the Young and

Gavotte by François-Joseph Gossec. Suzuki also includes technical studies, exercises and scales and arpeggios (A Major, D Major, and G Major), before certain of the pieces: 1, 9,

10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 17; as well as some after number 17. Four of these are finger pattern exercises, some deal with rhythms and others are concerned with articulation or bowing. He calls those that include the scale and arpeggio for the three major keys, preparations for good tone.

Suzuki introduces nearly all of the techniques found in this volume in connection to pieces that rapidly increase in difficulty and by its conclusion, and the repertoire requires a highly refined musical sense. Thus, the concepts are introduced at a faster rate

than other methods including the Sassmannshaus. For instance, the first piece “Twinkle,

Twinkle, Little Star” Variations, covers a large and varied amount of techniques including détaché and staccato bow strokes, complicated rhythmic motives, challenging fingerings, etc. In the five folk songs following the Twinkle Variations, students encounter many difficult techniques: a double-down bow, a hopping third finger (from one string to an adjacent string), and dynamic contrasts. Contrasting moods are first introduced in Allegro. Both Allegretto and Andantino seem at first to be easy but they require rhythmic poise, bow control, and proper bow distribution, which are difficult skills for students to acquire. In Etude, Suzuki introduces the low second-finger pattern in the key of G Major. This piece also includes consecutive string crossings over three different strings and memorization obstacles due to its non-melodic, passage-like material.

The minuets by Bach—though derived from the notebooks for his students, including the one for Anna Magdelena—are not like the simplistic folksongs found earlier in the volume, but rather sophisticated and refined art pieces. Students must grapple with modulation for the first time in Minuet No. 1, and this piece also contains the portato bow stroke. Minuet No. 2, the longest piece in Volume 1, includes triplet rhythms and the high third-finger pattern and Minuet No. 3 contains the grace note. Schumann’s The Happy

Farmer introduces the student to complex problems of bow distribution in the context of dotted rhythms, which proves to be difficult for many. In the final piece, Gavotte, many difficulties arise including wide string crossings on non-adjacent strings, sixteenth-note figures, pizzicato, and changes of finger pattern between the high- and low-second fingers in close succession. Considered a sophisticated recital piece, Gavotte also engages the

student in classical forms, in this case, Da Capo, and students must negotiate between the

different styles as well as present the repetition in a musically satisfying manner.

In contrast to Suzuki’s method, Sassmannshaus organizes his Early Start on the

Violin, Volume 1, by technique. These techniques include notation, right hand techniques

and left hand techniques, which are interspersed together throughout the volume. Each

new concept in these categories is introduced one at a time with sufficient music to

develop it, which contrasts greatly with Suzuki, who often incorporates several new

concepts at once in a single piece. Note reading begins the entire volume in Note Values

And Symbols (p. 5) but students will mostly use quarter notes and half notes for much of

Volume 1 with eighth notes entering in later. Also, sharps and flats occur first about halfway through the book. Sassmannshaus begins with basic right hand techniques including open strings (p. 6–10) and string crossings (p. 11–14). He then shifts to fingering, the main technique of the left hand, and teaches the second, fourth, first and third fingers. Sassmannshaus includes the fourth finger early on, which sets his method apart from many others. Further, when he introduces a new fingering, he first displays it on a single string and then brings in string crossings later. Similarly, the new fingering is developed in exercises alone before it is combined with fingering the student has learned previously. For example, in Scales On Two Strings (p. 39), the G, D, and A Major scales appear followed by exercises based on those scales. After this section of fingering exercises, he introduces new bow strokes including staccato, slur, and portato and the concept of bow distribution. Ensemble playing is emphasized as well and there are a few pieces based on rounds and canons, designed for an ensemble setting.18 Overall, the

techniques that Suzuki covers in his book are much more advanced than that of

18The majorities of pieces from Volume 2 through 4, are duets.

Sassmannshaus, and Sassmannshaus’s approach is much more gradual allowing students

enough time to learn the new techniques.

In addition to organization and contents, the key structure differentiates the two

methods. In Volume 1 of his method, Suzuki includes three keys; A, D, and G Major

respectively. The first nine pieces are in A Major, the next two are in D Major, and the remaining is in G Major. The choice of keys is closely related to the finger pattern used.

For pieces in A Major—up to Perpetual Motion—only the A and E strings are used so that the student can play all of them with only a single finger pattern, the high second- finger pattern. Similarly, he limits pieces in D Major to D and A strings, which also make use of the high second-finger pattern. The pieces in G Major, then utilize the low second- finger pattern.

Unlike Suzuki, Sassmannshaus brings in the concept of key much later in his book. Until two-thirds of the way through, he writes out all the accidentals instead of using the key signature like what Suzuki does in the very beginning of his method.

Although Suzuki introduces both the high and low second-finger patterns in Volume 1,

Sassmannshaus employs only the high second-finger pattern in his Volume 1. But, while

Suzuki brings in one key at a time, Sassmannshaus gives the G, D, and A Major scales all at once in Scales On Two Strings (Sassmannshaus, p. 39), though he had already given pieces in each of these keys. In later pieces, Sassmannshaus makes use of all three keys.

Although, a piece might be in E Major (Eighth Notes, p. 42) or even C Major (Down At

The Station, p. 48), he carefully chooses specific fingerings and strings so that those pieces can be played with the high second-finger pattern as well.

All of these differences make for widely differing approaches to beginning violin.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both, which is why I use them together. The next chapter, which focuses on problems in Suzuki and solutions in Sassmannshaus, will explore how they can benefit from one another.

CHAPTER III Problems in Suzuki and Solutions from Sassmannshaus

Chapter Two explored differences of approach between the Suzuki and

Sassmannshaus methods. In this chapter I will focus on problems that are evident with

Suzuki Volume 1 and solutions from the Sassmannshaus method. These problems are the amount of time spent playing on only the higher strings alone, string crossings, difficult fingerings, bow strokes and bow division, all of which are accompanied with difficult rhythm complexities. These challenges coming as they do in the beginning of a student’s career can be overwhelming, but by incorporating elements from the first two

Sassmannshaus books, a teacher can alleviate many of the obstacles found in the Suzuki and provide thorough, balanced, and well-grounded instruction in the earliest stage of teaching.

The Two Lower Strings

One of the major problems with using the Suzuki technique in the first book is the amount of time the student works on only the upper two strings, A and E. It is not until the seventh piece that the D string is included for instruction and not until the tenth piece

for the G string. This approach creates an imbalance and hinders a student’s ability to

play all four strings with equal skill. It is my observation that beginners have difficulty

achieving as good a tone on the lower strings as they do with the higher ones. Because of

variances in the manner in which one plays the lower strings as opposed to the upper ones,

this delay is not beneficial.

There are a few differences in the technique required to play the lower strings.

First, students must learn the correct level the right arm needs to be in relation to the

strings. The angle of the bridge differs between all four strings and lower strings at the

bridge have closer angles than the higher strings. This design makes playing the lower

strings more difficult. Students often have a tendency to touch adjacent strings when they

are playing the lower strings. Secondly, the lower strings require less pressure, generally,

than do the higher strings. Sufficient time is need for students to learn the different

pressures in order to play good tones on both the higher and lower strings. The third issue

concerns the sounding point. In the words of the pedagogue, Ivan Galamian, the sounding

point is “that particular place, in relationship to the bridge, where the bow has to contact

the string in order to get the best tonal results.”19 Each string has a different sounding point, generally further away from the bridge for the lower strings than the higher ones.

The basic technique required is an ability to change the point of contact of the bow with the string. Because of these three differences, in my opinion it serves the students better to learn the four strings together from the beginning rather than to concentrate exclusively on the higher strings and then have to adjust significantly to accommodate the lower strings.

19Ivan Galamian, Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1962), 58.

On this point, the Suzuki and Sassmannshaus methods contrast, because

Sassmannshaus does introduce all four strings in the beginning. This approach ensures that students build a firm groundwork on all the strings at it allows for the use of his method to supplement the Suzuki. When the students arrive at the fourth piece in Suzuki,

Go Tell Aunt Rhody, I provide open string exercises on the D string found on p. 8, and 10 of the Sassmannshaus. With these exercises, composed simply with half and quarter notes, students can focus on learning the proper arm level, pressure and sounding point of the D string. I make sure that the student recognizes these basic concepts as they perform these pages. When the student arrives at the sixth piece in Suzuki, still one away from the first instance of the D string (Long, Long Ago), I provide exercises from pp. 26–28 of

Sassmannshaus. In Teddy Bear, Come Home With Me, from p. 26, the student learns to play first-finger fingering on the D string by playing back and forth between the open D and the first finger E on the D string, which will help him/her prepare for a similar occurrence in Long, Long Ago (Suzuki). The next piece on this page, Little Peter Rabbit, and Hot Cross Buns (p. 27) include the second finger as well which will help the student develop fingering on this string. When these exercises are mastered, I provide the pieces from Sassmannshaus pp. 29–33, because these songs require the student to go back and forth between the D and A strings, which they will have to do in Long, Long, Ago. Then,

I include pp. 36–37 of Sassmannshaus which use third- and fourth-finger fingerings on the D string as well. These exercises, simple and straight-forward, are more etude-like.

