Britt Violin Studio – Page 3 – Theresa Britt | Violinist in the Texas Hill Country

March 5, 2011 – Sequence for teaching May Song

In order to teach May Song in Suzuki volume 1, I believe that students need a number of prerequisites:

Knowledge of all fingers on A and E string.
Ability to learn songs by rote.
Ability to use good tone.
Ability to use steps and skips.
Ability to play an arpeggio.

Steps to teaching:

Teach Scale and Arpeggio.
1. Play Scale.
2. Play A, C#, E and High A in ascending order. (First with MSS rhythm, then without)
3. Play High A, E, C# and A in descending order. (First with MSS rhythm, then without)
4. Play Scale and Arpeggio together. Name the Arpeggio so a sudent knows what it is.
Play a twinkle with the May Song rhythm (dotted quarter, eight, quarter, quarter)
Play the Arpeggio with the rhythm.
Play skips on E string. F#, High A, F#, E or 1, 3, 1, E
Set a tunnel on the A string with 1, 2 and 3. Play D, E, C# A
Make a C# tunnel over the E string. Play C#, E, C#
Put First part together. Arpeggio, E String Skips, D, E, C#, A, then B, A
Play Middle part of Twinkle. Play Middle part of May Song and have students compare.
Play EE, DD, C# E C#, B.
Play first part again.

Free Sheet Music for Beginning String Players

This is a list of files written in Finale that may help you. These are my own editions. You may alter them as you like. They are based upon my favorite teaching method, but sometimes transposed to the keys that all string students can use.

Here is a link to download the Finale Viewer: http://www.finalemusic.com/reader/default.aspx

Britt Violin Studio News – May 2011

In this issue

Summer Strings
Recital Dates
Fall Registration

Important Dates

May 7 – Rehearse for Group Recital
May 14 – Group Recital

Registration for Fall

Due to my large studio, I will be pre-registering for the fall. If you do not wish to continue lessons, please let me know immediately.

Registration forms will be available soon. (With all the recitals, I have had NO time to do this!) I have a tentative lesson schedule and group class schedule I have been working on!

Summer Strings

We are still enrolling for the Summer String Program. June 8, 9, 10 & 11. Location may need be changing, but I will keep you posted. All students are welcome! Jessica Embach has agreed to come, as well as Mark Nugent, a local cello teacher! Some scholarships will be available. Please inquire when submitting enrollment forms. The cost is $250 per student.

Thank you!

A big thanks to all of you for the events of the past weekend! We had a masterclass, a guest artists performance, a recital where 40 students performed, an HCYO concert! Keep up the good work!

Group Recital

May 14

Group Recital will be May 14 at 2 p.m. at the Evangelical Free Church. All students will perform pieces from the Suzuki Repertoire.

Advanced students will play Themes from Moldau with FCO members. Our accompanist will be Nancy Rickerhauser.

(Reception will follow each group. Last names beginning with N-Z will bring bottled water or cookies. No messy treats, please! I need a volunteer for each hour to set up cookie table.)

Rehearsal will be May 7 at 11 a.m. at the same location.

At the end of the recital, graduation certificates and awards will be given for completion of Twinkle and Book levels.

Click here to view the program.

Hill Country Youth Orchestra

Fall 2011-Spring 2012

If you are interested in having your child audition for the Hill Country Youth Orchestra, we need to being preparing audition material as soon as possible.

They have groups meet on Monday Night in Kerrville. The auditions will be August 1.

They offer private lesson scholarships to help offset the cost of lessons. (This may be worth the travel on Mondays to help with lessons.)

I would like to suggest that any Kerrville or Boerne Family consider this, or if there is anyone who doesn’t mine the commute to Kerrville on Mondays!

Britt Violin Studio News – April 2011

newsletter update

April 1, 2011

In this issue

Kirsten Yon Masterclass
Recital Dates
Group Class Dates
Fall Registration

Important Dates

April 2 – Group Class @ Gazebo 11am
April 16 – Group Class @ Gazebo 11am
April 29 – Kirsten Yon Masterclass
April 30 – Individual Recital
May 7 – Rehearse for Group Recital
May 14 – Group Recital

Registration for Fall 2011

Due to my large studio, I will be pre-registering for the fall. If you do not wish to continue lessons, please let me know immediately.

Registration forms will be available in early April. Times for lessons will be scheduled based upon registration forms.

