Untitled Document

Powerpoint Note Name Flashcards: Email Mrs. Feuerborn

Violin Note Name Flashcards Viola Note Name Flashcards

Cello Note Name Flashcards Bass Note Name Flashcards

HOW TO PRACTICE...THE BOW HOLD!!!

10 Steps to holding the bow correctly:

1. Turn right hand over- palm up.

2. Don't stiffen hand.

3. Place pencil across 1st, 2nd, and 3rd fingers between 1st and 2nd joints. Tip of pinky touches pencil for violins and violas. Pinky touches pencil at 1st knuckle joint for celli and basses.

4. Move thumb lightly and place on pencil between 1st and 2nd fingers. Don't grab.

5. Turn hand over. Pinky and thumb should be relaxed (slightly bent).

6. Understand the light and relaxed feeling you have now.

6a. ****NOW, PIVOT or "TWIST" your hand to your left. Your first two fingers, especially, should lay on their side slightly. This is how you will get a powerful bow stroke.***

7. Do the same steps with the bow.

8. Turn bow vertically, like a rocket- notice how light it is.

9. Bring middle of bow close to strings, still in the rocket position.

10. LET THE STRINGS HOLD THE BOW UP. YOUR HAND IS ONLY USED TO GUIDE THE BOW ACROSS THE STRINGS. IT IS ONLY A WEIGHT.

Take note of the following:

1. DO NOT bend or straighten the thumb. Leave it alone.

2. DO NOT separate your forefinger from the other fingers.

3. DO NOT squeeze the bow with your thumb or top fingers.

4. DO NOT stiffen the pinky.

DO the following:

1. Relax the fingers and thumb.

2. Pretend like you are swimming. Remember that feeling of how your fingers flow in the water?

3. Wiggle your fingers around when the bow is placed on the strings- THAT is flexible!!!

4. Drop your right shoulder down. A stiff shoulder creates tension.

MANDATORY:

1. Practice forming a correct bow hold 30x a day, 5 days a week.

2. Practice by using a pencil when you're at school.

3. Use your brains and your tactile sense!

Rhythm Practice

1. Check the time signature ALWAYS.

2. Set a steady tempo with a metronome. It is the beat.

3. Say beats out loud / clap the rhythm.

4. Clap the beats / say the rhythm on numbers.

5. Clap the beats/ say the rhythm on syllables. (Ta, Ti-Ti,etc.)

6. Tap the beats / play the rhythm on an open string.

7. Tap the beats / play the rhythm on a different open string for every best.

8. Say beats out loud / bow rhythm on shoulder

9. Say “down up” while bowing rhythm on shoulder.

HOW TO PRACTICE...SHIFTING!!!

(The shortened version)

1. Relax your fingers and hand.

2. Stretch pinky over string.

3. Lighten finger that you are shifting on.

4. Slide finger – bring along thumb.

5. Press finger down once you reach the pitch.

*** IMPORTANT: ALWAYS SLIDE ON THE FINGER YOU ARE SLIDING TO. This is the airplane concept.

HOW TO PRACTICE...SHIFTING!!!

10 Steps to Shifting:

1. Relax left hand.

2. Place finger lightly on string. Don't press down.

3. Weight finger down slightly to produce a sound when bowed.

4. Bow the note from the frog to the middle (down bow). Don't stop the sound when you reach the middle.

5. Lighten the finger.

6. Lighten the thumb.

7. Glide the finger and whole hand towards the desired pitch while bowing from the middle of the bow to the tip(still down bow).

(8. Lift the scroll of the violin up when gliding. )

9. Weight the finger down again when that pitch is reached.

DO NOT squeeze the thumb!!!!

10. Congratulations...you've shifted correctly!

Exercises for shifting:

To be done SLOWLY on all strings and with all fingers.

1. Place first finger on "1st finger tape": note B on the A string.

2. Shift properly to the next half step.

3. Shift back down again using same rules as above, this time going up bow.

4. Go to a whole step away, then a 1 1/2 steps, then 2 steps, then 2 1/2 steps. STOP.

5. Go to next finger on the A string.

6. When you're done with the A string, do D, G, and then E.

7. This is what the exercise should look like in your head:

A String, 1st finger: A String, 2nd finger:

B-C C-B C-C# C#-C

B-C# C#-B C-D D-C

B-D D-B C-D# D#-C

B-D# D#-B C-E E-C

B-E E-B C-F F-C

REMEMBER: If you can't find the pitch, check it in 1st position on the same or next string.

