3rd Grade Strings Class Instructor: Angela Corbin acorbin@nmps.net Name: Instrument: Classroom Teacher:
3rd Grade Strings Songbook NOW with a practice CD! Book Contents: Parent Letter Caring for Your Instrument How to Practice Practice Records Songs Twinkle French Folk Song Lightly Row Song of the Wind Go Tell Aunt Rhody Allegro May Song Long Long Ago Perpetual Motion
Dear Parents, You ve just made a really good investment. We could talk for hours about the rich benefits that musical study can (and will!!) bring to your child s life. But right now, we need to talk about PRACTICE. It s the thing that will make or break this new adventure. Students may sometimes need reminders to practice, just as they need reminders to do homework. It is not bad if your student needs to be reminded to practice. In fact, that is perfectly normal. Make a plan together with your student. Help them set realistic goals and help them stick to it. Try to avoid heavy conflict over practicing, though. Negative feelings about the conflict in your relationship will more than likely turn into negative feelings about learning and about the instrument too. Rewards can work. Be patient and keep at it. Encourage EVERY effort and try to praise your child about specific skills or attitudes or behaviors (i.e. " Wow, your eyes were so focused on the bow while you played!! " or " I think your bow looks straighter every time you practice " or " I love to watch you work hard and learn new things ") Hopefully, the strategies (and games and resources and videos) you find on the strings website ( www.nmelementarystrings.weebly.com ) will make practicing more productive and engaging. If you re completely stuck in a practicing battle.please contact Mrs. Corbin for some encouragement or advice! Gratefully, Angela Corbin acorbin@nmps.net
Take care of your new instrument!! 1. Clean your instrument with a soft instrument cloth whenever it gets dusty from rosin dust. 2. NEVER set your instrument on a chair, the floor, or anyplace someone may sit or walk. 3. Always lay the instrument string side up (or on it s side, if it s a cello) even if it s zipped up inside your case. 4. Temperature & humidity Heat and cold and humidity changes can cause your instrument to go wildly out of tune, or even cause cracks and other serious damage. NEVER LEAVE YOUR INSTRUMENT IN YOUR CAR regardless of time of year. 5. Loosen the bow whenever you put it away. And don t tighten it too much when you play. There is a spot at the tip of bows, where the bow will shatter if hit just right. Be careful. It s not a sword, it s a bow. 6. Rosin your bow at least once a week. 7. Don t Touch the Horsehair the oils from your fingers can make the hair slippery so that rosin no longer sticks. 8. No DIY Repairs As a beginner, do not attempt repairs yourself. In fact, don t even try to tune the instrument on your own. You ll probably break a string! Call your rental company or contact Mrs. Corbin if ANYTHING goes wrong with your instrument. Meyer Music 231 865 7000 Shar Music 1 866 742 7261 1 800 692 3210 or
Holding your instrument... CELLO Relaxed Cello bow hand. Sit tall on the edge of your chair. Feet flat on the ground. Adjust end pin to just right height. Hug cello between the knees. Tuning pegs sit behind the ear. VIOLIN/ VIOLA Violin/viola rests on shoulder. Instrument is parallel to the ground (sticking straight out, like a table..not like a slide!) Left wrist is relaxed and open and straight. Flexible curved fingers on bow. Bow thumb is curved like a rainbow.