Finally, Good Night Noisy Cricket (Sassmannshaus, p. 41) will apply all of the techniques being learned into an actual piece, and by this point the student will be ready for Long,

Long Ago, and will have an easier time with it.

The G string will be approached similarly. While students are working on Allegro, the eighth piece in Suzuki, they can begin to learn the G string with exercises from p. 9 of

Sassmannshaus. Regarding exercises with the first finger on the G string, I recycle pieces from pp. 25–26 that I recommended for the D string exercise. These pieces should be transposed and played on the G string, and because the student already knows them, they can focus on their technique and achieve the proper arm level, pressure, and sounding point on this string. For further development in this manner and to go back and forth between the G and D strings, I recommend the Twinkle Variations to be played on these strings. With this approach, by the time the student arrives at Allegretto (the tenth piece in Suzuki), they will be ready for it.

String Crossings

The first piece students learn in the Suzuki method is a set of variations on

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. To play this piece well, students must learn numerous techniques that range in difficulty. String crossings are one of the most challenging of these techniques and the way in which Suzuki introduces them in this piece adds to the difficulty. The rhythms, in particular, can cause many problems for beginner students.

The main rhythmic figure in Twinkle Variation A contains four sixteenth and two eighth notes (a), and in Twinkle Variation E, the figure consists of eight sixteenth notes (b).

Example 1. Four Sixteenth and Two Eighth Notes (a) in Twinkle Variation A and Eight Sixteenth Notes (b) in Twinkle Variation E

(a) (b)

Executing string crossings in these variations can be difficult as they must be done with

complicated and fast rhythmic figures in a short amount of time. If the bow moves to the new string level before it stops moving, the result will be a tiny bit of sound from the new string, which is to be avoided. String crossings, in order to clean, must occur during that

moment between the notes when the bow is not in motion. While for advanced students,

string crossings become second nature, beginners need to think about a very short break in the motion of the bow as they move from one string to another. This technique is one of the more difficult ones for beginners and the rhythmic complications of the Twinkle

Variations do not allow for sufficient time for students to learn it well.

Sassmannshaus introduces string crossings with simple rhythmic figures in his

book, and his exercises will help students learn the technique well before incorporating it

into the more difficult pieces of Suzuki. For learning the basic concept of string crossings

between the A and E strings, I provide String Crossing from Sassmannshaus (pp. 11–13).

In my experience, the simplicity of rhythms allows my students to focus easily on string

crossings. For example, Hello Mother (p. 13) on the A and E strings is especially

beneficial for students because not only are they composed with simple rhythmic figures,

but they also includes notes that should be played repeatedly back and forth between two

strings. In order to prepare the Twinkle Variation A, I teach them rhythmic figures in the

Var. A on open A and E strings without string crossings. Once they have become

accustomed to string crossings in Sassmannshaus and the rhythmic figures of the Var. A

in the Suzuki, I combine them. The last note of the rhythmic figure in the Var. A is an

eighth note, marked staccato, which gives the student enough time to perform a string

crossing. However, in the Twinkle Variation E, with its quicker sixteenth-note pattern, the

string crossing is much more difficult, as it must be executed without a break. I advise my

students to play More Open Strings (Sassmannshaus, p. 12), gradually getting faster and faster, until they are at the speed required for the Var. E. For additional practice for this variation and after they learn all fingerings, I have them play That’s One Hot Potato

(Sassmannshaus, p. 58). This piece is a good preliminary piece because the rhythms are twice as slow. Although That’s One Hot Potato is composed for the lower strings, it can be played with the A and E strings, a suggestion Sassmannshaus himself makes.

As there is a difference between playing the lower strings and the higher ones, which we have discussed above, string crossing in the lower strings requires special

attention. A weakness of the Suzuki method is that the student spends too much time on

crossings between only the two higher strings. It is not until the seventh piece in Suzuki,

Long, Long Ago, that the student performs string crossings between the A and D strings.

String crossings between the G and D strings are not introduced until the tenth piece,

Allegretto. Performing string crossings between the A and E strings, the D and A strings,

or the G and D strings all require a different bow level. The bow level indicates the height

that the right arm should be elevated in relation to the string. String crossings require

using different parts of the right arm. William Starr describes three different methods for

string crossings:

1) changing the level by using the whole right arm as a unit, that is, hand forearm, 2) changing the level by using the hand and forearm only, with the elbow following if the player remains on the new string; 3) changing the level with a hand or finger motion only. . .20

20Starr, The Suzuki Violinist, 60.

It is my observation that students have a hard time achieving clean string crossings

between the lower strings until they learn the different bow levels needed to play the lower strings.

Sassmannshaus introduces string crossings between all four strings in the beginning. As the students finish the fourth piece in Suzuki, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, I provide my students selected string crossing exercises between the D and A strings from

pp. 11–14 of Sassmannshaus to prepare them for Long, Long Ago, in which the D string

is introduced for the first time in Suzuki. In I Can Play The A String (Sassmannshaus, p.

14) the student can learn the proper bow level between the D and A strings without too

much difficulty because the rhythms in these exercises are fairly simple with quarter and

half notes. To prepare for the string crossings between the G and D strings in Allegretto, I

provide string crossing exercises from pp. 12–13 of Sassmannshaus during their learning

of the eighth piece in Suzuki, Allegro. This gives the student sufficient time to learn the

proper bow level needed to play between the G and D strings before they get to this

technique in the Suzuki. For further practice on string crossings between the D and A strings, and the G and D strings with first and second fingers involved, I recommend selected exercises from String Crossing And Fingering on Different Strings

(Sassmannshaus, pp. 29–34).

Fingerings

Proper fingering is one of the most important techniques for students to learn

regardless of the instrument. While on some instruments, in which particular pitches

require specific fingers, for instruments like the strings, piano, and others, in which any

finger can be used in the sounding of a note, this technique takes on a greater importance.

It is this decision making process involved in fingering that pedagogue, Carl Flesh

highlights in the definition of fingering he gives in his seminal book, Violin Fingering:

“[Fingering] is the choice of the finger used to produce a certain tone.”21 As the left hand

finger controls the number and length of vibrations as well as the pitch and tone, it is

crucial to good playing. Fingering is also one of the major weaknesses of Suzuki Volume

1 that needs to be addressed and I will discuss specific fingerings including E0-A3, E0-

A2, A3-A1, and finger patterns as well as the delay in using the fourth finger.

1. The Fingering of E0-A3

As mentioned earlier, Suzuki includes an enormous amount of basic violin

techniques in the Twinkle Variations, and difficult fingering is one of these. In this piece,

students must learn finger placements such as A3 (third finger on the A string), A2, and

A1, but also the movement from the open string E to the third finger on the A string

(hereafter referred to as E0-A3), which is one of the most difficult fingerings for

beginners. The fingering of E0-A3 first occurs in mm. 2 and 3, of Twinkle Variation A and is repeated in each subsequent variation. What makes this passage so difficult for beginners is that it incorporates not only complex fingering, but also string crossings. As the synchronization of the left and right hands is one the most difficult aspect of violin playing, most students need to tackle these two techniques independently before putting them together.

Because Sassmannshaus introduces these concepts separately before combining them, use of his exercises is ideal. As I have already shown, the students can learn basic

21Carl Flesh, Violin Fingering: Its Theory and Practice (New York: Da Capo Press, 1979), 5.

string crossings by learning the exercises found on in pp. 11–13 of the Sassmannshaus.

Learning the fingering E0-A3 requires a bit of preparation so that the student will

correctly place and lift the third finger. The student should begin by learning the

fingering on the same string, thus A0-A3. There are two ways to play A0-A3: the first, a

walking finger in which the first, second, and third fingers are placed consecutively, and

the latter, a skipping figure, in which the third finger is placed directly from the open string. In order to execute the fingering of E0-A3, the student must know the skipping

third finger. However, s/he should learn the walking third finger first because the

skipping third finger is much more advanced. In The Third Finger (Sassmannshaus, p.

35), Sassmannshaus demonstrates the correct placement with an illustration of the violin fingerboard. In All The Little Hamsters (Sassmannshaus, p. 37), he provides exercises for the walking third finger, going up from A0 to E0 (A0-A1-A2-A3-E0) in mm. 1–2, and then going back down (E0-A3-A2-A1-A0) in mm. 4–8. Therefore, the fingering of E0-

A3 is included in this exercise, but by presenting it first in reverse, (A3-E0), in which the third finger is already on the A string, students have an easier time performing the string crossing from the A to E strings. Then, additional exercises focusing on both the skipping third finger and E0-A3 can be practiced. I have my students learn Old Bald Eagle and

Old MacDonald (Sassmannshaus, pp. 46 and 49 respectively). Also, the first piece of

Come See the Clown (Sassmannshaus, p. 54) is an excellent piece for learning E0-A3 because of its simple rhythms, quarter and half notes, and its many repetitions.

