Alternative Practice Assignments!
As stated in my 100 Days of Practice Challenge guidelines, you are permitted up to 5 of alternative practice in the event of travel, illness, or separation from instrument. With spring break coming up, here is a list of things you can choose from to stay on top of your practice during your travels!
YouTube videos:
Pick one of the videos linked below and come up with answers to the corresponding questions. You can write down your answers and email them to me or tell me in your next lesson!
Peter and the Wolf: Symphonic Storytime Peter and the Wolf | Prokofiev, Peter and the Wolf
This is a symphony by the composer Sergei Prokofiev, who wrote this piece to introduce the orchestra to children! This music is accompanied by the story of a boy named Peter, who wanders into the woods. Each character in the story is represented by an instrument. Watch the video and answer these questions:
- What are some of the characters and animals in this story?
- What instruments represent each of these characters and animals?
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons is a composition by the Italian composer, Antonio Vivaldi. It’s written for stringed instruments and harpsichord, an instrument from the “baroque” era. Each of the four seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter, are characterized in this piece. Watch the video and answer these questions:
- What are the names of all the instruments that play in this piece?
- Which of these instruments is the lowest in pitch? Which is the highest in pitch?
How to Make a Violin: How To Make a Violin (For Kids!)
Watch this video to learn about how violins are made.
- What is the word for someone who makes violins?
- What are the kinds of woods used to make the violin in this video?
- Why does the violin maker cut holes in instruments?
Research topics:
Find a composer of one of the Suzuki pieces in late book 1 or 2. Research that composer and make a list of five facts about them, or five of their other pieces (apart from the pieces in books 1-2!).
Or, you can choose to research one of the folk songs from book 1 (Lightly Row, Song of the Wind, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, O’ Come Little Children, May Song, Long Long Ago)! Where does it originate from? Can you find any other recordings of this song? Are there words that go with this song?
You can either write down your findings and email them to me or share them with me in your next lesson!
Active listening:
Below is a link to a Google Drive folder with all the recordings from the Suzuki reference recording for Violin Book 1. You may not have learned all or any of these yet, but getting these pieces in your ears now will help your fingers learn them later! You’re welcome to download these recordings to your personal device for easy access. Click here to access the Suzuki Book 1 reference recordings!
Active listening means that you are listening and paying attention to the music, not just hearing it passively in the background. Some ways you can listen actively include:
- Rhythm practice:
- Singing along
- Clapping, or “scrubbing” along
- You can clap or “scrub” the rhythm, or simply clap along to the beat
- Pitch identification:
- Count how many repeated (same note twice or more in a row) notes you hear
- Most of the pieces from the beginning of the book are played only on the A and E strings. Some pieces in the middle use A, E, and D strings, some use G, D, and A strings, and some pieces toward the end of the book use all four!
- Make a list to see how many pieces only use A and E, use three strings, and all four strings.
- Practice your bow hold on a pen or pencil for the length of a whole song
- Game!
- Pick 2-3 pieces from the first half of the book, and listen closely to each one 2-3 times in a row. Make sure you know the names of the songs! Then, your grown up will play one of those pieces for you without telling you what they are. If you can guess correctly, you win! Start with just 2 or 3, and see if you can gradually add more!
Have a wonderful spring break, and happy practicing! 🙂
Leave a comment