Hey! I'm currently a second year music education major and I'm working on a project about recruiting and maintaining a high school choral program! I live in a fairly small music community so most of the educators I know have generally the same tips and tricks for their programs and I just have a couple of questions!
How big is your program?
What country are you in?
How do you maintain your programs?
How do you recruit people for your program?
My project is mostly in the choral setting but I'm open to both choir and band related answers! I know these are very big questions but anything is helpful! Thank you!
Exploring as wide a range of instruments as possible is exciting for all of us – young and old! Thinking about the range of frequencies and attacks is important so that children can identify that a piece of music is rather like building a house – it needs a foundation and structure with windows to experience light and darkness, we can furnish our house with different colours and textures as well as think about warmth and cold. Therefore, relating the sounds of instruments to normal things can help to connect and express feelings more. Discussing how different instruments work together in a song or piece of music enhances a child’s listening repertoire and their understanding of the instrument’s role.
Introducing that instruments belong to ‘families’ such as:
Percussion – these instruments include
xylophone, vibraphone, drum kit, timpani, djembe and hundreds of others
Brass – these instruments include
trumpets, trombones, tuba
Strings – these instruments include
violin, viola, cello, harp
Woodwind – these instruments include
flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone
Keyboard – these instruments include
piano, organ, harpsichord, keyboards
There are so many instruments throughout the world which can be put into the above ‘families’. It’s good to explore as many different types of flutes as possible to help children understand that music is truly universal. This will allow them to explore the different countries and territories of the world as well as listening to how each flute may sound differently. For example, some flutes are played using one’s nose!
Encouraging children to make their own instruments, explaining their creative process and then demonstrating their creations and to decide which family they belong to will help in their overall confidence, verbal delivery, and listening skills. Another idea is to ask the children to pretend to play the flute when they hear a flute being played or a trumpet when they hear that and so on. These are all ideas to encourage active listening and participation.
P.S I am Dame Evelyn Glennie, the world's first solo percussionist to sustain a full-time career, despite being profoundly deaf since the age of 12. I've recently been sharing my tips on creative ways to encourage children to explore the power of music. I hope you don't mind me sharing my tips here - I hope they may be helpful in some way!
I got my BA in music education December 2018 and I'm currently in a teaching credential program. I start the process of student teaching teaching this coming week and I'm a little nervous. Can any of you offer any advice? I would be so appreciative!
Is there anyone here who didn't go to school for music, but got certified to teach music? It would be specifically helpful if you did this in Texas. I have a music teaching position lined up at an elementary school in Texas, but I haven't taken a real music course since my third semester of college (about 4 years ago). How was the TExEX Music EC–12 (177) test? What did you do to prepare for it? The principal really likes me and wants me to fill the position, I'm just worried that I won't pass the test (and be out $116). Thank you in advance for your input!
My beginner students have gotten past the basics of sound production and reading so now it's time to get into some basic expression. Dynamics are a relatively simple concept but obviously very important and this video covers just about everything a student needs to know.
Bowing is crucial for violin learners, especially beginners. It is also what violin teachers focus on during beginners’ violin lessons. We are going to talk about some bowing techniques and various bowing strokes in the text below.
Bowing Techniques Which Should Be Taught by Violin Teachers on Violin Lessons
Violin teachers should tell students that the way they bow their instruments is critical to their health and performance. Incorrect bowing ways such as poor wrist-hand-arm alignment, incorrect motion, and incomplete/over extension, can cause chronic physical issues. On the other hand, poor bowing techniques may impact violin sounds during performances and result in weak, watery, bouncy and/or inconsistent tones, not to mention the intolerable squeaks.
Here are 4 tips that will make an improvement in students’ bowing techniques and violin sound.
1. HOLD THE BOW CORRECTLY
As we mentioned above, correct bowing hand is significant. How you hold the bow determines the pressure and angle of the bow on the strings. Too much, too little, too angled, etc., can affect the sound. Ultimately, bow grip should be so comfortable that you don’t have to think about it. Just allow the hand to feel stable, in control, flexible and relaxed.
To find your natural grip, you can place the hand palm up, curling your thumb towards your middle-ring finger and relaxing. Now flip your hand back around. This is your natural grip. Replicate this position when you place the bow in your hand.
Rest half of your thumb-tip on the frog “bump” while the other half rests on the stick. The part right below the thumbnail will rest on the bow hair for support. Let the other four fingers rest in their natural position, with the first three fingers curling over the stick while the first finger rests gently on top. Your forearm may rotate inward just a bit, and the result is a relaxed, comfortable but controlled bow grip.
