The Book
Rudimentary techniques are the foundation...
...for more advanced techniques and thus they must be introduced and explained in a manner that will provide a robust basis for positive and uncomplicated growth. Providing students with the knowledge and tools that give them an awareness of their entire body, not just their fingers, hands, and arms, will enable them to better achieve their full potential down the road. This new mental awareness will invariably kindle the students’ mental and physical learning processes and will facilitate their continuing development towards a future filled with stimulating musical possibilities.
“Best teaching tool I could have asked for, there’s really only two ways to learn how to teach like this; either teach violin for 50 years or read this book.”
This book is intended both to impart fresh perspectives and approaches to music teaching, and to assist in consolidating the fundamentals of violin playing. It will aid the teacher in his/her task of exciting the students’ curiosity and imagination. It will also help the teacher to transmit their own passion for learning.
“I hear this is a good book but I was a little disappointed there wasn’t an audio version.”
The students’ skills are developed and challenged through a series of mental and physical exercises which will improve their co-ordination and their ability to multi-task. New exercises are formulated using all types of scales, arpeggios, and double stops. Some of them may seem mechanical, artificial, or trite. However, they do supply students with the tools which will enable them to develop both musicianship and technical proficiency. In my experience as a teacher, I have found that if the fundamentals are taught with imagination the students’ self-confidence in their own musicianship as well as their self-esteem will evolve. They gain a broader understanding and sympathy for making music while the whole process fosters positive interactions with their peers. My hope is to encourage students, teachers, and performers to experiment with the applied disciplines that have proved so successful to my students
and to me.