5 Things I’m Loving This Week– March 18, 2016

This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher Blog on March 18, 2016 so links and resources may not be current.

This week was the week of our big move, and we are finally getting settled in our new place (which happens to be my parents’ basement.)  I am so excited to be here, though I am sad to leave my beautiful studio in my old house.  We’ll be back in a couple years after Bruce finishes his Doctorate in Nursing Practice, so we’re renting our house in the meantime.  For now, I have a little corner in our family room where I will be teaching.  The little kids love to get into my teaching stuff and play with the finger puppets and other random teaching items.

That’s what is happening in my neck of the woods.  But how about the world wide web of violin teaching?

1. I enjoyed this article from The Strad about how bickering over methods and backbiting among teachers really serves to undermine the value of music as a whole.  Collaboration and kindness is king.  I love to incorporate aspects of many methods and philosophies in my teaching, as most teachers do.

2. Saint Patrick’s day had me listening to Irish fiddle tunes all day.  It was so fun. Tell me you can’t listen to this and keep a smile off your face!   I’d love to incorporate more fiddling into my studio, what books/resources do you use to teach fiddling?

3.  In my guest post on the LoveNotes School of Music blog last week, I shared some thoughts about how children develop “grit”  in their music studies, and why it is so important.  This article on The Music Parents’ Guide is spot on!  It’s titled, “Three Ways Music Instruction in Schools Teaches Grit (and Why Children Need It So Badly Now.)”  I think this one is a must-share with your studio parents.

4.  This is one of my favorite violin videos because it combines so many of my favorite things: Prokofiev, Anne Akiko Meyers, and crazy kiddos.  For you mamas out there, keep practicing even if it is hard.

5. Looking for Easter-themed practice charts? Check out these from The Practice Shoppe, and they are free!

I hope these violin teaching resources were helpful, and I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

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​Comments

1. Amy Robinson says
   March 24, 2016 at 3:38 am
   Years ago I stepped outside of my classical comfort zone and did a bunch of fiddle training and workshops. I use a lot of tunes and collections that were passed on through that. For beginners that want to start with fiddling, I like the Scottish Fiddle Tutor book. The collections of tunes by Ceolas are nice and clear to look at. I have a whack of tunes that I find are good starter tunes for students. We do a lot of listening. When they understand the structure of tunes and full sets, they can listen with purpose and use the repetition to learn tunes and interpretation by ear as well. Fiddling made me a much more social musician! The classic tune collections are O’Neills for Irish and the Skye Collection for Scottish. Scott Skinner wrote fiddle music that is more technical- can be more interesting for those of us with a more technical background!