Learning Activities: Beginning Orchestra

Hannah Bush, Hannah Leckner and Patricia Morrison

Learning Activity 1: Building bow holds with a bow game

- Based on Weeks 8 & 9
Introduction:
- (1st) Explain the bow, the parts of the bow and the way each part functions in the sound
production
- Begin with explaining each bow hold to each instrument, violins, violas, cellos and
basses
- Have the students hold a pencil, like how they will hold the bow
- (2nd) Once the students’ bow holds are placed with the pencil, then go through the same
process with the bow
Reinforcement: (by bow games)
- Teacher demonstrates bow song (rocket ship)
- Students sing with teacher
- Teacher brings red solo cups and places a cup on each bow and the students have to
keep the cup on the bow while walking in a line, making sure their bow arm placement is
stable
Mastery:
- Students teach and correct their stand partners a proper bow hold, how to create it and
lead a bow game
- Students create their own bow game
- Students have proper bow holds once the bow is placed on the string

Learning Activity 2: Building left hand flexibility

- Based on week 20
Introduction:
- The teacher will explain how that in order to play a string instrument you must have a
loose right and left hand.
- The teacher will demonstrate sliding left hand fingers on the instruments.
- The students will repeat the teachers sliding motion for each finger on one string.
Reinforcement:
- The teacher will tell the story of a family of squirrels traveling up a tree (Each finger is a
different squirrel)
- The students will slide their finger up the string throughout the story.They will be
instructed to keep their thumb in place.
- This story can be repeated every class with different students telling it.
Mastery:
- By having a loose left hand students can begin working on shifting and vibrating (which
has a similar motion to these slides, but much smaller).

Learning Activity 3:
- Based on week 27
Introduction:
- The teacher will give students a list of acceptable terms and phrases to describe music.
- The teacher will play a recording of ​Hilary Hahn performing the Tchaikovsky Violin
Concerto​ for students
- The teacher will provide an example of a ​concert review​.
Reinforcement:
- The teacher will help students make note of what words and phrases make the review
effective.
- The students will pick a concerto or symphonic performance to write a review on.
- The students will identify what parts of the music were effective and which parts were
not.
Mastery:
- The student will write a full concert review of a symphony or concerto.