Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The End of the Beginning: Prezuki Violin

Sadie's last Prezuki class is coming up. So after two semesters of baby violin education, what has she learned?



She's learned to sit in a circle, wait her turn, and separate from Mommy's lap to interact with her teacher independently.

She learned to give up teaching tools like puppets, instruments, and silk flowers, when that part of the lesson was over, even if she didn't want to put it away.

She learned to hold her "foam-a-lin" under her chin with proper position and walk around the room with it held firmly in place by the weight of her head, without using her hands.



She learned to hold her bow with her thumb bent and her pinky on top, her fingers relaxed, and bow rhythms on her shoulder.

She learned to play the drum in rhythm with a song, and how to sync up with the other kids in the class so that they all played the drum in unison.

She learned to thank her teacher for teaching her and her mother for bringing her to class.

She learned to sing on pitch and she learned the difference between high notes and low notes. She learned what an E string sounds like and what an A string sounds like and started learning to hear fifths.

She learned to distinguish between her different fingers on her violin hand, and did strengthening exercises with each one, to boost those fine motor skills.



She learned how to sing scales, with songs about bugs and pussy willows and other silliness. She learned about ascending and descending by climbing stairs with her teacher.

She learned to concentrate on her teacher's directions, and copy instructions. She was taught to focus in increasing intervals, gently and with patience.

She learned lots of fun songs and dances. She learned to look forward to violin class as an interesting time to play and learn.

She learned to respect her classmates and help them, work together with them to accomplish the teacher's directions. She learned to listen and respond.



She learned that music is fun!

When she starts her "real" violin lessons with her actual violin, she will know exactly what to expect and how to behave. What a wonderful experience Prezuki has been. Thank you Mrs. Ford for another excellent class!

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