Upcoming Events for May

Group recital will be May 14 at 2 p.m. at the Evangelical Free Church. Members of the Fredericksburg Community Orchestra will join us to perform Themes from Moldau.

At the end of the recital, graduation certificates and awards will be given for completion of Twinkle and Book levels.

Rehearsal for this event will be May 7. (Location TBA)

Summer Strings

We are still enrolling for the Summer String Program. June 8, 9, 10 & 11. Location may need be changing, but I will keep you posted. All students are welcome! Jessica Embach has agreed to come, as well as Mark Nugent, a local cello teacher! Some scholarships will be available. Please inquire when submitting enrollment forms.

RSVP to Recital on April 30

Please check the spelling of your child’s name and RSVP to the Individual Recital.

Kirsten Yon Masterclass

April 29

Texas Tech Professor of Violin, Kirsten Yon will be in Fredericksburg on April 29 to help students prepare solos for their individual recital and to give a concert.

A concert by Dr. Yon is scheduled at 7 p.m. All students should attend! She is a wonderful teacher and it is a rare treat to have a guest like Kirsten Yon in Fredericksburg.

Masterclass is at 4:30 p.m. at the Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. All serious students should attend. All students are welcome to participate in the group portion of the class working in which Dr. Yon will clinic the students on “Themes from Moldau.”

Individual Recital

April 30

Individual Recital will be April 30 at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. All students will perform the solo work they will be working on.

This is a required event. There will be 2 sessions: 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Students may wear dressy clothing of your choice. No jeans, athletic shoes or t-shirts.

(Reception will follow each group. Last names beginning with A-L will bring bottled water or cookies. No messy treats, please! I need a volunteer for each hour to set up cookie table.)

2 p.m.

Jonathan Burkett — Twinkle Theme
Roise Spangler — Lightly Row
Gracie Cobis — French Folk Song
Violet Schofield — Song of the Wind
Hannah Stapleton — Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Kathy Karr — O Come Little Children
Rielly Spangler — Allegro
Meredith Harper — Allegro
Ella Junker — May Song
Eliza Vita — Perpetual Motion
Jake Wise — Allegretto
Rebecca Sechrist — Minuet 2
Joel Harper — Musette
Maeve Junker — Bouree
Amber Royea — Hunter’s Chorus
Henry Alvarez — Two Grenadiers
Juan Cobian — Twinkle Variation I
Jose Cobian — Twinkle Variation I
Katherine Peet — Twinkle Theme
Addison Burleson — O Come Little Children
Rebekah Triebs — May Song
Sydney Adams — Minuet 2
Kristian Dale — Minuet 1
Willow Houseal — Minuet 2
Katie Habecker — Minuet 3
Luke Littman — Gossec Gavotte

3 p.m.

Sarah Stafford — Twinkle Variation I
Ellie Mauer — Twinkle Variation I
John Fritzsch — Twinkle Variation I
Erin Fritzsch — Twinkle Theme
Sydney Sultemeier — Lightly Row
Dylan Sione — Song of the Wind
Jenna Rickerhauser — Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Ashley Dressen — Twinkle Theme
Brook Enloe — Song of the Wind
William Fritzsch — O Come Little Children Amy Mack — Twinkle Theme
Asher Seracen — Lightly Row
James Mack — Allegretto
Michael O’Brien—Minuet 1
Grace Mack —Hunter’s Chorus
Rachel Badillo — Lully Gavotte
Lisa Cullen — Beethoven Minuet in G
Julia Johnson — Mozart Concerto In D. Adagio
Mary Beth McQueen — Reiding Concerto
Christy Ward — Meditation from Thais
Allyson Ward — Accolay Violin Concerto
Kathryn Thompson—Becker Gavotte
Garrett Thompson—Haydn Concerto in G

Britt Violin Studio News – March 2011

Guest Artist Kirsten Yon Performing in Fredericksburg

Violinist Kirsten Yon of Texas Tech has agreed to come to Fredericksburg for a masterclass and recital on April 29. All students in book 2 (even my Kerrville families) and above should plan on attending that masterclass at 4:30 p.m. and a concert by Ms. Yon and pianist Sigurd Ogaard at 7 p.m. I have worked VERY hard to bring this teacher to Fredericksburg, so I expect all of you will attend.