MANDATORY:

1. Practice this 2x a day for 15 minutes each time, 5 days a week. If you don't- you're just cheating yourself, not your parents or me.

2. Go in your room, close the door, and concentrate.

3. Be patient and keep at it- it'll hit you one day after a lot of hard work. first finger on "1st finger tape": note B on the A string.

4. Shift properly – DON’T PRACTICE HOW TO MAKE MISTAKES

Ways to Practice at Home

0. I am taking private lessons so that I get personal help on what I need to sound better!!

1. I practiced for 20 minutes each day, not 2 hours in one day.

2. I have a special place to practice at home.

3. I am prepared at home with my music, stand, pencil, tape recorder, and metronome.

4. I worked on ONE specific technique today.

5. I made sure my posture and bow hold were correct every 5 minutes.

6. I practiced my bow hold 10 times on a pencil.

7. I used my metronome to start a problem spot slowly and then worked it up to a faster tempo when the slow one was perfect.

8. I used my BRAIN when repeating a problem spot correctly.

9. When I made a mistake, I played it over 5 times perfectly to correct that bad habit.

10. I practiced problem spots BETWEEN TWO NOTES instead of going back to the beginning of the piece.

11. I tape recorded myself and critiqued how I sounded.

12. I thought about how to change my sound.

13. I asked my orchestra teacher how I could make myself sound better technically.

14. I actually changed my bad sound to sound good!

15. I used a mirror to check my posture: C-shaped hand, placement of thumbs, straight back, elbows up, flat bow hold knuckles, curved left hand fingers, pinky placement.

16. I listened to a professional recording of this piece.

17. I listened to orchestral music and tried to imitate that tone.

18. I used a mirror to check that my bow was drawing straight across the strings.

19. I practiced a scale on straight, solid, long bows.

20. I practiced an alternating major 3^rd arpeggio.

21. I reviewed my flashcards of notes.

22. I practiced a new bow stroke on a scale: slurs, detache, martele, spiccato, staccato, flying staccato.

23. I practiced by saying the rhythms out loud on syllables or by number counting (TA-TITI-TA-TITI or 1 2&3 4&)

24. I practiced shifting correctly on a single string, single finger, chromatic scale (press-relax-slide-press)

25. I practiced identifying patterns in the music (finger and rhythm)

26. I practiced vibrato by using one certain finger with vibrato.

27. I practiced vibrato rhythms on an Easter egg (arm, wrist, knuckle).

28. I changed the bowings for practice fun and then practiced the correct bowings.

29. I changed the rhythms for fun practice and then practiced what was actually written.

30. I practiced repeated 8^th and 16^th notes by changing the rhythms to “long-short, long-short” and “short-long, short-long.”

31. I practiced bow distribution- longer notes get more bow and shorter notes get less bow.

32. I practiced playing each note with ALL UP bows or each note with ALL DOWN bows.

33. I practiced playing a phrase at the tip of the bow only.

34. I practiced playing a phrase at the frog of the bow only.

35. I sang a problem measure on letter names.

36. I practiced arco spots pizzicato and pizzicato spots arco.

37. I practiced problem spots with faster bows for more energy.

38. I practiced problem spots that were a gentler dynamic with slower bows.

39. I did slow, consistent practice for 5 minutes on a problem spot.

40. I practiced playing the character of the piece, not just the notes.

41. I practiced a problem spot while moving my body to the music.

42. I practiced starting a piece with a breath, in the tempo of the piece.

43. I thought about a person that I don’t really like the personality of in orchestra, and I tried to put myself in their shoes so that I could understand that person better and make rehearsals easier to deal with.

44. I sat instead of stood, or stood instead of sat while practicing.

45. I practiced longer on what I could not play instead of what I could play.

46. I practiced a problem spot to sound like I was singing.

47. I PRACTICED at home instead of showing off what I COULD play.

48. Even when a problem spot was hard, I remained optimistic.

49. I found a connection to another “thing in life” when practicing: for example, a fast bow reminds me of a train speeding through the mountains of Colorado at a 100 miles an hour.