2. The Fingerings of E0-A2 and A3-A1

While Lightly Row, the second piece in Suzuki, is less technically challenging

than the Twinkle Variations, it does introduce two complex fingerings, both in melodic

leaps, with which students often struggle. The first occurs in m. 1, where the melody

leaps from e′ to c#′ using a fingering of E0-A2, and the second in m. 2, in which d′ moves to b with a fingering of A3-A1. These descending leaps in the melody are split with an ascending move from c#′ to d′, which is the first time in the method that student encounters a turn in the melodic direction. For instance, in the Twinkle Variations, once the fingering E0-A3 is completed the melody continues to descend. In Lightly Row, however, the fingering of E0-A2-A3-A1 is more complicated and requires additional exercises. Sassmannshaus incorporates many pieces that employ the fingering, E0-A2, in pp. 15–22. What’s Your Name? (p. 16), the first piece of Rain, Rain Go Away (p. 17), and

Hee-Haw! (p. 22) all aid in learning the E0-A2 fingering. For learning A3-A1 in a similar manner, I give my students Bye, Baby Bunting (Sassmannshaus, p. 45), which repeats this fingering many times and also includes the same fingering on the D string. After practicing the fingerings of E0-A2 and A3-A1 with Sassmannshaus’s exercises, I instruct my students to play the first and second measures of Lightly Row separately at first, then together. Because they learned to play A2-A3 in the Twinkle Variations, they are ready to play the melody in mm. 1–2 of Lightly Row. In mm. 7–8 and 15–16 of Lightly Row, the student will perform the E0-A2 fingering backwards and forwards. For additional practice with this fingering, I recommend O And Two (Sassmannshaus, p. 21).

3. The Fourth-Finger Fingering

The fourth finger, the pinky, is the weakest among the fingers and Suzuki does not introduce its use until the ninth piece. This approach, to delay a significant difficulty, is common in the Suzuki method; as we have seen, he similarly incorporates the lower two strings long after students have learned the upper two. In Suzuki Volume 1, students concentrate on the first three fingers for most of the book. Up to and including the eighth piece, he suggests an alternative open string fingering for the notes that could be played with fourth-finger fingering. It is in the ninth piece, Perpetual Motion, that the student is forced to play with the fourth-finger fingering. In my experience, Suzuki does not provide enough fourth-finger fingering exercises (which only appear with the eighth piece), and often my students get frustrated in learning the fourth-finger fingering when they can no longer use the optional open string any more. Even ignoring the open string fingering and using fourth-finger fingering earlier on does not alleviate the imbalance of learning between the fourth finger and the others. It is very important to develop the fourth-finger fingering early on. I bring in exercises to work on it when they finish the

Song of the Wind, and have them use the fourth-finger fingering where Suzuki gives the

option.

While Suzuki delays introduction to fourth-finger fingering, Sassmannshaus

provides for its use early on in his Volume 1. While similar to Suzuki, in that he allows

for an alternative open string fingering in some of the earlier pieces, what differentiates

the two, is that not only does Sassmannshaus introduce it earlier, he also contributes a fair

amount of description on how to use the alternative fingering and how to make a transition from the alternative to fourth-finger fingering smoothly. When Sassmannshaus

first describes and incorporates fourth-finger fingering in Bring Your Sled (p. 18), he suggests going back and forth between the open E and the fourth-finger E on the A string

(A4) so that the student can compare the fingered pitch with the open string, which helps him/her to find a proper intonation when using fourth-finger fingering. After my students learn the basic concept of this fingering with Bring Your Sled, I recommend selected exercises from Sassmannshaus, pp. 19–23. With these rhythmically simple exercises, students will strengthen their fourth finger without having too much difficulty. For instance, Teddy Bear (p. 19) and Dearest Cuckoo (p. 21) are especially good pieces to develop this fingering. I begin these exercises with my students when they arrive at the fourth piece in Suzuki, Go Tell Aunt Rhody. Then, it is in the fifth piece, O Come, Little

Children, that I stop letting them use the optional open-string, instructing them rather to play A4 instead of E0. Because this piece contains the same fingering—alternating between open finger and the fourth finger—as in the exercises of Sassmannshaus, students learn these passages rather quickly. They continue to use the fourth-finger fingering in such pieces as May Song, and others before they arrive at Perpetual Motion.

4. The Low Second-Finger Pattern (The Low 2)

Through Andantino, the eleventh piece, Suzuki only shows a single finger pattern, the high second-finger pattern (hereafter referred to as the high 2), which consists of a first and a second whole step, a half-step and a third whole step. However, in Etude, the twelfth piece, he brings in a new finger pattern, the low second-finger pattern (hereafter referred to as the low 2), which consists of a first and a second half step, and a whole step.

The challenge for students learning the low 2 at this juncture is that it is included in a

piece which is also the first time in Suzuki that the student plays on all four strings and it includes numerous string crossings. Because this new finger pattern is a highly demanding technique that gives students great difficulty, they need a well-timed plan and sufficient period of time to practice it before they arrive at Etude.

While Sassmannshaus also waits to introduce the low 2 until his Volume 2, he couples its initial instruction with simple and short pieces as well as the scales of C Major, which develops the low 2 on the lower strings, and G Major, which does this for the higher strings. When my students finish the ninth piece, Perpetual Motion, I give them the low 2 exercises to prepare them for the future piece, Etude. In All The Little Hamsters, and C and G Major Scales (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 7), the student will learn the low 2 with simple rhythms at first. In Songs With The New Finger Pattern in pp.10–13,

Sassmannshaus suggests various types of pieces with the low 2. The first piece that I recommend is Bye, Baby Bunting (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 10) because it does not include the first-finger fingering and thus students can learn the spacing between the second and third fingers first before incorporating the first finger. In addition, Song of

The Nightingale (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 10) is a very useful piece for learning the low

2 because it has simple rhythms and consists of numerous repetitions. In Five German

Folk Tunes (Vol. 2, pp. 15–16), Sassmannshaus introduces more pieces with the low 2.

Also, it is remarkable that Sassmannshaus includes Birds Announcing The Spring (Vol. 2, p. 16), which is also May Song, the sixth piece in Suzuki. Here, it is transposed from A

Major to C Major, making it ideal for students to learn the low 2 in a piece that they already know.

In Minuet No. 1, the thirteenth piece in Suzuki, both the high 2 and low 2 are used

in quick succession on the A and E strings in mm. 14–15 and on the A string in mm. 15–

17. To prepare for these passages and the numerous changes between low and high 2 on

adjacent strings, I recommend exercises from The Second Finger Changes Between High

And Low Positions (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, pp. 17–19). These exercises are especially

helpful for learning the remaining pieces in Suzuki from Etude to the final piece, Gavotte

because they are in the same key of G Major.

5. The High Third-Finger Pattern (The High 3)

Minuet No. 2 is the longest piece in the first volume of Suzuki and structurally, it

is the most complex among the later pieces. The many technical challenges make it

difficult for students. One of these is the high third-finger pattern (hereafter referred to as

the high 3), which is first introduced in mm. 23–24 of this piece. By itself the high 3 (d#′)

constitutes a technical difficulty, but in this piece it is accompanied by a new rhythm, a

slurred triplet, which appears immediately before the high 3. Also students often struggle

with the fingered and open E between the two high third-finger notes, and with the quick

shift in the next measure (m. 25), to the low third-finger pattern (hereafter referred to as

the low 3).

Sassmannshaus introduces the high 3 in a thorough and gradual manner in

Volume 2. First, with an image of a violin fingerboard, he demonstrates a new spacing

that must occur between the fingers. Then he introduces many short and simple pieces with the high 3. I begin by instructing my students on the basic concept of the high 3 and

the new and different spacing between the second and third fingers and third and fourth

fingers, and have them apply these principles in Up The Ladder (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 24). Then they continue to practice this technique with exercises from pp. 25–32.

Among these, I especially prefer Lightly Row (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 28) and Go Tell

Aunt Rhody (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 29), as they have already learned these pieces in

Suzuki, and thus, can focus their attention on the new finger patterns. For exercises that work on going between high and low 3, I recommend Summer Song (Sassmannshaus,

Vol. 2, p. 33) and Winter Song (Vol. 2, p. 34). The rhythmic simplicity in these songs and their short lengths allow my students to develop a firm groundwork of the high and low 3.

Bow Strokes

Another important issue that causes problems for students working in the Suzuki method concerns bow strokes. There are two basic but contrasting bow strokes which form the foundation of violin playing that students must learn in Volume 1: détaché and staccato. As he does with several other important techniques, Suzuki presents both of these in the very first piece, Twinkle Variations. While the détaché stroke is a basic technique, it requires skill in order to be performed well. Galamian describes it in the following way:

A separate bow is taken for each note and the stroke is smooth and even throughout with no variation of pressure. There is no break between the notes, and each bow stroke has, therefore, to be continued until the next takes over.22

In order to accomplish the even, fine, and connected stroke, students must place a sufficient amount of pressure on the bow and maintain the bow parallel to the bridge.