Masterclass Program
4:30 p.m. April 29
Fredericksburg United Methodist Church
Garrett T. – Haydn Violin Concerto in G Major 1st Movement
Allyson W. – Accolay Concerto
Christy W. – Meditation from Thais
Julia J. – Mozart Violin Concerto in D Major 2nd Movement
Mary Beth M. – Rieding Violin Concerto Op. 24
(All students who can should come watch!)

Recital Program
7 p.m on April 29
Dr. Kristen Yon, violin and Sigurd Ogaard, piano
Pieces TBA
Parents, you won’t want to miss this!

Spring Break March 14-19

There WILL be lessons on Friday, March 11 and Saturday March 12.

I will be teaching private lessons and make-up lessons only on Monday and Tuesday of Spring Break. Please request a time if you would like to have a lesson that week, especially if I owe you a make-up lesson. There will be NO classes at Heritage or Ambleside over spring break!

Group Class Dates

March 5, 26
April 2, 16

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon for ALL STUDENTS who do not currently have a large ensemble class.
We will start with easy pieces and work our way forward each group.
*Other students are welcome, too!

Studio Recital Dates

Please mark your calendar for the following recital. This is for ALL students. All of my students should play a group and individual recital each semester. I pour a semester’s worth of energy into these events, please make sure you attend.

Individual Recital – April 30 at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Attire: Any nice dressy clothes will do! Dressy shoes. No jeans or tennis shoes, please.
Last names beginning with A-L bring cookies & bottled water. No messy treats, please!

Group Recital Dress Rehearsal – May 7 11 a.m. (All students should attend)

Group Recital – May 14 at the Evangelical Free Church 2 p.m.
Attire: White top and black pants or skirt. Dressy shoes.
Last names beginning with L-Z bring cookies & bottled water. No messy treats, please!

Fredericksburg Community Orchestra

Rehearsals on March 4, March 25, April 1, April 8, and April 15. Location for March is at the Historical Society. April rehearsal location TBA.

Van der Stucken Festival – April 15, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. (Community orchestra will perform!) This is a great event to come enjoy with the family and young string players!

Summer Strings

If you are interested in attending the Summer Strings workshop June 8-11, please let me know as soon as possible. Tuition is Due May 1 so we can get string teachers from outside of Fredericksburg! This should be a great event for all who attend.

March 3, 2011 – Sequence to teaching Song of the Wind

In order to teach Song of the Wind in Suzuki volume 1, I believe that students need a number of prerequisites:

Knowledge of all fingers on A and E string.
Ability to learn songs by rote.
Ability to use good tone.
Ability to use steps and skips.

Steps to teaching:

Teach Kangaroo Hops.
1. Leave 1 on E but hop 2 and 3 back and forth between A and E.
2. Play Mississippi Stop Stop (MSS) on 1 on E, Hop to 3 on A, Hop to 3 on E, Back to 1, Open E
3. Play “Ice Cream” (not Ice Cream Cone) on all notes: 1 on E, Hop to 3 on A, Hop to 3 on E, Back to 1, Open E
4. Play “Pie: on all notes: 1 on E, Hop to 3 on A, Hop to 3 on E, Back to 1, Open E.
Play some open E with lift sets. (I would have already previewed this with “Motorcycle Mom, lift, set” Twinkle.)
Add a lift set after 1, 3, 3, 1, E, Lift, Set. (Repeat several times.)
Play “Up a river we will go AND.” (Has one more E than the Lightly Row version.)
Teach two endings
1. A, 2, E, lift, set.
2. E, lift, set.
Teacher plays downward sequence and students play A, 2, E, lift, set and E lift set.
“Bounce the Ball Down” section. E 333, 3 222, 2 111.
“Back again.” A, 2, E, lift, set.
“Bounce the Ball Down” section. E 333, 3 222, 2 111.
“E, lift, set at end and repeat. E without lift set last time.

The Kangaroo Hops are the most difficult part. I like to ask my students if they have ever seen a kangaroo fall over. (Usually they say no.) I tell them their fingers should hop, and not fall over.

March 2, 2011 – Sequence to teaching Go Tell Aunt Rhody

In order to teach Go Tell Aunt Rhody in Suzuki volume 1, I believe that students need a number of prerequisites:

Knowledge of the songs that precede it.
Ability to quickly move to third finger on the A string from open E.
Ability to use good tone.
Ability to move fingers with ease to different letters or finger numbers on the finger board.
Students should start using letters more at this point.