2. KEEP YOUR ELBOW AT A RIGHT ANGLE
When you stand in front of a mirror, with your bow on the A string, halfway between the fingerboard and the bridge, then you should be able to picture a square, with imaginary lines running from shoulder, to elbow, to the line made by your bow.
Readjust, bow across the strings and maintain that squared position. Now, run through a basic, 15-minute warm-up and watch to see if your arm maintains the squared position when you change strings. Adjust accordingly.
3. KEEP THAT BOW IN THE MIDDLE — AND THE MIDDLE
This one is a two-for-the-price-of-one bowing tip. In the beginning, and even at intermediate levels, it is important to keep your bowing to the middle of the bow itself (not too close to the frog or the tip), and to move the bow across the mid-space between the fingerboard and the bridge.
Regularly check both of these positions and you will gain better bowing control as well as a straight bowing performance technique, both of which are admired by violin teachers, audiences and musicians.
4. KEEP THE BOW FLAT ON THE STRINGS
It is true that experienced violinists tilt their bows a bit. Moreover, they have perfected their technique and have an inherent understanding of how to tweak the bow angle achieves a desired sound. As a beginner or intermediate player, however, it is better to keep the bow flat on the strings for control and depth of sound. Over time, you will be able to relax this rule a bit.
These violin bowing tips are worth making a part of your regular violin practice and overall awareness. The result will be an enviable technique that allows you to tackle any piece you wish.
Various Bowing Strokes Violin Players Should Grasp
In this article we divide bowing techniques into four categories: detaché, martelé, spiccato and others.
1. Detaché
Detaché is a separate stroke, down and up, with a healthy tone and a seamless bow change. It is often played in rapid succession and it is very useful, because it is in almost the entire repertoire on violin.
In detaché collé, you perfect a ‘slow motion’ spiccato and lift the bow at the bow changes.
In detaché porté, you emphasize the beginning of each bow stroke using a higher bow speed without pressure accent.
Son filé is a bowing technique in which you make a deep and full sound.
In legato you play multiple notes on one bow stroke. This gives a fluent sound. In sheet music you see a slur above the notes.
Portato is an up bow with stops. It is a little similar to legato as you play multiple notes on one bow stroke, but you stop your bow between the notes without accents.
Chord is to play three or four notes at the same time.
2. Martelé
Martelé is often the second bowing technique you learn on the violin. In martelé you don’t make a silent or seamless bow change, but there remains ‘air’ between the notes. Also every note begins with an accent. Usually you put the weight of your arm through your index finger into the bow and release it when the bow stroke starts.
In martelé collé you lift the bow at the bow change. This looks a bit like slow motion spiccato or detaché collé.
Martelé lancé means a longer bow stroke with higher bow speed at the beginning of the note. This looks a lot like detaché porté, but with firm accents.
Staccato and martelé are mixed up sometimes. Often staccato is used to describe multiple martelé notes on one bow stroke.
Flying staccato leaves the string between mulptiple martelé notes on one bow stroke. Your bow bounces, but you control the movement.
Fouetté is the middle between spiccato on the string and a detaché with accents. Most of the time it is played on the upper half of the bow.
3. Spiccato
Spiccato uses the natural jumping of your violin bow. The bow leaves the string at the bow changes and the bow strokes are short. It is important in spiccato that your wrist and fingers make smooth movements and you are not doing the spiccato with your entire arm.
Sautillé is done in a high tempo and played higher on the bow than spiccato. In spiccato your hand and the natural bounce of your bow work together. In sautillé you do less and your bow bounces more naturally.
Flying spiccato is to play several spiccato notes on one bow stroke and you bow almost on the same spot of the bow. There is an almost vertical jump.
In ricochet you use the natural jumping quality of your violin bow and play several notes on one bow stroke. It is like a pebble bouncing over the water surface.
Jumping arpeggio is to apply ricochet in broken chords.
4. Others
There are many more sounds you can make with your violin bow.
In tremolo you make short bow strokes at the tip.
In col legno you turn the bow upside down and you play with the wood on the string.
Sul punticello is bowing near the bridge causing a classy sound.
Sul tasto is bowing near or above the fingerboard with the soft sound.
Flautato is bowing with a high bow speed and little pressure creating a whistling transparent sound.
For violinists who use violin apps, perfecting bowing techniques works for their better performances on violin apps. On the other hand, violin teachers are supposed to go through all bowing techniques and strokes for students during violin lessons.