Once again, the complex rhythms in Twinkle Variation A (four sixteenth notes followed

22Galamian, Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching, 67.

by two eighth notes) make learning difficult. My students often struggle to play the

détaché stroke in this variation, especially on the sixteenth notes. In my observation,

students often fail to produce an even sound on the détaché stroke, because they do not

have a solid foundation. In order to solve this problem, I provide them with open string

exercises from Sassmannshaus (pp. 7–10), and help them to work on the correct amount

of pressure needed for this stroke and also to find a parallel bow angle. The rhythmic

simplicity in these exercises allows the student to develop a good foundation. After

attaining familiarity with proper pressure and bow angles, I have the student practice the

same exercises in a faster tempo until they are the tempo of the sixteenth notes in Twinkle

Variation A.

As with the détaché stroke, the learning of the staccato stroke is not made easier

the complex rhythms of the Twinkle Variations. Staccato is one of the most difficult

bowing techniques for beginners, as the student must separate notes from one another

with a pass during which the bow waits silently on the string. It requires time to learn

correctly. Suzuki introduces it in the first piece along with many other techniques. This

stroke is found in the first three variations, and in Twinkle Variation C is performed on the eighth notes. On the other hand, Sassmannshaus introduces the staccato stroke, simply, with quarter notes. In a similar manner as in teaching the détaché stroke, I provide my students the open string exercises from Sassmannshaus and instruct them to apply the staccato bow stroke until they develop a clear articulation. After the Twinkle

Variations, the third piece in Suzuki, Song of the Wind, also makes use of staccato. Here the staccato stroke is presented with difficult fingerings and bowings in a fast tempo. To prepare them for this piece, I give my students Good Night Noisy Cricket

(Sassmannshaus, p. 41) and have them play on the A or E strings. With longer rhythmic values, quarter notes, students can develop a clear articulation that they will then use in

Song of the Wind.

Bow Division

The complexity of rhythms found in the Twinkle Variations, especially Twinkle

Variation C, also affects the learning of a final technical problem: bow division. These rhythmic motives require a long bow, followed by two smaller bows in the upper half of the bow, and then another long bow, followed by two smaller bows in the lower half of the bow. (down bow: long-short-short/up bow: long-short-short). Because Suzuki introduces these rhythmic motives in a fast tempo, my students commonly do not play them with the proper bow division.

Example 2. The Basic Rhythmic Motive of Twinkle Variation C

L S S L S S

Sassmannshaus introduces bow divisions in a simpler manner, on only open strings and with longer rhythmic values of half and quarter notes. Again, the open string exercises from pp. 6–7 of Sassmannshaus help the student to develop a good foundation for learning the proper amounts of bow for the long-short-short bow. After the student acquires a basic understanding of the proper bow divisions with these longer values on the open string, I give them the exercises, Whole Bow And Half Bows (Sassmannshaus, p.

57), which speed up the values and which involve all the fingerings, before returning to

the Twinkle Variation C. In Lightly Row, the second piece in Suzuki, the rhythms of the

main melody in mm. 1–2, consisting of two quarter notes and a half note (down bow:

short-short-long/up bow: short-short-long), reverse those of the Twinkle Variation C.

Example 3. The Rhythmic Motive in mm. 1–2 of Lightly Row

S S L S S L

This passage gives difficulty to beginners in terms of bow division because of the new fingering. Go Tell Aunt Rhody, the fourth piece in Suzuki, includes rhythmic mixtures of eighth, quarter, and half notes. To help students prepare for these pieces, I suggest exercises in pp. 44, 46, and 48 from Sassmannshaus. Down At The Station

(Sassmannshaus, p. 48) is especially beneficial for students as they learn the bow division in pieces that mix rhythms as this piece contains eighth, quarter, and half notes, similarly as in Go Tell Aunt Rhody.

In my opinion, the problems that arise in using the Suzuki method can be solved by using the Sassmannshaus method. This chapter has demonstrated this approach. The final chapter will provide a comprehensive guide on each lesson that shows how these two methods complement each other.

CHAPTER IV Lesson Guide

This chapter will provide a lesson guide for teaching Suzuki Volume 1. It includes

a total of 64 lessons. Each lesson plan is divided into 4 sections: Let’s review–to ensure that students are practicing techniques and materials from the previous lesson in the appropriate manner; What’s new?–to introduce new features such as techniques, songs, and terms; Important point!–to provide additional advice for key concepts; and

Listening– to engage the student’s ear in reviewing and learning the current piece.

My teaching is based on the following principles. 1) Review: Reviewing learned

pieces ensures steady development of technique. Further, it allows for the teaching of

new techniques with pieces that the student already knows which makes easier learning of complexities and helps to build confidence. 2) Repetition: Repetition is key for improving skills. It results in technical security, an expanding repertoire, and the child’s

feeling of satisfaction through achievement. 3) Creativity: New ideas need to be geared

to each which requires creativity in approach. For instance, a teacher can make up stories

about what the fingers are doing, or what the bow should do, or write words for the music.

S/he should make the learning of new concepts as fun as possible. 4) Parental

involvement: Parental involvement is crucial for learning to play the violin. To be a second-teacher at home, the parent must attend all lessons so that s/he understands the learning process and receives initial instruction in all of the beginning steps of lessons.

The most important key for success is the parent’s willingness to commit regular time to work directly with the child. 5) Positive environment: A joyful and passionate attitude is extremely important so that the child’s motivation comes from enthusiasm for learning and a desire to please. 6) Listening: Daily listening is an essential part of learning to play the violin. Listening also gives students a good example, and it develops their ear so that they can one day discern good sound. They should listen to their review pieces and current pieces as well as fine classical music in general.

LESSON OBJECTIVES 1 What’s new?

· Care of the violin (Suzuki, p. 6)

› Opening and closing the case › Learning to take out the violin from the case · The parts of the violin (Suzuki, p. 15)

› Bridge, scroll, fingerboard, strings, f-hole, chinrest, shoulder rest · The names of the higher strings, A and E

› A(pple) and E(lephant) · Rest position (Suzuki, p. 16) › Placing the violin under the right arm while holding the top of the violin

with the left hand · The rhythm of Twinkle Variation A: clapping and tapping › Four sixteenth and two eighth notes

“Pepp-e-ro-ni Pi-zza” =

Important point! · Take turns clapping or tapping the rhythm.

Listening · Twinkle Variation A

2 Let’s review · The parts of the violin, the names of the higher strings, rest position, the Var. A rhythm

What’s new?

· Stance (3 steps)

1. Feet in line (rest position feet: feet together) 2. V feet (feet unzip making a V) 3. Playing feet (playing position feet: left foot steps) · The parts of the bow › Parts of the bow picture (Suzuki, p. 15)

› Bow stick, bow hair, tip, frog, tension screw 23 · Rest Position Song · Playing position: 6 steps (starting from rest position) 1. Pulling out the violin with the left hand like a shield

23Rest Position Song, http://www.violinartistry.com/pretwinklesongs.pdf

2. Turning bottom of the violin in and upside down 3. Touching the ear 4. Landing on shoulder 5. Turning head toward the violin

6. Dropping heavy head on the violin · The rhythm of Twinkle Variation E: clapping and tapping › Eight sixteenth notes

“Wish-I-had-a-Wa-ter-mel-on” =

Important point! · Make sure not to clench the chin when in playing posture.

Listening · Twinkle Variations A and E

3 Let’s review · The parts of the violin and bow, the names of the higher strings, rest position, Rest Position Song, stance, playing position in 6 steps, the Var. A and E rhythms

What’s new?

· Plucking the upper strings in playing position · Bow hold (Suzuki, p. 17) › Bent thumb, round pinkie on the top of the bow stick 24 · Bow Song : exercises variety of bow motions (up, down, circle, sideways) · The rhythm of Twinkle Variation C: clapping and tapping › One eighth and two sixteenth notes

“Cheese-Pi-zza” =

Important Point! Important Point! · Set up the proper bow grip: bent thumb and round pinkie. · For Bow Song, the tip of the bow should be pointing up consistently.

24Bow Song, http://www.violinartistry.com/pretwinklesongs.pdf

Listening · Twinkle Variations A, E, and C

4 Let’s review · The parts of the violin and bow, plucking the higher strings, stance, rest position, Rest Position Song, bow hold, Bow Song, playing position in 6 steps, the Var. A, E, and C rhythms

What’s new? · Bow exercises › “Stirring soups”: having a big circle motion with the bow › “Pinkie dance”: tapping the pinkie with the Var. A rhythm on the top of the bow stick

› Window shield wiper movement

· Bowing on the left shoulder: preliminary bowing practice · Finger tapping

› Tapping each finger with the thumb

· Plucking the higher strings · The rhythm of Twinkle Variation D: clapping and tapping › An eighth-triplet note

“Straw-ber-ry” =

Listening · Twinkle Variations A, E, C, and D

5 Let’s review · Plucking the higher strings, rest position, Rest Position Song, bow hold, Bow Song, bowing on the left shoulder, bow exercises, finger tapping exercise, playing position in 6 steps, the Var. A, E, C and D rhythms

What’s new?

