October 8, 2025 Homework Preludio
WELCOME PRELUDIO!
Preludio: The biggest goal of book one is to learn how to play with good posture (good violin and bow hold) and a good sound. Everything else is a bonus.
Note: In violin class we are not necessarily focused on learning songs. We are learning a collection of skills (good posture, how to get a good sound, how to play in tune, how to play together, how to play musically) and we use songs to help us practice these skills. While this may seem like very similar things, the second approach is much more focused on the quality of each individual skill rather than how many songs they can get through regardless of quality. I know it can be very motivating to work on recognizable songs and I am not against that, but make sure that the majority of practice time is going towards refining skills that will serve them for the rest of their violin journey. I would save a few minutes at the end for songs they want to try/time to experiment on the violin with whatever they want, etc.
Bow Hold Prizes- do 100 bow holds for a prize
Practice Prizes: Fill out your peanut butter and jelly chart for a prize
Listening: Every day (especially is memorization is hard for your student, then listen 2x a day)
1) Rest and Playing position: No violin.
*make sure the weight is balanced between the 2 feet “Sway like a tree”
*Practice the head turn with the hand on the belly button. The belly button should not move while the head turns to the left
2) Rest and playing position with the violin
-Sing the Rest Position Song
-Playing position: parent should place the violin for now.
Step 1:Feet and head turn should be good before attempting the violin placement.
Step 2: The child should open their chin while keeping the head turned, and the parent will place the violin on the left shoulder.
Step 3: When placed, the parents should tell them to close their head and rest it on the black chin rest.
The jaw should rest on the black chin rest and the head weight should keep the violin in place (test that they can let go of the hands without dropping the violin)
Step 4: Hold for at least 10 seconds, work your way up to being able to listen to a whole Twinkle variation (about 30 sec) over time.
3) Bow Hold:
Bow holds should be assisted by the parents using the method we talked about in class. Some benchmarks to look for:
1) Thumb is bent (dot should be hidden) and on the silver part of the frog
2) Middle finger is right across from the thumb and touchin where the middle finger dot was today
3) Ring finger is right next to the middle finger (touching the dot on the frog)
4) Pinky is curved and on top of the stick (behind the other fingers)
5) Index finger is resting on the stick like cooked spaghetti
Once they are in place, make sure they hold it for at least 10 seconds. They may need you to help them bear the weight of the bow at first while they are developing finger strength
Goal: 100 bow holds within a month (held at least 10 seconds). When the chart is done, bring it in for a small prize!
4) E and A string concerto: focusing on opening and closing the forearm and keeping the bow parallel with the bridge. Keep the bow within the bridge and fingerboard.
5) Magic X- the point where the index finger touches the hand. This is the point of contact with the violin neck. It should be touching at all times.
6) Monkey Song on A string
-make sure fingers are curved and wrist is straight
MonKey Song: A-1-2-3, 3-2-1-A
Pickle Song: E-1-E-A
Twinkle Bread: A-E-1-E-A3-2-1-A
Cello Monkey Song:
A-1-3-4,4-3-1-A
7) Tricky Spot:
E-A3 (do this spot 10x, it’s the hardest part)
8) Twinkle Review with ready go:
Violin Twinkle Bread: A-E-1-E-A3-2-1-A
Violin Twinkle peanut butter: E-A3-2-1
If they are starting to get the hang of it, start shortening the pauses and trying to do all of twinkle (bread-peanut butter-peanut butter-bread)
Cello Twinkle Bread
D-A-1-A-D4-3-1-D
Cello twinkle peanut butter:
A-D4-3-1
Practice Videos and Recordings
Twinkle Theme Play Along:
Lightly Row Slow
Lightly Row Performance Tempo w/ fingerings
Twinkle Mississppi Hot Dog, skip to close to the end for Twinkle Theme
SLOW (great for play alongs): Twinkle Mississppi Hot Dog, skip to close to the end for Twinkle Theme
Parents that are guiding fingers should be careful that the wrist stays straight (no “pizza man wrist” or “Pancake wrist”) and that the fingers are rounded, creating an arch shape.
Resources For Preludio:
The following link has many pictures of a correct bow hold from many angles for your reference.
Suzuki Recordings:
Bow Hand Dot Photos: Attached below
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Below is your theory homework for the week:
Theory A: Kitten and Butterfly (violin)
Theory B: Treble clef
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