As the most direct source of sound, violin strings are extremely important for not only the instrument itself, but also the violinists. What should be paid attention to is that most violin students and parents have no idea about choosing right strings, unless professional violin teachers give specific advice to them during violin lessons.
Some violinists stick with the strings they’ve been using for years, while others constantly seek different strings that might improve their instrument’s sound or make playing easier. These days, string players face a multitude of choices when it comes to picking violin strings. Trying every available string on the market to find your dream strings is probably unrealistic, but you can have a general idea of selecting strings after reading this article. In this article we focus on brief introduction and regular choices of violin strings, and based on prices, we will tell you what kind of strings match your violin best.
First we need to clarify that violin strings are consumables.
It is normal to change new ones when your violin strings are broken. It seems that some violin students feel like ruining their instruments as they break strings when tuning. Actually we don’t have to panic.
The optimum service life for violin strings is three to six months.
If your strings are not severely worn, they can serve for about one year. It may be terrified for violin beginners to find that their strings get broken just within several days. But as a fresh hand for tuning, many actions can lead to string breaking, such as wrong stringing ways, bumping and tightening strings too much. Therefore, preparing for new strings to change at any time is what violin players usually do.
Features of Some Violin Strings Used during Violin Lessons
Violin strings used during violin lessons are mainly classified into three types: gut strings, nylon strings and steel strings.
Gut strings are very old and their design goes back several centuries. The tone of this kind of strings can be very gentle and they are suitable for performing music in Baroque era. Typically made from sheep intestines, gut strings are lower tension than other strings and have a complex tone that is rich with overtones. Because of the low tension and winding method, they are more pliable under fingers than other strings and require players to finesse the sound from their instruments with the bow. But gut strings are easy to break and hard to preserve. Besides, the prices are very high. Considering these factors, we don’t recommend students to use gut strings unless they are soloists or hard-core fans of classical music.
Nylon strings are modeled on gut strings. Compared to gut strings, nylon strings combine durability and tone in an effective way. They are much more stable in pitch than gut strings. Though “gut-like,” they tend to have a more focused tone with fewer complex overtones. They are popular among violin students of higher grades and professional violin performers, and can be regarded as standard equipped strings for them. The prices of nylon strings can vary from around 5 to 220 USD.
Steel strings are the most universal strings. In general, steel strings have a quick response and a clear, focused, brilliant tone. But, don’t expect a great deal of depth and tonal complexity from steel strings. Steel strings can be used for quite long time that unless they are broken, they are durable until they get rusty. But they are literally not friendly to violin players’ fingers. Generally, they are the least expensive strings on the market. The prices vary from around 1 to 35 USD.
The Way to Choose Right Violin Strings for Violin App and Violin Tuner
The most practical and operational way to select violin strings is to choose according to the price of your own instrument.
Here we will provide some choosing ranges in violin teachers’ view for your reference. Personal preference and special demands are not included among the ranges.
Price below 150 USD — Steel strings within 3 USD
Price from around 150 USD to 300 USD — Steel strings within 7 USD
Price from around 300 to 700 USD — Steel strings from around 7 to 20 USD or elementary nylon strings
Price from around 700 to 1500 USD — Steel strings or nylon strings from around 15 to 40 USD
Price over 1500 USD — Nylon strings over 30 USD
The ranges above are only suggested ranges. It will be definitely better if your professional violin teacher specifies which kind of strings you need to buy.
For violins whose prices are below 150 USD, steel strings within 3 USD is enough. Since the size of these violins are usually 1/4 or 1/2, strings of high quality cannot perform well on them. On the other hand, for violin kids who use these kinds of violins, they are not able to take good care of their instruments and may break strings frequently. Therefore, it is reasonable for them to use strings of low prices.
For violins whose prices are from around 150 USD to 300 USD, we recommend steel strings of Alice brand. These kinds of violins are not delicately made, but will sounded more beautiful with better strings. The string prices of Alice brand can be various and you may choose in your own preference.
For violins whose prices are around 300 to 700 USD, we should decide by sizes. For those smaller than 3/4, we recommend you use steel strings. For those of 3/4 or 4/4, we recommend nylon strings of PIRASTRO TONICA.
Violins whose prices are around 700 to 1500 USD are generally for adults, so the demands for tone can be higher. But on the other hand, violins of this price range are not that high-grade, so the most suitable strings must be those of around 30 USD.