· The names of the lower strings, G and D › G(oose) and D(og) · Plucking the lower strings

· Putting rosin on the bow · Playing position: simple 3 steps 1. Beginning from rest position 2. Landing on shoulder 3. Turning head and dropping heavy head on the violin

· The rhythm of Twinkle Variation B: clapping and tapping › Two eighth notes and one eighth rest and note

“1 2 shh 4” =

Important point! · Take time for learning the Var. B rhythm. This is the most challenging rhythm among Twinkle Variation rhythms!

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations

6 Let’s review · Bow hold, Bow Song, bow exercises, finger tapping exercise, the names of the lower strings, playing position in 3 steps, plucking all four strings, the rhythms of the Twinkle Variations

What’s new?

· Putting the violin and bow together

· Playing the open A and E strings (Sassmannshaus, pp. 6–7)

· The first finger tapping exercise on the fingerboard · Playing the Var. A rhythm on the higher strings

Important Point! · For playing the rhythms, take turns!

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations

7 Let’s review · Bow hold, Bow Song, the first finger tapping exercise, the names of the lower strings, playing position in 3 steps, plucking all four strings, the rhythms of Twinkle Variations, playing the Var. A rhythm on the higher strings

What’s new? · String crossing exercises between the A and E strings (Sassmannshaus, pp. 11–13)

· The first-finger fingering practice on the E string (Sassmannshaus, p. 25)

· Playing the Var. A rhythm with the first finger [E1]

· The second finger tapping exercise on the fingerboard · Playing the Var. E rhythm on the higher strings

Important point!

· For the finger placement on the fingerboard, make sure to put the finger

down firmly.

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations

8 Let’s review · Bow hold, Bow Song, the first and second finger tapping exercises, string crossing exercises, the first-finger fingering practice on the E string, the Var. A rhythm with the first finger, the rhythms of Twinkle Variations, playing the Var. A and E rhythms on the higher strings

What’s new?

· The first-finger fingering practice on all four strings (Sassmannshaus, p. 26) · Flower Song25 [E0-E1-E0-A0] with the Var. A rhythm

E0 E1 E0 A0

· The third finger tapping exercise on the fingerboard · Playing the Var. C rhythm on the higher strings

Important point! · For Flower Song with the Var. A rhythm, play the notes as well as say the words (“Pepperoni pizza”) simultaneously.

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations

9 Let’s review · Bow hold, Bow Song, first, second, and third finger tapping exercises, string crossing exercises, the first-finger fingering practice on all four strings, Flower Song with the Var. A rhythm, the rhythms of the Twinkle Variations,

25Flower Song, http://soundstrings.wordpress.com/for-students-parents/suzuki-song-words/

playing the Var. A, E, and C rhythms on the higher strings

What’s new? · The second-finger fingering practice on all four strings (Sassmannshaus, pp.

15–17)

· The first-finger practice with all Twinkle Variation rhythms · Flower Song with the Var. E and C rhythms

E0 E1 E0 A0

E1 E0 E1 A0

· Playing the Var. D rhythm on the higher strings

Important point! · For Flower Song with the Var. E rhythm, focus on the coordination between the left and right hands!

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations

10 Let’s review · The finger tapping exercises, the first- and second-finger fingering practice, Flower Song with the Var. A, E and C rhythms, the rhythms of Twinkle Variations, playing the Var. A, E, C, and D rhythms on the higher strings

What’s new? · The third-finger fingering practice on all four strings (Sassmannshaus, p. 35

and 37) · Flower Song with the Var. D rhythm

E1 E0 E1 A0

26 · Monkey Song [A0-A1-A2-A3-A3-A2-A1-A0] with the Var. A rhythm · Playing the Var. B rhythm on the higher strings

Important point! · When playing Monkey Song, put the fingers firmly on the A string.

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations

11 Let’s review · Finger tapping exercises, the third-finger fingering practice, Flower Song with the Var. A, E, C, and D rhythms, Monkey Song with the Var. A rhythm, the rhythms of Twinkle Variations, playing all Twinkle Variation rhythms on the higher strings

What’s new? · Flower Song with the Var. B rhythm

E0 E1 E0 A0

· Monkey Song with the Var. A and E rhythms · Bubblegum Song [E0-A3] with the walking third finger with the Var. A rhythm (Sassmannshaus, p. 37)

E0 A3 ↑ walking third finger on the A string: putting first, second, and third fingers down consecutively

Important point! · Do not allow the students to do the hopping third finger yet. Instead, let them play with the walking finger until they achieve proper string crossing.

26Monkey Song, http://www.violinartistry.com/pretwinklesongs.pdf

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations

12 Let’s review · The first-, second-, and third-finger fingering practice, Flower Song with all Twinkle Variation rhythms, Monkey Song with the Var. A and E rhythms, the rhythms of Twinkle Variations, Bubblegum Song with the walking finger

What’s new?

· Flower Song backwards with the Var. A rhythm

E0 E1 E0 A0 → A0 E0 E1 E0 Flower Song Flower Song backwards = mm. 1–2 of Twinkle Variation A

· Monkey Song with the Var. C and D rhythms · Bubblegum Song with the skipping finger with the Var. A rhythm (Sassmannshaus, p. 37) · Cheese Song [E0-A3-A2-A1] with the Var. A rhythm › Bubblegum Song + (walking third finger) + second half of Monkey Song

walking third finger

↓ ┌ second half of Monkey Song ┐

E0 A3 A2 A1 └ Bubblegum Song ┘

Important point! · When playing Bubblegum Song [E0-A3] with the skipping finger, once the student plays E0, have him/her bring the third finger close to the A string as soon as possible so that s/he is ready for A3 immediately!

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations

13 Let’s review · Flower Song backwards with the Var. A rhythm, Monkey Song with the Var. A, E, C, and D rhythms, Bubblegum Song with the skipping finger, the

rhythms of Twinkle Variations, Cheese Song with the Var. A rhythm

What’s new?

· Flower Song backwards with the Var. E, C, D, and B rhythms · Bread Song [A0-E0-E1-E0-A3-A2-A1-A0] with the Var. A rhythm

› Flower Song backwards + second half of Monkey Song

= mm. 1–4 of Twinkle Variation A

┌ Flower Song backwards ┐ A0 E0 E1 E0 A3 A2 A1 A0 └ second half of Monkey Song ┘

= mm. 1–4 of Twinkle Variation A

· Monkey Song with the Var. B rhythm

· Cheese Song with the skipping third finger with the Var. A rhythm · Cheese Song with the Var. E, C, D, and B rhythms

Important point! · In Bread Song, take time at the Bubblegum Song part.

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations · Lightly Row

14 Let’s review · Flower Song backwards, Monkey Song, Bubblegum Song, and Cheese Song with all Twinkle Variation rhythms, Bread Song with the Var. A rhythm

What’s new?

· Bread Song with the Var. E, C, and D rhythms

· Cheese Sandwich with the Var. A rhythm › Bread Song + Cheese Song x 2 + Bread Song = Twinkle Variation A

Bread Song A0-E0-E1-E0-A3-A2-A1-A0

Cheese Song x 2 E0-A3-A2-A1 E0-A3-A2-A1

Bread Song A0-E0-E1-E0-A3-A2-A1-A0

= Twinkle Variation A

· The fingering of E0-A2 (Sassmannshaus, pp. 19, 20, and 22) · Lightly Row

m. 1 E0 A2 A2 ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

Important point! · In the Twinkle Variations, let the student take his/her time for E0-A3 (Bubblegum Song)! Depending on how much s/he is comfortable with E0-A3, give him/her an option to choose either the waking third finger or skipping third finger.

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations · Lightly Row

15 Let’s review · Monkey Song, Bubblegum Song, and Cheese Song with all Twinkle Variation rhythms, Bread Song with the Var. A, E, C, and D rhythms, Cheese Sandwich with the Var. A rhythm, E0-A2 exercises

What’s new?

· Bread Song with the Var. B rhythm

· Twinkle Variations E and C

· Butterfly Song [A0-A2-E0-A2]: O And Two (Sassmannshaus, p. 21) · The fingering of A3-A1: Bye, Baby Bunting (Sassmannshaus, p. 45)

Important point! · For Bye, Baby Bunting, play the open string instead of the fourth finger.

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations · Lightly Row

16 Let’s review Monkey Song and Cheese Song with all Twinkle Variation rhythms, Twinkle Variations A, E, and C, A3-A1 exercises, Butterfly Song

What’s new?

· Twinkle Variations D and B · Lightly Row

mm. 7–8 A0-A2-E0-E0-A2-A2-A2 └ Butterfly Song ┘

· Ice Cream Song [E0-A2-A3-A1]

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations · Lightly Row

17 Let’s review · Twinkle Variations, Butterfly Song, Ice Cream Song, Lightly Row mm. 7–8

What’s new?

· Twinkle Theme · Lightly Row

mm. 1–2 E0-A2-A2 A3-A1-A1 └ ┘ Ice Cream Song ┌ ┐ mm. 5–6 E0-A2-A2-A2 A3-A1-A1-A1

Important point! · In Twinkle Theme, each note should be still played separately (not legato).

