Habits of a Successful Young String Musician, Book 1

A field-tested and musical collection of 220 sequenced exercises for the beginning string student with a companion website featuring supplemental resources: accompaniment tracks, start-up clinic videos, and full performance videos for each exercise in the book. Tone is at the heart of this method. Students begin using the bow earlier than other resources. The familiar melodies enable students to use their ears to develop good pitch and tone. Online videos allow students to see and hear professional string players modeling good tone and technique for each exercise. All four open strings are introduced early. New notes are introduced with clear fingerboard diagrams and pictures next to the staff. New keys are taught by highlighting notes affected by the new key signature. Rhythmic literacy exercises will have your students counting and reading independently. Long notes and rests are introduced early so students learn to count and subdivide. Melodies in 3/4 appear early and often. Nine pages of sight-reading exercises develop stronger tonal and rhythmic literacy skills. High-quality photos of excellent hand positions help students develop great technique. A diverse repertoire of classical and folk melodies from around the world and warm-up pages with scales, arpeggios, tuning canons, bowing variations, and other great tools for introducing, teaching, and reinforcing skills are included. Online resources include instructional videos by professional string coaches to reinforce instrument position, left-hand setup, bow hand technique, hooked bows, slurs, developing good tone, as well as shifting and positions in the lower strings.