50. I made practicing fun today!!!!! J

Practice, Practice, Practice = Patience, Patience, Patience

How to Practice Using Your Brain

Practice, Practice, Practice = Patience, Patience, Patience

Routine in Practicing

1.Find a private, quiet space for concentration.

2.Be prepared to mark your music with a pencil when you make mistakes.

3.Start your practice sessions by playing an easy song you know to establish light fingers, proper posture, hood bow hold, and C-shaped hand.

***The order of the following can be changed at every practice session:

4.Practice a scale, first playing it as fast as possible. Then slow it down to a quarter note=60 on your metronome. Do not take a tempo faster than what you can play perfectly. (Think Posture!)

5.Review note names and finger numbers on flashcards. Review rhythm flashcards.

6.sing “C. “ Check it with you instrument or piano. Continue singing the intervals if and when you know them.

7.Practice alternation thirds slowly, then working up your speed. (Think Posture!)

8.Wdork on shifting and vibrato, when and how your teacher has taught you. (Posture!)

9.Practice pencil the bow “bow holds.” (Think Posture!)

10.Practice your music by reading and thinking of the following things each practice session.

How to Practice Using Your Brain

1. NEVER PRACTICE WITH TENSION: STOP, RELAX, CONTINUE, REPEAT.

2.Work on problem spots BETWEEN notes. The problems are in note CHANGES - not the whole song!

3.Change your fingers and bow strokes at the SAME time.

4.Connect notes to each other, even if they are not slurred.

5.Think about your bow speed: slower notes use slower bow strokes, faster notes use faster bow strokes.

6.Work on distributing your bow on different rhythms. For example, “Run pony, Stop, Pony” rhythm uses bow distributing of “long small small, Long small small ” or in inches:”8-2-2, 8-2-2.”

7.Close your eyes and listen to how you sound by memorizing one measure. If you sound rough, you are squeezing your hands. If you sound wimpy, you need to pivot your bow hand and put more pressure with your pointer finger. Do NOT squeeze! Also, check to make sure that you are bowing left to right from your forearm, NOT back and forth with your shoulder.

8.Practice dynamics and accents using the correct bow speed and bow pressure.

9.Figure out the bow directions by placing “V” and “N” in the music with your pencil.

10.Isolate rhythms 1-2 measures at a time, saying them on syllables and clapping them. Do the correct bowings on your shoulder and THEN add the notes while you continue counting. Also, you can change the rhythm into a wrong rhythm and then play it correctly.

11.Practice intonation by listening and FEELING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOUR FINGERS FROM NOTE TO NOTE!!! Close your eyes and memorize the feeling. Listen for the ringing echo of the in-tune note.

12.Take a breath in the tempo of the beat before you play any note.

13.Record yourself and try to fix the sound that your hear. Ask Ms. K. for help.

14.Practice like how you will perform. Practice the music the first time through, then play it like you will “perform” it the second time through.

15.Listen to professional orchestral music!!!!!!!!!!(97.1, 98.7, 90.5(?) FM, CD’s, Concerts)

10 Steps to Practicing Correctly!!!

1. Say rhythm on syllables

2. Clap and say syllables.

3. Say bow directions (down and up) on rhythms.

4. Say bow directions on rhythms with bow on shoulder/arm.

5. Say syllables with bow on shoulder/arm.

6. Say letter names on rhythms with bow on shoulder/arm.

7. Bow on 1 open string on rhythms.

8. Bow on open strings that the notes would be on with rhythms.

9. Play music and count beats out loud.

10. Identify and practice problem spots BETWEEN two notes by repeating above steps.

11. Slower to fast beeps on the metrnome.

How to Memorize Music

1. Memorize music just before you go to sleep.

2. Memorize in shorter time segments: 10 minutes- break for 20 min. – 5 minutes – break for 60 min. – 10 minutes

3. Play the left hand notes in correct rhythm and tempo without the bow. (finger to thumb or on the fingerboard)

4. Play the bow on your shoulder with correct down and up bows. Pretend you are playing on the different strings so that your elbow goes up and down depending on which string you are playing on.

5. Memorize on measure. Play it. Sing it on letter names.

Memorize the next measure. Play it. Sing it on letter names.

Memorize both measures together. Play them. Sing them on letter names.