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations · Lightly Row

18 Let’s review · Twinkle Variations, Monkey Song, Butterfly Song, Ice Cream Song, Lightly Row: mm. 1–2 and 5–8

What’s new? · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations playing continuously (without a break between variations) · A Major scale on the upper strings · Lightly Row: mm. 1–8

Important point! · Do not allow the students to play the Twinkle Variations along with the CD until they are ready.

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations · Lightly Row · Song of the Wind

19 Let’s review · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations, A Major scale, Butterfly Song, Ice Cream Song, Lightly Row: mm. 1–8

What’s new? · Lightly Row: mm. 9–12

A1-A1-A1-A1-A1-A2-A3 A2-A2-A2-A2-A2-A3-E0  A1 x 5 times-A2-A3 A2 x 5 times-A3-E0

· Wind Song E1-A3 - E3-E1-E0 ↑ hopping third finger

Important point! · In Wind Song, make sure of the proper finger placement of A3-E3.

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations · Lightly Row · Song of the Wind

20 Let’s review · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations, A Major scale, Butterfly Song, Ice

Cream Song, Lightly Row, Wind Song

What’s new? · Lightly Row · Circle bow: double down bow (Suzuki, p. 28)

· Song of the Wind

› Wind Song + (circle bow) + Wind Song

mm. 3–6 E1-A3-E3-E1-E0 E1-A3-E3-E1-E0 ↑ circle bow: the bow is lifted from the string and replaced back to the string

Important point! · For the circle bow, make sure the right arm is achieving sufficient circle motion.

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations · Lightly Row · Song of the Wind

21 Let’s review · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations, A Major scale, circle bow, Lightly Row, Song of the Wind: mm. 3–6, Wind Song

What’s new?

· D string exercise #1 (Sassmannshaus, p. 8) · Song of the Wind: mm. 7–14

┌ half of the A Major scale ┐ mm. 10–14 A0-A2-E0 E0-A3(x4)-A2(x4)-A1(x3)-A0 ↑ (QUICK) circle bow!

Listening · Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations

· Lightly Row · Song of the Wind · Go Tell Aunt Rhody

22 Let’s review · A Major scale, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations, D string exercise #1, circle bow, Lightly Row, Wind Song, Song of the Wind: mm. 7–14

What’s new?

· Song of the Wind

· D string exercise #2 (Sassmannshaus, p. 10) · The fourth-finger fingering practice #1: Bring Your Sled (Sassmannshaus, p. 18) · Go Tell Aunt Rhody: mm. 1–4

Important point! · Make sure for the proper bow pressure, sounding point, and arm level for the D string.

Listening

· Lightly Row · Song of the Wind · Go Tell Aunt Rhody · O Come, Little Children

23 Let’s review · A Major scale, D string exercise #2, Song of the Wind, the fourth-finger fingering practice #1, Go Tell Aunt Rhody: mm. 1–4

What’s new?

· String crossings between the D and A strings (Sassmannshaus, pp. 11–14)

· The fourth-finger fingering practice #2: Teddy Bear (Sassmannshaus, p. 19) and Dearest Cuckoo (p. 21) · Go Tell Aunt Rhody: mm. 5–8 · O Come, Little Children

mm. 13–14 E1-E0 - E3-E0-A2 ↑ hopping third finger

Important point! · Aim for clean sound on string crossings between the D and A strings.

Listening · Song of the Wind · Go Tell Aunt Rhody · O Come, Little Children · May Song

24 Let’s review · A Major scale, D string exercise #1 and 2, Song of the Wind, string crossings between the D and A strings, the fourth-finger fingering practice #1 and 2, Go Tell Aunt Rhody: mm. 5–8, O Come, Little Children: mm. 13–14

What’s new? · Exercises on the D string with the first finger #1: Teddy Bear, Come Home

With Me! (Sassmannshaus, p. 26)

· Go Tell Aunt Rhody

· O Come, Little Children: mm. 1–4

· Dotted rhythm: The Dotted Quarter Note (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 14) · The fourth-finger fingering practice #3: Exercises for the 4th Finger (Suzuki, p. 32)

Listening · Song of the Wind · Go Tell Aunt Rhody · O Come, Little Children · May Song

25 Let’s review · A Major scale, exercises on the D string #1, Song of the Wind, string crossing between the D and A strings, the fourth-finger fingering practice #3, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, O Come, Little Children: mm. 1–4

What’s new?

· O Come, Little Children: mm. 9–16 · May Song › Dotted rhythm practice on open strings (Suzuki, p. 31)

m. 1 A0 A0 E0 E0 → A0 A2 E0 E3 m. 3 A0 E0 A0 A0 → A3 E0 A2 A0  practice without left fingers  then play as it is written

· Exercises on the D string #2: playing Twinkle theme on the D and A strings (in D Major)

Important point! · For practicing mm. 1 and 3 of May Song, have students clap the rhythm first before playing.

Listening · Song of the Wind · Go Tell Aunt Rhody · O Come, Little Children · May Song

26 Let’s review · A Major scale, exercises on the D string #2, Song of the Wind, string crossing between the D and A strings, the fourth-fingerf fingering practice #1, 2, and 3, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, O Come, Little Children: mm. 9–16

What’s new?

· O Come, Little Children with the fourth-finger fingering · Exercises on the D string with the first and second fingers #3-1: Little Peter Rabbit (Sassmannshaus, p. 26) and A Finger Exercise On All Strings (p. 28) · May Song: mm. 5–8 › Dynamics: Loud vs. Soft

mm. 5–6: (moderately) Loud vs. mm. 7–8: Soft → more bow and pressure → less bow and pressure

· May Song › Keep the second finger down

m. 6 A2 E0 A2 2______(keep it down)

Important point! · For (soft) section in May Song, the sound should still be clear and not too weak/quiet.

Listening · Song of the Wind · Go Tell Aunt Rhody · O Come, Little Children · May Song

27 Let’s review · A Major scale, exercises on the D string #3-1, Song of the Wind, string crossings between the D and A strings, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, O Come, Little Children with the fourth-finger fingering, May Song: mm. 5–8

What’s new?

· Exercises on the D string with the first and second fingers #3-2: Hot Cross Buns (Sassmannshaus, p. 27) and Mary Had A Little Lamb (p. 40) · D Major scale on the D and A strings (Suzuki, p. 34) · May Song · Long, Long Ago: mm. 9–12 › the D string note

m. 9 A1 D1 D1 ↑ hopping first finger from the A to D string

Important point! · For May Song, encourage the student to use the fourth finger.

· For additional practice on the D string, use selected exercises from pp. 29– 33 of Sassmannshaus.

Listening · Go Tell Aunt Rhody · O Come, Little Children · May Song · Long, Long Ago

28 Let’s review · Exercises on the D string #3-2, D Major scale, O Come, Little Children with the fourth-finger fingering, May Song, Long, Long Ago: mm. 9–12

What’s new? · D string exercise #4: Twinkle Variations in D Major · Long, Long Ago: mm. 1–8 · Allegro: mm. 1–4

lifting second and third fingers simultaneously

┌ ↑ ┐ m. 2 E1 E2 E3 E1 1______(keep it down!)

Important point! · In mm. 4–5 of Allegro, bring the bow from the tip to the frog quickly!

Listening · O Come, Little Children · May Song · Long, Long Ago · Allegro

29 Let’s review · A Major scale, D Major scale, exercises on the D string #4, May Song, Long, Long Ago: mm. 1–8, Allegro: mm. 1–4

What’s new?

· G string exercises (Sassmannshaus, p. 9)

· Long, Long Ago · Allegro: mm. 9–12

· Musical expressions #1 (Suzuki, p. 46) › rit. (abbreviation for ritardando) › fermata › a tempo

Important point! · In G string exercises, make sure of the proper right arm level for the G string.

Listening · May Song · Long, Long Ago · Allegro ·Perpetual Motion

30 Let’s review · A Major scale, D Major scale, G string exercises, Long, Long Ago, Allegro: mm. 9–12, musical expressions #1

What’s new? · String crossings between the G and D strings (Sassmannshaus, pp. 12–13) · Allegro · Musical expressions #2 (Suzuki, p. 46) › dim. (abbreviation for diminuendo) › dolce · Perpetual Motion Var. A: mm. 9–12 › Form: C (mm. 9–10) + C (mm. 11–12)

Important point! · Make sure for a contrasting mood between mm. 9–12 (dolce) and the rest in Allegro.

Listening · Long, Long Ago · Allegro ·Perpetual Motion

31 Let’s review · A Major scale, D Major scale, string crossings between the G and D strings, Long, Long Ago, Allegro, musical expressions #2, Perpetual Motion Var. A: mm. 9–12

What’s new? · Exercises on the G string with the first finger #1-1: Fuzzy Teddy Bear on the G string (Sassmannshaus, p. 25) · Perpetual Motion Var. A: mm. 1–4 › Form: A (mm. 1–2) + A′ (mm. 3–4)

‼ m. 2 … A3 A1 E0 E0 vs. m. 4 … A3 A1 A0 A0

 take care not to confuse m. 2 with m. 4, whose two ending notes are different!

