Hello my friends, I’ve taken a break from the podcast and blog for a couple months due to the demands of our new family schedule and routine, but I wanted to hop back on to tell about a new resource for young violinists.
I love teaching my students note reading and music theory, but it can be difficult to spend much of our precious lesson time on these skills. I always run out of time! When someone from the ABRSM emailed me to ask if I’d like to check out Violin Star Theory before it was published, I was delighted.
As I’ve gone through this theory workbook for violinists with my seven-year-old, I’ve been very impressed with how the authors have incorporated theory and practical application. On almost every page, there are opportunities for the student to use what they’ve learned on their instrument.
Violin Star Theory is a great supplement for young Suzuki violinists, and can be started before they begin formal note reading. I plan to use it in conjunction with I Can Read Music by Joann Martin, with my mid-book 1 students.
One drawback is the use of the British rhythm notation terms (crotchets, minims, quavers, etc.) but I “translated” these terms as needed for my son and didn’t find it to be a huge distraction. It’s good for our students to be exposed to different ideas, especially when they have the support they need to navigate those new ideas. It wasn’t until I was eighteen that I realized what a crotchet was! The world we live in is much smaller now, and it will help our students to be familiar with these terms.
You can check out Violin Star Theory here. They also have a volume titled Piano Star Theory. I hope they publish volumes with increasing difficulty of material and for other instruments soon!
Have you checked out Violin Star Theory? What do you think? Please share your favorite music theory resources for violin students in the comments.
Brecklyn Ferrin teaches Suzuki violin lessons and Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes in Kaysville, Farmington, and Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the Suzuki parent of a 7 year old violinist, 5 year old cellist, and 18 month old Suzuki baby.
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