6. Play it backwards, measure by measure.

7. Close your eyes and picture what your left and right hands are doing when playing each measure.

8. Figure out the pressure needed and the angle of your fingers when playing each note. Memorize how that FEELS.

9. Write the piece on staff paper at least once. Then write it from memory at least two times. Include the correct notes, rhythms, dynamics, fingerings, and bowings.

10. Memorize the sounds you hear when playing a piece.

11. Prepare for distractions. Turn on the radio, play with the TV on, have a sibling talk to you, all while you concentrate on playing each note of the piece correctly. Tune everything out!

12. Hear what the whole piece sounds like in your head.

13. Tape record yourself playing the piece. Play it and then listen to it. Figure out your mistakes. Play correctly along with the recording you just made. Make new recordings.

14. Play one measure and then sing the next measure. Pay 4 notes and then say the letter names of the next 4 notes.

15. Divide the piece into sections. Find the patterns of notes. Have the structure mapped out in your head. Draw some pictures of each new section so that you know how the piece is divided.

16. Have the piece totally memorized one month before the performance.

17. Listen to a professional recording of the piece. Sing along with that recording.

18. Play the piece backwards, phrase by phrase, by memory.

19. Repeat everything that you do at least 5 times. REPETITION is important.

20. The next time you sit down to practice and memorize, play what you most recently practiced.

*Powerpoint Note Name Flashcards: Email Mrs. Feuerborn* Violin Note Name Flashcards Viola Note Name Flashcards Cello Note Name Flashcards Bass Note Name Flashcards HOW TO PRACTICE...THE BOW HOLD!!! 10 Steps to holding the bow correctly: 1. Turn right hand over- palm up. 2. Don't stiffen hand. 3. Place pencil across 1st, 2nd, and 3rd fingers between 1st and 2nd joints. Tip of pinky touches pencil for violins and violas. Pinky touches pencil at 1st knuckle joint for celli and basses. 4. Move thumb lightly and place on pencil between 1st and 2nd fingers. Don't grab. 5. Turn hand over. Pinky and thumb should be relaxed (slightly bent). 6. Understand the light and relaxed feeling you have now. 6a. **NOW, PIVOT or "TWIST" your hand to your left. Your first two fingers, especially, should lay on their side slightly. This is how you will get a powerful bow stroke.* 7. Do the same steps with the bow. 8. Turn bow vertically, like a rocket- notice how light it is. 9. Bring middle of bow close to strings, still in the rocket position. 10. LET THE STRINGS HOLD THE BOW UP. YOUR HAND IS ONLY USED TO GUIDE THE BOW ACROSS THE STRINGS. IT IS ONLY A WEIGHT. Take note of the following: 1. DO NOT bend or straighten the thumb. Leave it alone. 2. DO NOT separate your forefinger from the other fingers. 3. DO NOT squeeze the bow with your thumb or top fingers. 4. DO NOT stiffen the pinky. DO the following: 1. Relax the fingers and thumb. 2. Pretend like you are swimming. Remember that feeling of how your fingers flow in the water? 3. Wiggle your fingers around when the bow is placed on the strings- THAT is flexible!!! 4. Drop your right shoulder down. A stiff shoulder creates tension. MANDATORY: 1. Practice forming a correct bow hold 30x a day, 5 days a week. 2. Practice by using a pencil when you're at school. 3. Use your brains and your tactile sense! Rhythm Practice 1. Check the time signature ALWAYS. 2. Set a steady tempo with a metronome. It is the beat. 3. Say beats out loud / clap the rhythm. 4. Clap the beats / say the rhythm on numbers. 5. Clap the beats/ say the rhythm on syllables. (Ta, Ti-Ti,etc.) 6. Tap the beats / play the rhythm on an open string. 7. Tap the beats / play the rhythm on a different open string for every best. 8. Say beats out loud / bow rhythm on shoulder 9. Say “down up” while bowing rhythm on shoulder. HOW TO PRACTICE...SHIFTING!!! (The shortened version) 1. Relax your fingers and hand. 2. Stretch pinky over string. 