Important point! · For further string crossing exercises between the G and D strings, play selected exercises from pp. 29–34 of Sassmannshaus.

Listening · Long, Long Ago · Allegro · Perpetual Motion

32 Let’s review · A Major scale, D Major scale, string crossings between the G and D strings, Allegro, exercises on the G string #1-1, Perpetual Motion Var. A: mm. 1–4

What’s new? · Exercises on the G string with the first finger #1-2: Teddy Bear, Come Home With Me on the G string (Sassmannshaus, p. 26) · Perpetual Motion Var. A: mm. 5–8 › Form: B (mm. 5–6) + B′ (mm. 7–8)

Important point! · In order to memorize Perpetual Motion easily, remember the form!

Listening · Long, Long Ago · Allegro · Perpetual Motion · Allegretto

33 Let’s review · A Major scale, D Major scale, string crossings between the G and D strings, Allegro, exercises on the G string #1-2, Perpetual Motion Var. A: mm. 5–8

What’s new? · Perpetual Motion Var. A · Perpetual Motion Var. B: mm. 1–8

Important point!

· For doubles, make sure for a heavy but small amount of bow.

Listening · Allegro · Perpetual Motion · Allegretto

34 Let’s review · A Major scale, D Major scale, string crossings between the G and D strings, exercises on the G string #1-2, Perpetual Motion Var. A and Var. B: mm. 1–8

What’s new? · Perpetual Motion Var. B: mm. 9–16 · ExercisesE on the G string #2: Twinkle Variations in G Major · Musical expressions #3 (Suzuki, p. 46) › accent › bow lift ( ) › Allegretto · Allegretto: the G string note

m. 9 D1 G1 G1 G1 ↑ hopping the first finger from the D to G string

Important point! · Make sure for the proper sounding point for the G string note in Allegretto.

Listening · Perpetual Motion · Allegretto · Andantino

35 Let’s review · D Major scale, exercises on the G string #2, Perpetual Motion Var. A and Var. B: mm. 9–16, musical expressions #3, Allegretto: m. 9

What’s new?

· Perpetual Motion Var. A and B

· Accent exercise: Twinkle Theme playing with an accent on the half notes · Allegretto: mm. 1–8 · Exercises on the D string with staccato stroke #5: Good Night Noisy Cricket (Sassmannshaus, p. 41)

Important point! · For additional accent exercise, play Who’s That with an accent on half notes (Sassmannshaus, p. 47).

Listening · Perpetual Motion · Allegretto · Andantino

36 Let’s review · D Major scale, exercises on the D string #5, exercises on the G string #2, Perpetual Motion Var. A and B, accent exercise, Allegretto: mm. 1–8

What’s new? · Low second-finger pattern (the low 2): All The Little Hamsters, and C and G Major Scales (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 7) · Allegretto: mm. 9–12 · G Major scale on the lower strings (Suzuki, p. 36)

Important point! · If students have a hard time to finding the low second-finger placement, allow them to place a new finger tape on the fingerboard.

Listening · Perpetual Motion · Allegretto · Andantino

37 Let’s review · D Major scale, G Major scale on the lower strings, accent exercise, low second-finger pattern, Allegretto: mm. 9–12

What’s new? · Low second-finger exercise #1: Exercise No. 2, Finger Pattern 2 (Suzuki, p. 37) · G Major scale on the higher strings (Suzuki, p. 36) · Allegretto

Listening · Perpetual Motion · Allegretto · Andantino

38 Let’s review · D Major scale, G Major scale on the higher strings, accent exercise, low- second finger pattern, low second-finger exercise #1, Allegretto

What’s new?

· Low second-finger exercise #2: Songs With The New Finger Pattern

(Sassmannshaus, pp. 10–13) · G Major scale on all four strings (Suzuki, p. 36) › High 2 on the lower strings vs. Low 2 on the higher strings · Allegretto with accents

Important point! · If the student is not ready for executing accents in Allegretto, let him/her move on for the moment and try it later as a review piece.

Listening · Perpetual Motion · Allegretto · Andantino

39 Let’s review · D Major scale, G Major scale on all four strings, accent exercise, low second-finger pattern, low second-finger exercise #2, Allegretto with accents

What’s new? · Low second-finger exercise #3: German Folk Tunes (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, pp. 15–16) · Andantino: mm. 1–8 · Musical expressions #4 (Suzuki, p. 46) › Andantino › poco

Important point! · Do not use long bows on the half notes at the ends of the phrases in Andantino!

Listening · Allegretto · Andantino · Etude

40 Let’s review · D Major scale, G Major scale, accent exercise, low-second finger pattern, low second-finger exercise #3, Andantino: mm. 1–8, musical expressions #4

What’s new?

· Exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1: Finger Exercise No. 3 (Suzuki,

p. 38) · Andantino: mm. 9–16 · Musical expressions #5 › Etude: musical composition for practicing a particular technical skill › sempre: always

Listening · Allegretto · Andantino · Etude

41 Let’s review · G Major scale, low-second finger exercise #1, 2, and 3, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1, Andantino: mm. 1–8, musical expressions #5

What’s new? · Exercises on alternating low and high 2 #2: selected exercises from The Second Finger Changes Between High And Low Positions (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, pp. 17–19) · Andantino · Etude Var. A: mm. 1–8 › Form: A (mm. 1–4) + A′ (mm. 5–8)

‼ m. 4 … A1 D0 D3 A0 vs. m. 8 … A1 D3 A1 A3

 take care not to confuse m. 4 with m. 8, whose three ending notes are different!

Listening · Andantino · Etude · Minuet No. 1

42 Let’s review · G Major scale, low-second finger exercise #1, 2, and 3, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #2, Andantino, Etude Var. A: mm. 1–8

What’s new? · Portato stroke exercise #1: Slurred Notes (Sassmannshaus, p. 62) · Etude Var. A: mm. 9–14 › Form: B (mm. 9–11) + A″ (mm. 12–14) › Alternating finger patterns between low and high 2

m. 10 D2 D0 D2 A0 E3 E2 E1 E0 ↑ ↑ f# (high 2) g′ (low 2)

Important point! · For the smooth execution of the slur stroke, pull the bow and connect one note to the next without changing the bow direction.

Listening · Andantino · Etude · Minuet No. 1

43 Let’s review · G Major scale, low-second finger exercise #1, 2, and 3, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, portato stroke exercise #1, Etude Var. A: mm. 9–14

What’s new? · Portato stroke exercise #2: Preparation for Slurs (Suzuki, p. 37) · Etude Var. B

Important point! · For Preparation for Slurs, practice in order of b) - a) - d) - c).

Listening · Andantino · Etude · Minuet No. 1

44 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, portato stroke exercise #2, Etude Var. B

What’s new? · Portato stroke exercise #3: Go Tell Aunt Rhody (Sassmannshaus, p. 63) · Etude Var. A and B · Musical expressions #6 › Minuet: French social dance in 3/4 time

Important point! · For the portato stroke, play two notes in the same bow direction by making a brief stop between the notes.

Listening · Andantino · Etude · Minuet No. 1

45 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, portato stroke exercise #3, musical expressions #6, Etude Var. A and B

What’s new?

· Portato stroke exercise #4: The Portato Stroke (Sassmannshaus, p. 64) · Minuet No. 1: mm. 1–8 › Alternating finger patterns between low and high 2

mm. 6–7 E0 A2 A1 A0 D3 D2 D1 D0 D2 ↑ ↑ c′ (low 2) f# (high 2)

· High third-finger exercise #1: Up The Ladder (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 24)

Listening · Etude · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2

46 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, portato stroke exercise #4, high third-finger exercise #1, Minuet No. 1: mm. 1–8

What’s new? · Portato stroke exercise #5: Returning Home (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 19) · High third-finger exercise #2: Lightly Row (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 28) · Minuet No. 1: mm. 9–16 › Alternating finger patterns between low and high 2

mm. 14–15 E4 E2 E1 E0 A3 A2 A0 A2 ↑ ↑ g′ (low 2) c#′ (high 2)

Important point! · For practicing b′ (E4) in m. 14 of Minuet No. 1, play Lightly Row transposed to E Major.

Listening · Etude · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2

47 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, portato stroke exercise #5, high third-finger exercise #2, Minuet No. 1: mm. 9–16

What’s new? · Portato stroke exercise #6: A Fiddler In The Circus (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 19) · High third-finger exercise #3: Go Tell Aunt Rhody (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 29) · Minuet No. 1: mm. 17–24

Important point! · For additional portato stroke exercises, play Folk Dance (Sassmannshaus,

Vol. 2, p. 20) and Happy Birthday To You (Vol. 2, p. 21).