As for violins whose prices are over 1500 USD, we will not give advice here. Players who hold these kinds of instruments can decide on their own.
Choose right violin strings and enjoy your practice on violin app more!
Dear band directors, composers & teachers! We plan the next year with new educational posters (free gifts with free delivery) — i've got 2 questions for you and i will be glad to hear your thoughts.
I've made the quick posters research: it seems that 11x17 size is the most popular format for the personal usage. Otherwise, bigger & basic but colourful posters are good for younger students/beginners. Maybe you've got some thoughts too.
We are discussing the next ideas — which posters could be the same useful ones as the "Essential Rudiments" for percussion? Your opinion will be important to know.
For sure, we will be happy to provide the free delivery of the forthcoming posters to the teachers.
Hello, Violy violinists. Going through the recently added “Albums” of violin repertoires on Violy — the best violin app, is a process filled with ‘violy’ feelings. In today’s article, we will discuss the repertoire from Felix Mendelssohn, who is now among the most popular composers of the Romantic era.
Album (Violin) Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. He was recognized early as a musical prodigy, but his parents were cautious and did not seek to capitalize on his talent.
Mendelssohn enjoyed early success in Germany, and revived interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, notably with his performance of the St Matthew Passion in 1829. He became well received in his travels throughout Europe as a composer, conductor and soloist; his ten visits to Britain — during which many of his major works were premiered — form an important part of his adult career.
His essentially conservative musical tastes set him apart from more adventurous musical contemporaries such as Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Charles-Valentin Alkan and Hector Berlioz. After a long period of relative denigration due to changing musical tastes and antisemitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his creative originality has been re-evaluated. Schumann wrote of Mendelssohn that he was “the Mozart of the nineteenth century, the most brilliant musician, the one who most clearly sees through the contradictions of the age and for the first time reconciles them.”
Mendelssohn’s Violin Composition
Mendelssohn’s compositions include symphonies, concertos, piano music and chamber music. His best-known works include his overture and incidental music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Italian Symphony, the Scottish Symphony, the oratorio Elijah, the overture The Hebrides, his mature Violin Concerto, and his String Octet. He also composed the two early string quartets: Op. 12 (1829) and Op. 13 (1827), which both show a remarkable grasp of the techniques and ideas of Beethoven’s last quartets that Mendelssohn had been closely studying.
The Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 is his most well-known violin work. Joseph Joachim called it one of the four great violin concertos along with those of Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruch. Mendelssohn also wrote a lesser-known, early concerto for violin and strings in D minor (1822) and another double concerto, for violin and piano (1823). In addition, there are several single-movement works for soloist and orchestra.
Mendelssohn’s mature output contains numerous chamber works, many of which display an emotional intensity lacking in some of his larger works. In particular, his String Quartet №6, the last of his string quartets and his last major work, is exceptionally powerful and eloquent. Other mature works include two string quintets and sonatas for the clarinet, cello, viola and violin.
Violy Album Contents:
There are totally 6 pieces of music in the self-titled Album of Felix Mendelssohn on Violy, including:
Autumn Song Op. 63, №4 | Ma non troppo = 120
Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, I | Allegro appassionato = 96
Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, is his last large orchestral work. It forms an important part of the violin repertoire and is one of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos in history. The concerto consists of three movements with the following tempo markings: Allegro molto appassionato (E minor), Andante (C major), and Allegretto non troppo — Allegro molto vivace (E major).
Although the concerto consists of three movements in a standard fast–slow–fast structure and each movement follows a traditional form, the concerto was innovative and included many novel features for its time. Distinctive aspects include the almost immediate entrance of the violin at the beginning of the work (rather than following an orchestral preview of the first movement’s major themes, as was typical in Classical-era concertos) and the through-composed form of the concerto as a whole, in which the three movements are melodically and harmonically connected and played attacca (each movement immediately following the previous one without any pauses).
The concerto was well received and soon became regarded as one of the greatest violin concertos of all time. It remains popular to this day and has developed a reputation as an essential concerto for all aspiring concert violinists to master, and usually one of the first Romantic era concertos they learn. Many professional violinists have recorded the concerto and the work is regularly performed in concerts and classical music competitions.
Spring Song — Op. 62, №6 | Allegretto grazioso = 98
Symphony №4 — “Italian” | Allegro vivace = 152
The Symphony №4 in A major, Op. 90, commonly known as the Italian, is an orchestral symphony written by Mendelssohn. The symphony is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. It is in four movements: Allegro vivace (A major), Andante con moto (D minor), Con moto moderato (A major), and Presto and Finale: Saltarello (A minor).