3. Lighten finger that you are shifting on. 4. Slide finger – bring along thumb. 5. Press finger down once you reach the pitch. * IMPORTANT: ALWAYS SLIDE ON THE FINGER YOU ARE SLIDING TO. This is the airplane concept. HOW TO PRACTICE...SHIFTING!!! 10 Steps to Shifting: 1. Relax left hand. 2. Place finger lightly on string. Don't press down. 3. Weight finger down slightly to produce a sound when bowed. 4. Bow the note from the frog to the middle (down bow). Don't stop the sound when you reach the middle. 5. Lighten the finger. 6. Lighten the thumb. 7. Glide the finger and whole hand towards the desired pitch while bowing from the middle of the bow to the tip(still down bow). (8. Lift the scroll of the violin up when gliding. ) 9. Weight the finger down again when that pitch is reached. DO NOT squeeze the thumb!!!! 10. Congratulations...you've shifted correctly! Exercises for shifting: To be done SLOWLY on all strings and with all fingers. 1. Place first finger on "1st finger tape": note B on the A string. 2. Shift properly to the next half step. 3. Shift back down again using same rules as above, this time going up bow. 4. Go to a whole step away, then a 1 1/2 steps, then 2 steps, then 2 1/2 steps. STOP. 5. Go to next finger on the A string. 6. When you're done with the A string, do D, G, and then E. 7. This is what the exercise should look like in your head: A String, 1st finger: A String, 2nd finger: B-C C-B C-C# C#-C B-C# C#-B C-D D-C B-D D-B C-D# D#-C B-D# D#-B C-E E-C B-E E-B C-F F-C REMEMBER: If you can't find the pitch, check it in 1st position on the same or next string. MANDATORY: 1. Practice this 2x a day for 15 minutes each time, 5 days a week. If you don't- you're just cheating yourself, not your parents or me. 2. Go in your room, close the door, and concentrate. 3. Be patient and keep at it- it'll hit you one day after a lot of hard work. first finger on "1st finger tape": note B on the A string. 4. Shift properly – DON’T PRACTICE HOW TO MAKE MISTAKES Ways to Practice at Home 0. I am taking private lessons so that I get personal help on what I need to sound better!! 1. I practiced for 20 minutes each day, not 2 hours in one day. 2. I have a special place to practice at home. 3. I am prepared at home with my music, stand, pencil, tape recorder, and metronome. 4. I worked on ONE specific technique today. 5. I made sure my posture and bow hold were correct every 5 minutes. 6. I practiced my bow hold 10 times on a pencil. 7. I used my metronome to start a problem spot slowly and then worked it up to a faster tempo when the slow one was perfect. 8. I used my BRAIN when repeating a problem spot correctly. 9. When I made a mistake, I played it over 5 times perfectly to correct that bad habit. 10. I practiced problem spots BETWEEN TWO NOTES instead of going back to the beginning of the piece. 11. I tape recorded myself and critiqued how I sounded. 12. I thought about how to change my sound. 13. I asked my orchestra teacher how I could make myself sound better technically. 14. I actually changed my bad sound to sound good! 15. I used a mirror to check my posture: C-shaped hand, placement of thumbs, straight back, elbows up, flat bow hold knuckles, curved left hand fingers, pinky placement. 16. I listened to a professional recording of this piece. 17. I listened to orchestral music and tried to imitate that tone. 18. I used a mirror to check that my bow was drawing straight across the strings. 19. I practiced a scale on straight, solid, long bows. 20. I practiced an alternating major 3^rd arpeggio. 21. I reviewed my flashcards of notes. 22. I practiced a new bow stroke on a scale: slurs, detache, martele, spiccato, staccato, flying staccato. 23. I practiced by saying the rhythms out loud on syllables or by number counting (TA-TITI-TA-TITI or 1 2&3 4&) 24. I practiced shifting correctly on a single string, single finger, chromatic scale (press-relax-slide-press) 25. I practiced identifying patterns in the music (finger and rhythm) 26. I practiced vibrato by using one certain finger with vibrato. 