I want to teach ds violin. Please tell me what books and tapes I should buy

[FillyjonkisCALM]

(I CAN play the violin, btw, and there are no local Suzuki or similar teachers. But also, I doubt he'd learn as well from a teacher.)

I need a method to teach ds, but also instructions on how to use the method.

Right am looking at following:

book 1

is this the accompaniment to book 1?

this, for a laugh ;-)

Thoughts on any of these?

We are NOT, I repeat, NOT of the "you need a teacher to learn music" school, so there is no point at all convincing me to hold my horses til we find someone who works for ds. ATM he wants to learn. That is the most important thing for me.

Any ideas, thoughts, suggestions, etc?

I'm glad you mentioned that you can play the violin - I opened this thread with some worry...

I've no experience of Suzuki though, DS learned through more "traditional" teaching, but those books look like a good start.

How old is your ds Fillyjonk? If he's very young Suzuki is probably the way to go. You would also need the CD which he is supposed to listen to every day .

he is 4, snorkle, and massively keen. I think 4 is too young for any sort of formal musical instruction, really, at least for him...He is starting to read music though, and seems to have a decent ear-he can help tune the thing a little.

more thoughts?

Fiddle Time Joggers is the book DD is using (Reception and Y1 age children).

I think you should hold your horses until you find a proper teacher.

I would also agree that Suzuki sounds right for a 4 year old- ds learned the conventional way but he was nearly 7 when he started. I would have a look at musicroom, the site that lljkk gave- it's very comprehensive. Chamberlain's music is a good site too.

I don't really know all that much about it, but Suzuki is learning to play by ear initially. So you don't actually need to read music 'till much later. That's why younger kids find it works, but if your ds is begining to read already then a conventional approach might work too.

I found a suzuki website that might be helpful to read.

I am totally clueless but ds2 learns violin at school. He was getting a bit bored with the pieces he was sent home to practise so I bought him a book called 'Waggon Wheels' with an accompanying CD which he really enjoyed. It was enough to maintain his interest and 2 years on from then he's progressed to Grade 2 and still loving it.

Mmm... you have a big advantage in that you can play BUT DD1 started violin at 6 and it's been uphill all the way: very technical at the start and so no quick reward for doing the work. In addition, 4 is very young to have discipline to practice. DDs 2& 3 are now flying at the piano because they could pick out Mary had a little Lamb type stuff within weeks and We Three Kings of Orient Are in time for grandparent's pre-Christmas visit. We've done Fiddle Time but really would recommend a cheap second hand piano and fun rather than the crossness that came with early violin

I think you really need to read up a lot about the Suzuki method before deciding if thats the way you want to go:

-do you want him to learn by ear and copying (no music reading to start with)?
-do you want him to memorise and perfect each piece before moving onto the next?

there is no advantage in using the Suzuki books without the method - they are not child friendly books (they are intended for the teacher and parent) although they may provide useful supplementary material if you go with a different method.

there are loads of good books out there with easier shorter pieces that keep you moving forward(one piece in the Suzuki book 1 is currently on ABRSM grade 3 list!)

can you browse in your local music shop or buy a collection of cheap used books off ebay (try Eta Cohen, Sheila Nelson etc)

NB My recollection is that the Eta Cohen books proceed in a clear stepwise manner which may suit.

I wandered in to say that i learned with the Eta Cohen books, they are really logical. thirty years later i am still enjoying playing

ack lost this thread! it is possible I am spending too much time here

right will look at eta cohen also

tbh, I have no especial desire to produce a musical genius or anything. Also-I know enough about music, and also have enough musician friends that I think someone would recognise if he DID seem exceptionally talented or anything.

All I want is for him to have fun. ATM we are pottering about on the violin together, but I could use just some ideas really, as to how to take it further. So will check out all the links and stuff. Thanks all!

Another minor consideration is that my REAL musical interest, I am realising, is in the technical side of music production. I would have loved to be a violin maker, or a piano tuner, or something. Ds is similarly mechanically inclined t/w music, if that makes sense-he is VERY interested in how notes are produced. So that is perhaps more the angle I am going from.

Filly, I know you said you did not fancy going the teacher route at the moment, but it might be worth considering whether your localish conservatoire has one of those Early Strings Programmes which are a gentle, fun introduction to Dalcroze and usually Suzuki

oh marina, we are in CARDIFF

no fancy stuff like that here

Just fierce chain smoking "characters"

if I were back in london, there would be no problem

Are you sure? Does the WCMD really not have Juniors - most of the other music colleges do?

I learnt with the Eta Cohen books and loved it. I also learnt a lot of the Suzuki pieces a little later on and would really recommend getting the books when your child is old enough to get to grips with them. They're really well-chosen little pieces, jolly and musically pleasant and nowhere near as painful on the ears as a lot of early violin pieces can be!

Have a look here:

I haven't used all of these but have a look here for some ideas:

musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide/tp/vbooks.htm

I also like Waggon Wheels (not a method but the first of a series of books containing nice pieces as an addition).

However I'm finding teaching my own dc a lot harder than teaching other people's children. Just to warn you ;-)

Also at 4 (well, any age, but particularly as you can't expect most 4 year olds to "practice" the violin for long periods and the listening skills/sense for pitch need to be developed) singing, clapping rhythms etc. is v. important. Even if he doesn't sing, sing to him (guess you're doing that anyway ;-)

Found this whilst quickly checking marina's suggestion:

www.rwcmd.ac.uk/jmas/music_first_programme_1.asp

would seriously consider this

lol lost thread due to baby being born, also incompetance

am now going through suggestions again

wcmd has a program but 1-2 yr waiting list

oh sorry giuletta-you linked to it

thing is, he wants to do bits when he wants to do them

if i took him to a teacher it'd be a weekly hassle, I know the drill here

though WILL get dd1 on list for wcmd, much more her sort of thing.

I started the violin at 4 (non-suzuki) and learnt to read music then too - agree Eta Cohen has merits.

the hardest thing to learn imo is how to hold the damn thing properly so you don't set up problems for yourself later when you need to change position / do vibrato etc, and you are well placed to help with that.

yes, see I do know that stuff, and I remember all the stuff about frogs and so on...(violin bow)

I think the big problem here is that the violin is really a daft instrument for a 4 year old. it is far far too technical and hard and flimsy. I do not understand why he cannot be desperate to play, say, the piano or the recorder