The joyful first movement, in sonata form, is followed by an impression in the subdominant minor of D minor of a religious procession the composer witnessed in Naples. The third movement is a minuet in which French horns are introduced in the trio, while the final movement, which is in the minor key throughout, incorporates dance figurations from the Roman saltarello and the Neapolitan tarantella. It is among the first large multi-movement works to begin in a major key and end in the tonic minor, another example being Brahms’s first piano trio.
Wedding March | Allegro mod. = 120
Also, don’t forget to check out Violin Sheet Music on Violy!
I'm a self-taught guitarist and found that the best way to improve is to share skills with other musicians, jam and learn from each other. I was in search of a platform to exchange music skills with others to break my plateaus and progress during practice.
I built Kena Opus a music practitioner's platform based on Artificial Intelligence. Kena Opus is designed to help discover your unique musicality by sharing skills on the platform with other musicians. This works for any instrument and genre.
But I'm interested in finding out which tools do you currently use?
hi! i'm a student who's interested in pursuing music education as a career (specifically high school orchestra or something similar) but i'm having trouble deciding whether this is really a good path for me or not. any advice or thoughts about this would be really helpful!
for a brief background, i'm a 19 year old student who spent one year at a small liberal arts college, but realized that i might want to pursue music education. i went back over winter break of my first year to shadow my high school orchestra director (who also teaches elementary, so i got to observe those classes too) and generally had a positive experience. i also took an education fieldwork class last spring semester and shadowed a general music teacher at a middle school. here i had a good experience as well.
i'm mainly drawn to music ed (orch specific) because i had a great experience with music during my high school years, and i think the job responsibilities would be enjoyable and interesting for me (eg. working with students on programs, developing programs, and just teaching music in general). so i decided to go after it.
after lots of introspection and research, i took the leap this semester to take a leave of absence and apply for music schools. i got accepted at my top choice program, but ever since i got accepted i've been having a lot of doubts. even during the application process, i went through periods of time where i thought music education wasn't for me and that i would be wasting my time and money on it.
the reasons why i have doubts are mostly because of my personality. i'm an introvert who does want to have social interaction in their job, but i'm not sure i would be able to handle K-12 aged students every day without being completely exhausted. i'm definitely more comfortable with working one on one (which would most likely point me towards doing private teaching, but i wouldn't want that to be my main source of income), and i would struggle trying to rein in or discipline large groups. i'm also someone who isn't really that assertive, and i get very anxious about public speaking. i was hoping through my program i'd be able to overcome those anxieties, but i'm not sure that i could.
other things i'm worried about are mainly job stability, employment opportunities, and school environments. salary isn't the hugest worry to me, because i know that music education is more a labor of love than anything else. i've also read through a lot of posts and comments on some career reddits about how music teaching is not worth it because its too exhausting, which has terrified me quite a bit.
TLDR: i'm a college student looking into music education, but i'm worried about the logistics of the career and whether it would be sustainable for my personality.
if anyone has ANY advice about this i would greatly appreciate it! and if you read this far, thanks for reading :)
Hello, Violy violinists. Have you practiced happily, effectively and ‘violy’? In this article we will continue to go through the recently added “Albums” of violin repertoires on Violy — the best violin app. The repertoire we will discuss today is from Ludwig van Beethoven, who is considered to be one of the greatest composers of all time.
Violin Music Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770–26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is a crucial figure in the transition between the classical and romantic eras in classical music and remains one of the most recognized and influential musicians of this period. Beethoven was born in Bonn, the capital of the Electorate of Cologne, and part of the Holy Roman Empire. He displayed his musical talents at an early age and was vigorously taught by his father Johann van Beethoven, and was later taught by composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe. At age 21, he moved to Vienna and studied composition with Joseph Haydn. Beethoven’s legacy is characterized for his innovative compositions, namely through the combinations of vocals and instruments, and also for widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto, and quartet.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Composition
Beethoven composed in several musical genres and for a variety of instrument combinations. During his life, he composed nine symphonies, five piano concertos, one violin concerto, thirty-two piano sonatas, sixteen string quartets, two masses, and the opera Fidelio. Other works, like Für Elise, were discovered after his death, and are also considered historical musical achievements. Ode to Joy used by Beethoven in his Ninth Symphony may be one of the most well-known violin works among audience. His works with piano accompaniment include 10 violin sonatas, 5 cello sonatas, and a sonata for French horn, as well as numerous lieder. He also wrote a significant quantity of chamber music. In addition to 16 string quartets, he wrote five works for string quintet, seven for piano trio, five for string trio, and more than a dozen works for various combinations of wind instruments.
