Teaching the Violin and Viola: Creating a Healthy Foundation

Northwestern University

À propos de ce cours

Join us as we explore the fundamental principles and early stages of teaching violin and viola through a series of engaging video lectures and lesson demonstrations, including: 1) Master classes with some of the world’s top string pedagogues, 2) Individual lesson demos of teaching violin/viola set up, left and right hand technique and pieces from the early violin/viola repertoire, 3) Group lesson demos of teaching music theory, ear training and fun activities that encourage good playing habits, and 4) A “field trip” to the violin shop, where we will outfit a new beginning student with a proper instrument and bow. You’ll also engage in a series of discussions and reflections with colleagues and peers across the globe. Upon completion of this course, we hope you’ll return to your studio with confidence, a new curriculum, and a renewed approach to sharing with your students the joyful experience of making beautiful music.

Cours en ligne à 100 %

Commencez dès maintenant et apprenez aux horaires qui vous conviennent.

Approx. 17 heures pour terminer

Recommandé : 6 hours of videos, quizzes and peer assessments

English

Sous-titres : English

Cours en ligne à 100 %

Commencez dès maintenant et apprenez aux horaires qui vous conviennent.

Approx. 17 heures pour terminer

Recommandé : 6 hours of videos, quizzes and peer assessments

English

Sous-titres : English

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

1

Section

1 hour to complete

Beginning Stages

Welcome to Teaching the Violin and Viola: Creating a Healthy Foundation! We will begin by covering leading philosophies and pedagogical theories about teaching children the violin and viola. The beginning stages will cover the child’s setup, posture and first left hand techniques....

6 videos (Total 16 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

Introductory Video1m

Violin Shop3m

Posture3m

Holding The Instrument3m

Left Hand Setup "Eggs"2m

Left Hand Setup "GDG"2m

5 readings

Syllabus10m

Grading and Logistics10m

Meet Your Instructors10m

2

Section

1 hour to complete

Bow Arm and Hand

To introduce the use of the right hand, we start by creating a “pinky house” for the child’s bow. We delve further into the violin setup and positioning through various creative exercises....

4 videos (Total 10 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

4 videos

Bow Set Up; Pinky House1m

The Beginning Bow Hold2m

Shoulder Bowing2m

Preparation for Violin and Bow Together4m

1 readings

Module Overview10m

1 practice exercises

Bow Arm and Hand10m

3

Section

1 hour to complete

Putting It All Together

Now we get to put it all together by slowly incorporating the different movements of the right and left hand through four different pieces....

4 videos (Total 15 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

4 videos

Shh Shh2m

GDG & AEA3m

See Saw4m

See the Little Monkey5m

1 readings

Module Overview10m

1 practice exercises

Putting It All Together10m

4

Section

3 hours to complete

Pieces in the Key of A Major

After good setup and posture have been established, we start teaching the fundamentals through elementary pieces in the key of A Major. We also get to learn our first scale!...

6 videos (Total 28 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

6 videos

Twinkle6m

The A Major Scale6m

Strawberry Red2m

Lightly Row5m

Go Tell Aunt Rhody5m

Brother John2m

1 readings

Module Overview10m

1 practice exercises

Pieces in the Key of A Major10m

5

Section

1 hour to complete

Playing with the Whole Bow

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....

4 videos (Total 19 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

4 videos

Adult Bow & Whole Bow Exercises5m

Long, Long Ago5m

O Come, Little Children3m

Butterfly, Flutterby4m

1 readings

Module Overview10m

1 practice exercises

Playing with the Whole Bow8m

6

Section

1 hour to complete

Pieces in the Key of D Major

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. ...

6 videos (Total 31 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

6 videos

D Major Scale4m

Hop, Hop, Hop4m

Fox, You've Stolen the Goose3m

All the Birds are Already Here6m

Bach Musette5m

Hushabye Lullaby6m

1 readings

Module Overview10m

1 practice exercises

Pieces in the Key of D Major10m

7

Section

1 hour to complete

Pieces in the Key of G Major

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....

6 videos (Total 29 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

6 videos

G Major Scale & Arpeggios6m

Wohlfahrt Etude in G3m

Minuet7m

Minuet in G3m

The Happy Farmer4m

All the Pretty Little Ponies3m

1 readings

Module Overview10m

1 practice exercises

Pieces in the Key of G Major8m

8

Section

1 hour to complete

Note Reading, Vibrato, and the Group Class

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....

8 videos (Total 22 min), 1 reading

8 videos

Note Reading3m

Beginning Vibrato6m

Simon Says & Eggs1m

Bow Games2m

Shh Shh1m

Boil The Cabbage2m

Sunflower and Intervals2m

Rhythm Games2m

1 readings

Module Overview10m

9

Section

3 hours to complete

Favorite Exercises for the Older Student

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."...

5 videos (Total 14 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

5 videos

The Invisible Violin2m

Bow Hold Exercises2m

The Train Story2m

1:4 Bow Exercises2m

Poof Bow Exercises3m

1 readings

Module Overview10m

1 practice exercises

Favorite Exercises for the Older Student10m

10

Section

1 hour to complete

The Master Class

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

2 videos (Total 62 min), 1 reading

2 videos

Mimi Zweig Master Class33m

Almita Vamos & Roland Vamos Master Class28m

1 readings

Module Overview10m

Instructor

Stacia Spencer

Senior Lecturer

About Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research and teaching university with campuses in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, and Doha, Qatar. Northwestern combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment that transcends traditional academic boundaries. ...

Frequently Asked Questions

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Teaching the Violin and Viola: Creating a Healthy Foundation