27. I practiced vibrato rhythms on an Easter egg (arm, wrist, knuckle). 28. I changed the bowings for practice fun and then practiced the correct bowings. 29. I changed the rhythms for fun practice and then practiced what was actually written. 30. I practiced repeated 8^th and 16^th notes by changing the rhythms to “long-short, long-short” and “short-long, short-long.” 31. I practiced bow distribution- longer notes get more bow and shorter notes get less bow. 32. I practiced playing each note with ALL UP bows or each note with ALL DOWN bows. 33. I practiced playing a phrase at the tip of the bow only. 34. I practiced playing a phrase at the frog of the bow only. 35. I sang a problem measure on letter names. 36. I practiced arco spots pizzicato and pizzicato spots arco. 37. I practiced problem spots with faster bows for more energy. 38. I practiced problem spots that were a gentler dynamic with slower bows. 39. I did slow, consistent practice for 5 minutes on a problem spot. 40. I practiced playing the character of the piece, not just the notes. 41. I practiced a problem spot while moving my body to the music. 42. I practiced starting a piece with a breath, in the tempo of the piece. 43. I thought about a person that I don’t really like the personality of in orchestra, and I tried to put myself in their shoes so that I could understand that person better and make rehearsals easier to deal with. 44. I sat instead of stood, or stood instead of sat while practicing. 45. I practiced longer on what I could not play instead of what I could play. 46. I practiced a problem spot to sound like I was singing. 47. I PRACTICED at home instead of showing off what I COULD play. 48. Even when a problem spot was hard, I remained optimistic. 49. I found a connection to another “thing in life” when practicing: for example, a fast bow reminds me of a train speeding through the mountains of Colorado at a 100 miles an hour. 50. I made practicing fun today!!!!! J Practice, Practice, Practice = Patience, Patience, Patience How to Practice Using Your Brain Practice, Practice, Practice = Patience, Patience, Patience Routine in Practicing 1.Find a private, quiet space for concentration. 2.Be prepared to mark your music with a pencil when you make mistakes. 3.Start your practice sessions by playing an easy song you know to establish light fingers, proper posture, hood bow hold, and C-shaped hand. The order of the following can be changed at every practice session: 4.Practice a scale, first playing it as fast as possible. Then slow it down to a quarter note=60 on your metronome. Do not take a tempo faster than what you can play perfectly. (Think Posture!) 5.Review note names and finger numbers on flashcards. Review rhythm flashcards. 6.sing “C. “ Check it with you instrument or piano. Continue singing the intervals if and when you know them. 7.Practice alternation thirds slowly, then working up your speed. (Think Posture!) 8.Wdork on shifting and vibrato, when and how your teacher has taught you. (Posture!) 9.Practice pencil the bow “bow holds.” (Think Posture!) 10.Practice your music by reading and thinking of the following things each practice session. How to Practice Using Your Brain 1. NEVER PRACTICE WITH TENSION: STOP, RELAX, CONTINUE, REPEAT. 2.Work on problem spots BETWEEN notes. The problems are in note CHANGES - not the whole song! 3.Change your fingers and bow strokes at the SAME time. 4.Connect notes to each other, even if they are not slurred. 5.Think about your bow speed: slower notes use slower bow strokes, faster notes use faster bow strokes. 6.Work on distributing your bow on different rhythms. For example, “Run pony, Stop, Pony” rhythm uses bow distributing of “long small small, Long small small ” or in inches:”8-2-2, 8-2-2.” 7.Close your eyes and listen to how you sound by memorizing one measure. If you sound rough, you are squeezing your hands. If you sound wimpy, you need to pivot your bow hand and put more pressure with your pointer finger. Do NOT squeeze! Also, check to make sure that you are bowing left to right from your forearm, NOT back and forth with your shoulder. 