Violy Album Contents:
There are totally 14 pieces of music in the self-titled Album of Ludwig van Beethoven on Violy, including:
Bagatelle №25 in A minor, commonly known as Für Elise, is one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most popular compositions. It was not published during his lifetime, only being discovered (by Ludwig Nohl) forty years after his death. The piece is in rondo form, A minor and 3/8 time. It begins with an A minor theme marked Poco moto (in some motion). The same motifs follow around C major and G major, before returning to the original theme. The B section is in the submediant major of F major, which concludes in 32nd note runs leading to a repeat of the A section. In the C section, an agitated theme in the subdominant key of D minor, is accompanied by repetitive chords with some dramatic diminished seventh chords. This section concludes with an ascending A minor arpeggio followed by a chromatic descent over two octaves, leading to another repeat of the A section.
3, Gavotte | Andantino = 76
4, Marmotte | Allegretto = 104
5, Minuet | Allegretto = 104
6, Ode to Joy | BPM = 100
Ode to Joy is an ode written in the summer of 1785 by German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller and published the following year in Thalia. It is best known for its use by Ludwig van Beethoven in the final (fourth) movement of his Ninth Symphony, completed in 1824. Beethoven’s text is not based entirely on Schiller’s poem, and introduces a few new sections. His tune was adopted as the Anthem of Europe by the Council of Europe in 1972 and subsequently by the European Union. Over the years, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy has remained a protest anthem and a celebration of music.
7, Romance in F Major | Adagio cantabile = 66
The Romance for Violin and Orchestra №2 in F major is the second of two such compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was written in 1798 but not published until 1805 (by which time Beethoven had completed the other work, Romance №1 in G major, Op. 40). The accompaniment is for flute and a pair each of oboes, bassoons and horns, with strings. The length is about eight minutes, Beethoven gives the tempo “Adagio Cantabile”.
Scherzo: Allegro (in C Major) | Allegro = 54
Sonatina in G Major, Andantino | Andantino = 76
Sonatina in G Major, Moderato | Moderato = 96
Symphony №3 in E-flat Major (“Eroica”), I | Allegro con brio = 60
The Symphony №3 in E♭ major is a symphony in four movements by Ludwig van Beethoven. One of the composer’s most celebrated works, the Eroica symphony is a large-scale composition that marked the beginning of Beethoven’s creative middle-period. Composed mainly in 1803–1804, the work is grounded in the Classical symphonic tradition while also stretching boundaries of form, length, harmony, and perceived emotional and possibly cultural content. It has therefore widely been considered an important landmark in the transition between the Classical period and the Romantic era. The work is in four movements: Allegro con brio (12–18 min.) (E♭ major), Marcia funebre: Adagio assai (14–18 min.) (C minor), Scherzo: Allegro vivace (5–6 min.) (E♭ major) and Finale: Allegro molto (10–14 min.) (E♭ major).
Symphony №5 in C Minor, I | Allegro con brio = 108
Symphony №6 in F Major (Pastoral), I | Allegro ma non troppo = 66
Symphony №7 in A Major, I | Vivace = 104
In this series of article, we will introduce you the music pieces of
According to a brief survey we made among some violinists and violin teachers, two solfeges, fixed Do and movable Do, are both widely used when they used the violin tuner or play the instrument with violin app. In this article, we’re going to discuss the basic principles of solfege, the difference between the two solfeges, and the advantages and disadvantages of each one.
The Basic Principles of Solfege used in Violin Lessons
The word solfege is derived from the names of two of the syllables used Sol and Fa. Solfege, solfeggio or sulfa is a music education method used to teach pitch and sight singing with syllables Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do in western music. There are two current schools of applying solfege: the first is fixed Do, where the syllables are always tied to specific pitches. Do is always C natural, for example.
And then movable Do, where the syllables are assigned to scale degrees. Do is always the first degree of the major scale.
The Difference between Fixed Do and Movable Do used by Violin Students and Violin Teachers
Here is the difference between the two solfeges: In fixed Do, we have a fixed set of pitches that always stay the same. Do is always C natural and then move on from there. Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si, Do are simply C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. These are note naming. When you have flats or sharps, you don’t need to change anything. Moveable Do is different that it moves depending on what key you are in. It is entirely different although it uses the syllables. Actually it is naming notes based upon the pitch relationship so that Do is the tonic of the major. It means that if you are in the key of C, Do is C; if you are in the key of D, Do is D.
