Teaching the Violin and Viola: Creating a Healthy Foundation

To transition to using the full bow, we introduce the “adult “ bow hold and a series of exercises to extend the bow stroke. Pieces include Long, Long Ago, O Come, Little Children, and Butterfly, Flutterby.

We can now introduce the key of D Major. Students learn the D major scale along with pieces such as Bach Musette and Hushabye Lullaby.

When we progress to the G Major scale and arpeggio, we start adding etudes and more advanced technical concepts. Pieces covered include Minuet and Happy Farmer.

To teach note reading, we will cover the best-practice teaching techniques for note reading and vibrato. We will also explore group teaching, group games, and group dynamics.

Now that our students are getting more advanced, we can begin to cover our favorite exercises for the older student. Exercises include "Poof Bow" and the "Invisible Violin."

In our final segment, we will learn from top pedagogues Mimi Zweig and Roland and Almita Vamos in a master class setting.