8.Practice dynamics and accents using the correct bow speed and bow pressure. 9.Figure out the bow directions by placing “V” and “N” in the music with your pencil. 10.Isolate rhythms 1-2 measures at a time, saying them on syllables and clapping them. Do the correct bowings on your shoulder and THEN add the notes while you continue counting. Also, you can change the rhythm into a wrong rhythm and then play it correctly. 11.Practice intonation by listening and FEELING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOUR FINGERS FROM NOTE TO NOTE!!! Close your eyes and memorize the feeling. Listen for the ringing echo of the in-tune note. 12.Take a breath in the tempo of the beat before you play any note. 13.Record yourself and try to fix the sound that your hear. Ask Ms. K. for help. 14.Practice like how you will perform. Practice the music the first time through, then play it like you will “perform” it the second time through. 15.Listen to professional orchestral music!!!!!!!!!!(97.1, 98.7, 90.5(?) FM, CD’s, Concerts) 10 Steps to Practicing Correctly!!!* 1. Say rhythm on syllables 2. Clap and say syllables. 3. Say bow directions (down and up) on rhythms. 4. Say bow directions on rhythms with bow on shoulder/arm. 5. Say syllables with bow on shoulder/arm. 6. Say letter names on rhythms with bow on shoulder/arm. 7. Bow on 1 open string on rhythms. 8. Bow on open strings that the notes would be on with rhythms. 9. Play music and count beats out loud. 10. Identify and practice problem spots BETWEEN two notes by repeating above steps. 11. Slower to fast beeps on the metrnome. How to Memorize Music 1. Memorize music just before you go to sleep. 2. Memorize in shorter time segments: 10 minutes- break for 20 min. – 5 minutes – break for 60 min. – 10 minutes 3. Play the left hand notes in correct rhythm and tempo without the bow. (finger to thumb or on the fingerboard) 4. Play the bow on your shoulder with correct down and up bows. Pretend you are playing on the different strings so that your elbow goes up and down depending on which string you are playing on. 5. Memorize on measure. Play it. Sing it on letter names. Memorize the next measure. Play it. Sing it on letter names. Memorize both measures together. Play them. Sing them on letter names. 6. Play it backwards, measure by measure. 7. Close your eyes and picture what your left and right hands are doing when playing each measure. 8. Figure out the pressure needed and the angle of your fingers when playing each note. Memorize how that FEELS. 9. Write the piece on staff paper at least once. Then write it from memory at least two times. Include the correct notes, rhythms, dynamics, fingerings, and bowings. 10. Memorize the sounds you hear when playing a piece. 11. Prepare for distractions. Turn on the radio, play with the TV on, have a sibling talk to you, all while you concentrate on playing each note of the piece correctly. Tune everything out! 12. Hear what the whole piece sounds like in your head. 13. Tape record yourself playing the piece. Play it and then listen to it. Figure out your mistakes. Play correctly along with the recording you just made. Make new recordings. 14. Play one measure and then sing the next measure. Pay 4 notes and then say the letter names of the next 4 notes. 15. Divide the piece into sections. Find the patterns of notes. Have the structure mapped out in your head. Draw some pictures of each new section so that you know how the piece is divided. 16. Have the piece totally memorized one month before the performance. 17. Listen to a professional recording of the piece. Sing along with that recording. 18. Play the piece backwards, phrase by phrase, by memory. 19. Repeat everything that you do at least 5 times. REPETITION is important. 20. The next time you sit down to practice and memorize, play what you most recently practiced.