Mrs. Corbin's Top Ten Tips for Better Practicing: 1. Practice makes permanent. The way you practice is the way you will play. So practice carefully. Constantly check your posture, bow hold, left hand, rhythm, intonation, etc. If you make a mistake go back to an earlier spot and fix your mistake. Don t just fumble through the mistake and continue playing. Once you have made the correction, repeat it correctly several times to make sure you have learned the correct habit. And... have fun! That becomes permanent too! Practicing Games are motivating and helpful in making your practice time more effective. 2. Practice more days for less time. It is better to do 10 minutes several times a week rather than 1 hour once a week. Set a goal for the week (10 25 minutes per day) and reward yourself when you finish! 3. Practice slowly. Don t race through the music just because you think it should be played quickly. Start out at a slow tempo using a metronome. When you can play the music accurately increase the speed. 4. Practice with accompaniment music when possible. It is often more engaging to practice with a CD, DVD, SmartMusic, sibling or parent accompanist, or some other kind of accompaniment. 5. Practice with friends. Sometimes the best way to practice is to get together with a friend in your class and play with them. Meet after school. Invite them to your house. Play together! 6. Don t just play Practice. Focus on sections that need the most work. It is fun to play easy music (and you should!), but make sure you focus on those sections that are most difficult for your PRACTICE. Know the difference between (and value of both) PLAY and PRACTICE. 7. Practice in chunks. Find the sections that really frustrate you, and conquer each chunk, little by little. THEN.when you know all the chunks, play all the way through the piece from beginning to end as a reward! Don't just keep starting at the beginning! 8. End on a happy note. End your practice sessions by playing something you enjoy. Maybe take a trip to the music stores or look online and find some books at your level that have music that you know and like. 9. Perform for someone. You could perform for your cat, dog, mom, dad, grandma, uncle, babysitter, sister, church, family gathering, etc. Schedule your performance in advance and this will give you something to work towards. 10. Find a quiet place and time where your siblings and dog aren t going to bother you. A good practicing routine is the key to help you stick with it! Ask your family to help.
s PRACTICE JOURNAL: Week1: I can take good care of my instrument. I always loosen the bow when I put it away. I carefully tighten and rosin the bow (just enough) before I play I always keep my instrument in a safe place. I practice holding the instrument and bow properly (check out the strings website for video tutorials). I can hold the violin/viola on my shoulder (or hold the cello properly while standing (or sitting) tall with good posture. I can hold the bow. I practice placing the bow on the strings and making a clear tone using a straight bow stroke. I review songs & rhythm patterns I remember from 2nd Grade Violin class (pepperoni pizza rhythm, I m a Little Monkey, Hot Cross Buns, DAD song, Old Brass Wagon, Twinkle) I read through this booklet with my parent/guardian, and we set some practicing goals together. I plan to practice days each week for minutes each day. If I meet my goal after weeks, I will celebrate by Parent Signature: Week 2: I practice careful maintenance of my instrument. (loosen the bow when I put it away! Keep it in a safe place.) I found a good practice place and time. I practice holding the instrument and bow properly (check out the strings website for video tutorials). I practice placing the bow on the strings and making a clear tone using a straight bow stroke. Twinkle, Twinkle Pepperoni Pizza Rhythm I review songs or rhythm patterns I remember from 2nd Grade Violin class (pepperoni pizza rhythm, I m a Little Monkey, Hot Cross Buns, DAD song, Old Brass Wagon, Twinkle) I checked out the Strings Website with a parent. www.nmelementarystrings.weebly.com Parent Signature:
MY PRACTICE RECORD WEEK OF (start date) Goals/ Songs I plan to work on: Day 1 How Many Minutes I Practiced Each Day Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Parent Signatur e
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Twinkle Slap-Bass Line D x D D x G x G D x G x G D x A x A D x D x D G x D x D A x D x D G x D x D A x D x D D x G x G D x G x G D x A x A D
French Folk Song The song of threes Look for sets of three. Use long beautiful bow strokes. Connect the notes and really move the bow!
3. Lightl Row Violin/ Viola Cello
4 Song of the Wind Staccato: Use short sticky bow strokes (make silent space between notes) = Circle Set (pick up your bow & place it on the string again to restart at the frog)
5 Go Tell Aunt Rhody Violin/Viola Cello Go tell Aunt Rhody, Go tell Aunt Rhody, go tell Aunt Rhody, Old Gray Goose is dead. The rhythm of this song:
6 Allegro The rhythm of this song: Staccato Legato Staccato
7 Ma Son The rhythm of this song:
8 Long Long Ago Violin/Viola Cello The rhythm of this song:
9. P erpetual Motion Short & sticky bows Steady tempo Violin/Viola Cello