Steps to teaching:

Teach the words to the song:

Go tell Aunt Rhody, John is very sick. Go tell Aunt Rhody, he threw up on me.
He ate some pop corn and some jelly beans. He ate some pop corn and some pop
Go tell Aunt Rhody, John is very sick. Go tell Aunt Rhody, he threw up on me.

Words help teach the form of the song and organize it in the students’ head. These are silly words that teach a fun message to kids not to eat junk food.
Clap, sing, or tap the rhythm of first two measures (one measure at a time)
1. Long Short Short Long Long
2. Long Long Short Short Long
Play “Jelly Beans.” E, D, C# several times to get that quick starting up bow.
Play E E D C# C# several times.
Play “He threw up on me.” B A B C# A several times.
Teach one measure at a time or one small part at a time of the A section.
Have students sing the middle section and play only the A parts for one week. Teach the middle section completely. Going from C# to D will be challenging at first.

If students have facility, this song should not be difficult. Moving from E to third finger D should be the biggest challenge along with the other finger twister.

March 1, 2011 – Sequence to teaching O Come Little Chilldren

In order to teach O Come Little Children in Suzuki volume 1, I believe that students need a number of prerequisites:

Knowledge of the songs that precede it.
Ability to make a tunnel with fingers over the E string.
Ability to use two most of the bow with good tone. If students are unable to use the lower half of the bow, double up bows become more difficult.
Ability to do some “Open, Close, Float, Sink” Exercises. (Wrist, elbow, and shoulder float to use lower half of bow)
Ability to start in the middle of the bow to do an up bow.

Steps to teaching:

Teach the words to the song:

O come, little children, O come one and all,
To Bethlehem haste, to the manger so small,
God’s son for a gift has been sent you this night
To be your redeemer, your joy and delight.
Sing and motion: Up down up down up down up down up down up, up down up down up down up down up down up, etc.
Start in the middle of the bow and float up bow.
Play the rhythm of the song on open E while singing the words of the first line. (Make sure to start up bow in the middle of the bow.) Help the student stop the bow in the middle so they have room to go up. Do this several times in a row.
Play the rhythm of the first seven notes on open strings: E E A E E A E (Make sure to start up bow in the middle of the bow.)
Make a C# tunnel over the E string. Then do play: E E C# E E C# E (Make sure to start up bow in the middle of the bow.)
Play D B B A starting down bow.
Put the previous two steps together.
In the next lesson, teach the next two sections of the song by rote. They may need help with the large skip to High A on the last line.

I believe the hard part of the song is the double up bow. Some students may start adding double up bow to other parts of the song or other songs. Take care of this quickly before it becomes a bad habit for them.

February 28, 2011 – Ševčík’s Mendelssohn Exercises

Ševčík’s works for the violin include several volumes of bowing and violin technique. Opus 1 is in two parts, the first of which is in first position. Opus 2 deals with bowing technique. Opus 8 had shifting exercises.

His most interesting works are probably the study guides he created for concerti and other violin repertoire.

Recently, I have been studying the volume about the Mendelssohn violin concerto. It should be mentioned that you may need to revise some of the material to fit your own fingerings and bowings. Practicing the work as written will not help unless that is exactly how you play or intend to play the piece.

Sevcik completely breaks apart practically every part of the concerto. The section numbers do not correspond with measure numbers, but as you work sequentially through, you see many permutation of the material as you move through the concerto.

February 27, 2011 – Bow mechanism

In working with the bow, there should be four sets of joints that have flexibility. They are developed in a particular order and the movement is refined over time.

Opening and closing of the elbow joint. This is developed first in Suzuki method of teaching. Students play at the square of the bow so they may open the elbow (and go down bow) and close the elbow and go upbow.
Wrist movement should come naturally with the elbow motion. If it does not, you may need to help students develop the wrist motion that goes allows the bow hand to stay in the same position while the elbow opens and closes.
Floating of the shoulder ball joint. This is not to be confused with a shrugging motion. The floating allows you to fluidly move the forearm up and down. Shrugging should be avoided.
Finger movement. I use the teeter totter exercises to teach students about finger movement. The student places the bow on the low string at the frog and pushes across with the pinky and thumb. When extended, the frog and the pinky are in “tip” position. When bent, they are at the frog position.

All of these movement work together to create good tone and strokes of the bow that move parallel to the bridge with great facility.