Helpful Tips for Orchestra Students

STRINGED INSTRUMENT CARE 1. Never leave instrument near sources of extreme heat or cold or dampness(rain). 2. Never leave instrument locked in the car. 3. Never leave instrument out of its case when it is not being used for practicing. 4. After playing, carefully wipe strings and under the strings on the belly of the instrument with a clean, soft cloth(old cotton T-shirt works best). This is to remove rosin dust. 5. After playing, always loosen bow hair to take tension off the stick. If looking down the stick from the frog, loosen is counter-clockwise, tighten is clockwise. 6. Rosin the bow about every other practice session. To rosin the bow, hold bow in right hand with hair tightened. Take rosin in left hand and glide BOW with even, single strokes. 7. Do not touch the hair of the bow. The finger oils may impair the hair's ability to pick up rosin properly. 8. When packing up, NEVER be in a hurry! Do the following: 1) Wipe off rosin. 2) Put away equipment in case or bag - shoulder rest, rock stop, music, etc. 3) Place instrument and loosened bow in case. 4) Properly lock the case so the instrument does not fall out. 9. If a string breaks or the instrument is damaged in ANY way, please consult your teacher before trying to fix it. 10. Supplies may be ordered through American Music, your teacher, or through SHAR Products (800)248-7427.
The Power of Positive Practice by Wynton Marsalis As a boy growing up in New Orleans, I remember my father, Ellis, a pianist, and his friends talking about "sheddin'". When they got together they'd say, " Man, you need to go shed," or I've been sheddin' hard." When I was around 11, I realized that sheddin' meant getting to the woodshed-practicing. By the age of 16, I understood what the shed was really about - hard, concentrated work. When my brother Branford and I auditioned for our high school band, the instructor, who knew my father, was excited about Ellis' sons coming to band. But my audition was so pitiful, he said, "Are you sure you're Ellis' son?" At the time, his comment didn't bother me because I was more interested in basketball than band. Over the next several years. however, I began practicing seriously. Practice is essential to learning music - and anything else for that matter. I like to say that the time spent practicing is the true sign of virtue in a musician. When you practice, it means you are willing to sacrifice to sound good. Even if practice is so important, kids find it very hard to do because there are so many distractions. That's why I encourage them to practice and explain how to do it. I've developed what I call "Wynton's 12 Ways to Practice." These will work for almost every activity -from music to schoolwork to sports. 1. Seek out instruction. Find an experienced teacher who knows what you should be doing. A good teacher will help you understand the purpose of practicing and can teach you ways to make practicing easier and more productive. 2. Write out a schedule. A schedule helps you organize your time. Be sure to allow time to review the fundamentals, because they are the foundation of all the complicated things that come later. If you are practicing basketball, for example, be sure to put time in your schedule to practice free-throws. 3. Set goals. Like a schedule, goals help you organize your time and chart your progress. Goals also act as a challenge: something to strive for in a specific period of time. If a certain task turns out to be really difficult, relax your goals: practice doesn't have to be painful to achieve results. 4. Concentrate. You can do more in 10 minutes of focused practice than in an hour of sighing and moaning. This means no video games, no radio, just sitting still and working. Start by concentrating a few minutes at a time and work up to longer periods gradually. Concentrated effort takes practice too, especially for young people. 5. Relax and practice slowly. Take your time; don't rush through things. Whenever you set out to learn something new - practicing scales, multiplication tables, verb tenses in Spanish - you need to start slowly and build up speed. 6. Practice hard things longer. Don't be afraid of confronting your inadequacies; spend more time practicing what you can't do. Adjust your schedule to reflect your strengths and weaknesses. Don't spend too much time doing what comes easily. Successful practice means coming face to face with your shortcomings. Don't be discouraged; you'll get it eventually. 7. Practice with expression. Every day you walk around making yourself into "you", so do everything with the proper attitude. Put all of yourself into participating and try to do your best, no matter how insignificant the task may seem. Express your "style" through how you do what you do. 8. Learn from your mistakes. None of us is perfect, but don't be too hard on yourself. If you drop a touchdown or pass, or strike out to end a game, it's not the end of the world. Pick yourself up, analyze what went wrong, and keep going. Most people work in groups or teams. If you focus on your contributions to the overall effort, your personal mistakes won't seem so terrible. 9. Don't show off. It's hard to resist showing off when you can do something well. In high school, I learned a breathing technique so I could play a continuous trumpet solo for 10 minutes without stopping for a breath. But my father told me, "son, those who play for applause, that's all they get." When you get caught up in the doing the tricky stuff, you're just cheating yourself and your audience. 10. Think for yourself. Your success or failure at anything ultimately depends on your ability to solve problems, so don't become a robot. Think about Dick Fosbury, who invented the Fosbury Flop for the high jump. Everyone used to run to the bar and jump over it forwards. Then Fosbury came along and jumped over the bar backwards, because he could go higher that way. Thinking for yourself helps develop your powers of judgment. Sometimes you may judge wrong and pay the price, but when you judge right, you reap the rewards. 11. Be Optimistic. How you feel about the world expresses who you are. When you are optimistic, things are either wonderful or becoming wonderful. Optimism helps you get over your mistakes and go on to do better. It also gives you endurance, because having a positive attitude makes you feel something great is always about to happen. 12. Look for connections. No matter what you practice, you'll find that practicing itself relates to everything else. It takes practice to learn a language, cook good meals, or get along with people. If you develop the discipline it takes to become good at something, that discipline will help you in whatever else you do. It's important to understand that kind of connection. The more you discover the relationships between things that at first seem different, the larger your world becomes. In other words, the woodshed can open up a whole world of possibilities. Musician and composer Wynton Marsalis devotes much of his time to music education, offering master classes, seminars, lectures, and eight annual "Jazz for Young People" performances at Lincoln Center. His TV series "Marsalis on Music", underwritten by Texaco Inc, has been broadcast on PBS.
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