Warm Up Exercise (Week 2):

Concert/Symphonic Orchestra

Goals:

- To use enough bow speed and weight to produce a good tone that projects well

- To understand how/why different bowing patterns require different bow placement and

distribution

- To play a D major scale in tune and in rhythm with a steady tempo

- To shift with a light, smooth motion, always moving the thumb with the second finger

- To accurately play syncopated rhythms while keeping the beat in the body

Materials:

- Habits of a Successful String Musician method book

- Instruments, bows

Experiences:

Bowing Variations

1. Students should turn to page 2 of the Habits of a Successful String Musician method book

and look at exercise 5

2. Students will play a D major scale to remind themselves of the correct notes and

fingerings (technically exercise 5a)

a. Winding it Forward: This step is optional.

3. Students will watch and listen to the teacher play the introduction for exercise 5e

4. Students will play the theme for exercise 5e

a. Winding it Back #1: If the students have trouble with playing in the proper

sections of the bow, have them do it on open D first, then add the notes back in
 b. Winding it Back #2: If the students play well on open strings but continue to

struggle with adding notes back in, double the duration each note is played (e.g.

instead of changing notes on every beat, change notes every measure; once they

get this, go to changing notes every 2 beats, then finally to every beat)

5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 for exercises 5f, 5g, and 5h

Shifting Exercises

1. Students should turn to page 7 of the Habits of a Successful String Musician method book

and look at exercise 25

2. Teacher will ask the students to identify how this exercise is different from the shifting

exercises they did in the previous week (exercises 23-24)

a. Answer to look for: shifting occurs only with first finger regardless of notes

3. Students will watch and listen to the teacher play an example from exercise 25

4. Students will play exercise 25

a. Tip: Ask the students if they know what the Roman numerals in their music are

for, explain if they do not; also explain if they say they do just in case someone

doesn’t know and doesn’t speak up; this will also help prep them for exercise 26

in a later lesson

b. Winding it Back: If the students have trouble shifting to the correct note, have

them play all the notes in first position, then play the shift; make sure they aren’t

afraid to hear the slide for now

i. Alternative Winding: Have the students listen to the teacher play the shift

in tune first, then students echo

Rhythm Reading Exercises

 1. Student should turn to page 46 in the Habits of a Successful String Musician method

book and look at exercise 216

2. Students will have 60 seconds to look over the rhythm line (no notes yet) on their own

3. Teacher will begin tapping quarter notes with her foot, and the students should join in

tapping this rhythm with their feet as well; ensure the students do not speed up, but keep

a steady tempo

4. While continuing to tap their feet, students should then clap the rhythm line. Repeat this

as needed, until all students are clapping the correct rhythm while also keeping the steady

quarter note beat in their bodies

5. Students may now play the rhythm on their instruments on a single note. They should

continue to tap quarter notes in the feet. Assign a note to a section (e.g. violins play the

5th, violas play the 3rd, cello/bass play the root). The exercise is in G major, so each

section should either be playing G, B, or D.

6. Students will play the written notes for exercise 216 while tapping quarter notes with

their feet.

7. Students will play the written notes for exercise 216 without tapping quarter notes with

their feet (but are strongly encouraged to continue tapping if they can do so in a way that

is subtle and unseen from an ‘audience’).

Evaluation:

- Informal evaluation:

o Did the students play with good tone?

o Did the students use proper bow placement and distribution?

o Were notes played in tune?

o Did students move their entire hand during shifts?

o Were students able to continuously tap quarter notes while playing syncopated

rhythms?