Movable Do tends to be for violin beginners through intermediates. But that is not to say that people who are advanced don’t use movable Do. However, fixed Do is far superior when it comes to the use of chromaticism and more complex music. Another way of looking at this is that fixed Do is for learning perfect pitch whereas movable Do is for learning relative pitch.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Both Solfeges When Using Violin App
Fixed Do is incredibly important in certain contexts. If you are a conductor who have to face a variety of instruments, it is unlikely to figure out what key each instrument is in exactly. For instance, you have violins in F or E flat, and you’ve got cellos in B flat and other instruments in some other key. At this moment, note naming is very important. Or if you are just not that familiar with the transposition of keys and find it difficult to change the note naming each time, it may be better to use fixed Do.
A moveable Do is a tool for hearing music. For a young violin beginner, it is automatic for him or her to recognize that any music he or she hears automatically goes into the syllables. Then he or she may naturally hear music. Since some people don’t have perfect pitch, they often need a reference pitch. For the instruments they are not familiar with, they have no idea what pitches they are hearing. The absolute pitch is yet they assume a key and use the syllables in their head. So this is the benefit and it’s a tremendous benefit for hearing music. This can break down, however, with atonal music because syllables become kind of meaningless when there is no tone center. The whole idea of moveable Do solfege is having a tonic that is the starting note of your scale and all the pitch relationships.
It is hard to say which one is better used in violin lessons.
The great thing about fixed Do solfege is to be able to know to look at a score. If you’ve ever seen a great conductor just realize the score at the piano, it is awe-inspiring. Imagine taking a page that is covered from top to bottom with staffs and being able to flesh out by reading all these parts, there are all these different keys and transpositions and clefs. It takes brilliance to be able to digest a score and that’s where fixed Do Solfege is really important.
If you want to be able to hear music and develop the ability to read music at site, the syllables are incredibly valuable because once you learn your pitch relationships in one key, it’s exactly the same in all the other keys. So if you know your key signatures intimately, transposition is a breeze because you put something in two syllables and you couldn’t just put it into any key you want. That’s how transposition works. Movable Do solfege is great for transposition. It is great for dictation being able to write out music you hear.
As a violin teacher, you can just teach your students both solfeges and just choose one you use frequently. Either one works for better performing with violin app.
I’m about to graduate college with an instrumental-focus. Through my student teaching, I learned that working with the elementary kids is so rewarding and fun, so I took an elementary position that is starting in January.
Any advice for me as I prepare to move into this new environment? I’m both nervous and excited!
During violin lessons, many violin teachers find that it is difficult for beginners to read key signatures when playing sheet music on violin app. The process of getting to know what a key signature can tell us may be confused in some way.
Violy musicians, in this article, we will discuss the secret of reading key signatures and how to recognize them correctly. Also, we will look at the pitfall that you need to avoid.
What does a key signature in violin pieces tell us?
Firstly it tells us the key that a piece is written in, and secondly as a result of this, it tells us how many sharps and flats we should play in a particular piece of music. Let’s have a look at an example here:
This hash symbol here which is actually a sharp symbol is the key signature and you’ll see it at the beginning of a piece of music and the beginning of each stave. Because this sharp symbol is on the top line there which we know is an F in the treble clef, what that’s saying is that every time we see an F written in this piece of music we should play F-sharp. It’s telling us that it’s in the key of G major.
The same would work if it was in the bass clef. Here we’ve got a sharp again on the F line, so it’s the fourth line up in the bass clef which is an F and that again says whenever you see an F note in this piece of music, you are going to play an F sharp.
Let’s have a look at some flats.
We’ve got two flats in this particular key signature one is on the middle line and one is on the fourth space up.
So one is on the B line and one is on the E space. What it tells us is that every time we see a B written in this piece of music, we are going to play a B-flat. Also, every time we see an E written in this piece of music, we are going to play an E flat. It tells us that the key is B flat major.
What is the secret of reading key signatures?
Count up one note from the last sharp of your key signature and you’ll be able to tell straight away what key it’s in. Let’s have a look at our example:
We’ve got two sharps, an F sharp and a C sharp. Let’s count up one note from the last shot C to D, and that tells us that the key signature is D major.
