Suzuki Violin

Brooke started learning Suzuki violin at the beginning of the school year.  She was really excited about the box violin for the first six weeks.  Then we ordered the real thing and it became "hard".  She was not interested in practicing more than two minutes a day.  I was about to give up on violin when something clicked!  She finally is excited about it and asks me to practice.  What a difference!

We play a violin game that I came up with everyday because she loves it so much!

This is how we play... There are six color coded songs that she knows drawn on index cards.

She rolls flings the large dice and plays whatever song that is connected to the color on the dice. 

I hide stickers, princess pictures, or money under the cards.  She is always excited to see what is hiding underneath (even though I been recycling the same "prizes" for the last few weeks)!

Our last lesson went very well.  We have little goals every week.  This week we will be practicing keeping our eyes on the bow as we play.  She has wandering eyes and her bow can get a little off the "highway" if she doesn't concentrate.  She looks pretty tired in these photos, it was 8pm and she didn't want to go to bed without practicing!

  

I'm so inspired by Suzuki violin instruction.  It's such a positive approach to teaching music and life skills.  I often think to myself, "Well, she's only four... we can let that go..."  Suzuki instruction never forgets the future goals: hand position, feet position, soft bow holds, etc.  This standard of excellence is not forced in a negative manner or too quickly, its taught gradually in the smallest SMALLEST!!! increments you can imagine.

In this single picture I can think of the months of practice it has taken to find this position.  Her right hand has a soft grip (not easy for little ones), long 3rd and 4th fingers on the "frog" of the bow and a curved pinkie standing upright.  She places the violin on her shoulder by herself, one handed.  Her left hand has a straight wrist, fingers in a "finger tunnel".  The violin is upright, not slouched down.  Her bow is over her "highway" (the space on the violin between the bridge and the fingerboard) and in her "backyard" (the space on the bow that has been shown with red tape). On and on...  I'm so proud of how far she has come!

Here is an example of one of the six songs she can play.