Listening · Etude · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2

48 Let’s review · G Major scale, portato stroke exercise #6, high third-finger exercise #3, Minuet No. 1: mm. 17–24

What’s new? · High third-finger exercise #4: Good Night Noisy Cricket (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 30) · Minuet No. 1 with dynamics · Minuet No. 2: mm. 1–4 › String crossings over three strings

D0 A0 A0 E0 A0 E0 E0 D0 D0  practice without the left fingers first mm. 1–2 D3 A1 A3 E2 A0 E1 E2 D3 D3  then play as it is written

Listening · Etude · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2

49 Let’s review · G Major scale, high third-finger exercise #4, Minuet No. 1 with dynamics, Minuet No. 2: mm. 1–4

What’s new? · Exercises on alternating low and high 3 #1: Summer Song (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 33) · Minuet No. 2: mm. 5–8 · Minuet No. 2: m. 15 › Triplet rhythm: review the rhythmic movie of Twinkle Variation C “Straw- be-rry” (See Lesson #4)

Important point! · For the triplet rhythm exercise, review Twinkle Variation C.

Listening · Etude · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2

50 Let’s review · G Major scale, high third-finger exercise #1 and 2, exercises on alternating low and high 3 #1, Minuet No. 2: mm. 1–2, Minuet No. 2: mm. 5–8 and m. 15, Twinkle Variation C

What’s new? · Exercises on alternating low and high 3 #2: Winter Song (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 34) · Minuet No. 2: mm. 9–16 · Minuet No. 2 › Alternating finger patterns between low and high 3

mm. 23–24 E1 E2 E3 A1 A3 A4 A3 E0 E1 ↑ ↑ ↑ a′ (low 3) d#′ (high 3) d#′ 3______(keep it down!)

Listening · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2 · Minuet No. 3

51 Let’s review · G Major scale, high third-finger exercise #3, portato stroke exercise #1, exercises on alternating low and high 3 #1 and 2, Minuet No. 2: mm. 9–16 and 23–24

What’s new? · Exercises on alternating low and high 3 #3: Canon (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 34)

· Minuet No. 2: mm. 17–24 · Minuet No. 2: mm. 29–30 › Slur with string crossings: review of Slurred Notes (See Lesson #42)

Important point! · For the first two notes in mm. 29–30 of Minuet No. 2, make sure to use enough amount of the bow so that the sound should be clean and full.

Listening · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2 · Minuet No. 3

52 Let’s review · G Major scale, high third-finger exercise #4, exercises on alternating low and high 3 #1, 2, and 3, Minuet No. 2: mm. 17–24 and 29–30

What’s new? · Exercises on alternating low and high 3 #4: Exercise No. 4, Finger Pattern 3 (Suzuki, p. 40) · Minuet No. 2: mm. 25–32 · Minuet No. 3: m. 8 › Grace note: grace note exercise #1 (Suzuki, p. 41)

Important point! · Exercise No. 4, Finger Pattern 3 can also be practiced on the G and D strings.

Listening · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2 · Minuet No. 3

53 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, exercises on alternating low and high 3 #4, grace note exercise #1, Minuet No. 2: m. 8 and mm. 25–32

What’s new?

· Minuet No. 2 · Minuet No. 3: mm. 1–16

Listening · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2 · Minuet No. 3

54 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, exercises on alternating low and high 3 #4, grace note exercise #1, Minuet No. 2, Minuet No. 3: mm. 1–16

What’s new? · Minuet No. 2 with dynamics · Minuet No. 3: mm. 16–24 › From the third finger to fourth with string crossings over three strings

Add E1 between D3 and E4 ↓ m. 16 m. 17 mm. 16–17 D3 (E1) E4

 after playing D3, place the first finger on the E string (E1) before placing the fourth finger (E4)

Listening · Minuet No. 1 · Minuet No. 2 · Minuet No. 3

55 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, Minuet No. 2 with dynamics, exercises on alternating low and high 3 #4, grace note exercise #1, Minuet No. 3: mm. 17–24

What’s new?

· Minuet No. 3: mm. 25–32 · The Happy Farmer › Dotted rhythms: review of The Dotted Quarter Note (See Lesson #24)

m. 1 D0 A0 A0 D0 → D3 A1 A3 D3 m. 9 A0 A0 A0 D0 → A2 A1 A0 D0

 practice without left fingers  then play as it is written

· Musical expressions #7 › giocoso: merrily

Important point! · For additional practice of dotted quarter rhythms, review May Song.

Listening · Minuet No. 2 · Minuet No. 3 · The Happy Farmer

56 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, grace note exercise #1, musical expressions #7, The Dotted Quarter Note, Minuet No. 3: mm. 25–32, The Happy Farmer: m. 1 and 9

What’s new? · Dotted rhythm exercise #1: Canon (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 18) · Minuet No. 3 · The Happy Farmer: mm. 1–4 › String crossings between the D and A strings

A0 A0 D0 A0 A0 D0 D0 A0  practice without left fingers first m. 3 A2 A0 D0 A2 A1 D3 D0 A1  then play as it is written

Important point! · Encourage the students to play Canon with the portato stroke as well.

Listening · Minuet No. 2

· Minuet No. 3 · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte

57 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, grace note exercise #1, dotted rhythm exercise #1, Minuet No. 3, The Happy Farmer: mm. 1–4

What’s new?

· Dotted rhythm exercise #2: Dotted Rhythm Exercise (Suzuki, p. 42) · Minuet No. 3 with dynamics · The Happy Farmer: mm. 9–14

Important point! · Take care not to confuse m. 4 and 8 with m. 14 and 20 in The Happy Farmer.

Listening · Minuet No. 3 · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte

58 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, grace note exercise #1, dotted rhythm exercise #2, Minuet No. 3 with dynamics, The Happy Farmer: mm. 9–14

What’s new? · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte: mm. 1–8 · Gavotte: m. 2, 4, 6, and 8 › Grace note: grace note exercise #2 (Suzuki, p. 44)

Important point! · Make sure not to miss the accents on certain notes in The Happy Farmer.

Listening · Minuet No. 3 · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte

59 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, grace note exercise #1 and 2, The Happy Farmer, Gavotte: mm. 1–8

What’s new?

· Gavotte: mm. 9–16

· Gavotte: m. 20 › Alternating finger patterns between low and high 2 in running sixteenth notes

m. 20 A1 A3 A2 A3 E0 A3 A2 A1 ↑ ↑ c#′ (high 2) c′ (low 2)

Important point! · For further practice for alternating low and high 2 in running sixteenth notes, practice Cotillon (Sassmannshaus, Vol. 2, p. 21).

Listening · Minuet No. 3 · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte

60 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, grace note exercise #1 and 2, The Happy Farmer, Gavotte: mm. 9–16 and 20

What’s new? · Musical expressions #8 (Suzuki, p. 46) › pizzicato › arco · Gavotte: mm. 17–24 · Gavotte: m. 32 › pizzicato: Pizzicato Exercise (Suzuki, p. 44)

Important point! · For additional pizzicato exercise, play the entire Twinkle Theme with pizzicato.

Listening · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte

61 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, grace note exercise #1 and 2, pizzicato exercise, Gavotte: mm. 17–24 and 32, musical expressions #8

What’s new?

· Gavotte: mm. 25–32 › Quick string crossing with running sixteenth notes

┌ sixteenth notes ┐ m. 30 D0 D1 D0 G3 G2 ↑ stop the bow and execute string crossing

Listening · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte

62 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, grace note exercise #1 and 2, pizzicato exercise, Gavotte: mm. 25–32

What’s new? · Gavotte: mm. 1–16 with dynamics · Musical expressions #9 (Suzuki, p. 46) › D. C. al Fine › cantabile

Important point! · Be careful about the contrasting bow strokes: staccato and legato.

Listening · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte

63 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, grace note exercise #1 and 2, pizzicato exercise, Gavotte: mm. 1–16 with dynamics, musical expressions #9

What’s new? · Gavotte: mm. 17–32 with dynamics

Important point! · Play pizzicato in m. 32 of Gavotte extremely loud!

Listening · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte

64 Let’s review · G Major scale, exercises on alternating low and high 2 #1 and 2, grace note exercise #1 and 2, pizzicato exercise, Gavotte: mm. 17–32 with dynamics

What’s new? · Gavotte

Important point! · Do not take a repeat of the first half section the second time.

Listening · The Happy Farmer · Gavotte

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

Garson, Alfred. “Learning with Suzuki: Seven Questions Answered.” Music Educators Journal 56, no. 6 (Feb., 1970): 64–66, 153–4.

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______. The Suzuki Violin Method in American Music Education: What the American Music Educator Should Know about Shinichi Suzuki. Washington: MENC, 1973.

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Slone, Kay Collier. They're Rarely Too Young…and Never Too Old to "Twinkle!": Teaching Insights into the World of Beginning Suzuki Violin. Ann Arbor, MI: Shar Publications, 1985.

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______. Ability Development from Age Zero. Translated by Mary Louise Nagata. Athens, OH: Ability Development Associates, 1981.

______. Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education. 2nd ed. Translated by Waltraud Suzuki. Miami, FL: Warner Bros. Publications, 1983.

______. The Suzuki Concept: An Introduction to a Successful Method for Early Music Education. Edited by Elizabeth Mills and Therese Cecile Murphy. Berkeley, CA: Diablo Press, 1974.

______. Suzuki Violin School, Volume 1. Princeton, NJ: Birch Tree Group, 1978.

______. Tonalization. Princeton, NJ: Suzuki Method International, 1985.