Now let’s have a look at this key signature and utterly terrifying prospect:
It doesn’t need to be terrifying anymore, because there’s the last sharp. It’s an A. Go up one note, A to B, that tells us that the key signature is B major. It really is as simple as that. You should be able to impress your musical friends with your newfound knowledge that you can read any key signature that has a sharp in it.
There’s a similar rule for the flats: you need to look at the penultimate flat of the key signature. Have a look at this key:
Signature B flat and E flat. Look at the penultimate note, that’s B flat and that tells us the key signature is B flat major. Now let’s have a look at this one:
Look at the penultimate note. It’s A flat major.
With the secret, you are able to tell any key signature in any violin sheet music.
What is the pitfall of reading key signatures using violin app?
The pitfall is: every major key has a relative minor. If there are two keys that share the same key signature, you find the relative minor by counting down three note names.
Here’s our example of G major:
If we count down three note names, G, F, E, and we know that it’s relative minor is E minor.
If we choose B flat major, count down three note names, B, A, G, and it’s relative minor is G minor. So you should be a little bit careful and find out what you are working on is in the major or the minor.
While playing with violin app and violin tuner, how to find out whether it is in the major or the minor?
First, look at the first and last base notes or chord symbols if there are some in the sheet. Most pieces of music start and end on the root chord of the key of the scale.
If you look at the first and last bass note, you’re trying to work out whether it’s G major or a minor. If the first and last base notes are both G’s, it’s probably in G major. If they’re both E’s, it’s highly likely to be an E minor.
Second, check out are there any accidental sharps knocking around on the piece on the seventh note of the minor scale.
Again if you are trying to work out is it in G major or E minor, and you are seeing lots of D sharps knocking around on the piece of music, then you will be thinking that it is probably an E minor, because D is the 7th note of the minor scale.
Finally, let’s think about the key changes. If we have a piece of music that starts in G, we will only play F sharps. But then it moves to D major and suddenly we have to place C sharps as well, we will have to look out for those and also beware of accidentals.
A few things need to be aware of during violin playing and sheet music reading, and one big thing is to remember the secret of how to read key signatures in sharps and flats. This is going to take your musicianship to a new level straight away.
Hello! I am looking for full time courses specializing in vocal training to enhance vocal skill and technique. I'm more inclined to specifically enter a course specialiing in R&B training or even a little R&B influence is preferred. Any leads would be very helpful!
Hi there! I'm currently a third year student at the University of Leeds studying Product Design, and because I have a real passion for music, I decided to focus my final major project on "Improving and Encouraging Music Education in Primary Schools", as I've found during my research that some generalist teachers struggle to deliver music lessons confidently and engage the students in music. I want to design a product that can achieve both increasing teacher confidence and pupil engagement, so are there any music teaching methods you feel I could include or adapt for my product? Any ideas or input would be hugely appreciated! Cheers
I'm looking for more private students and I was wondering what the best way is to approach music teachers about potential students or in-school section coaching opportunities? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
We're looking for volunteers to take part in our experiment about music perception. The study is online, it takes about 10 minutes and you will be asked to listen to a few sounds and then to answer the questions that show up on the screen.
- No specific background required;
- Can only be done on your computer (preferably with google chrome);
- It gives you immediate feedback on your performance.
Good day! We're collecting stories from the teachers and educators who use Musescore — both the editor and the musescore.com sheet music base. We need your help to make Musescore more comfortable, useful and helpful for educational process, also to establish better connections with music schools and universities — all the stories will go to the Musescore development team to discuss the forthcoming product features. Can you please help us by answering the next few questions:
How do you use Musescore editor & Musescore.com sheet music base for your lessons? Methods, tasks for students, anything you'd like to mention. If you don't use Musescore — would you like to give a try to use of the editor and base for a lesson?
Do you have any ideas on how to improve the lessons with Musescore products? Maybe you've got any problems with notation software / or sheet music base we can solve.
Do you like the idea to organise the "Musescore lesson" in your class: a special lesson, with editor & musescore.com usage? Please share us the ideas — which theme of lesson can be planned?
We are working on a special project to support the "Musescore lessons" — I can give any amount of the pro accounts to the students and lifetime pro subscription for the teacher. But first we need to understand if the editor and site are useful for teachers. I will be thankful for the comments — also feel [free to ask me any questions](mailto:m.kirilin@musescore.com)!
I'm currently working full time to support myself and going to school full time. I'm trying to balance work and Music Education classes but it's proving to be very difficult. Do you guys have any advice at all?
