Peter Prier is a violin maker who has established a prestigious violin making school in downtown Salt Lake City, UT. Watch him telling the story of how he got to be a violin maker.
Excellence in Music Education
Congratulations to Alejandro for his Violin Book 3 Graduation. Alejandro is a very dedicated violin student and we’re so proud of him. Congratulations to his mom, as well for helping him with daily home practice. Here he is smiling with his book certificate. Way to go, Alejandro!
I’m excited to have all our young violinists learn and play more Fiddle and non-classical repertoire!
I have posted MUSIC, VIDEO & AUDIO PRACTICE RESOURCES here (below).
We will play our Fiddle, Broadway, Movie, and Pop repertoire:
Twinkle Variations and Theme (Yes, we will play them, too) —
Twinkle Rock — Practice Music MP3 Below —
Boil’em Cabbage Down – Easy (Murillo) — Download Sheet Music — Practice Video Below —
Boil’em Cabbage Down – Advanced — Download Sheet Music — Practice Video Below —
Cripple Creek – Easy — Download Sheet Music — Practice Video Below —
Cripple Creek – Intermediate — Download Sheet Music —
Cotton Eyed Joe – Advanced — Download Sheet Music — Practice Video Below —
Red Wing (Fiddle Club) — Download Sheet Music —
The Frost Is All Over — Download Sheet Music —
Liza Jane/Bubble Gum Polka — Download Sheet Music — MP3 Below
The Little Pickle/Highlander’s Jig (Scottish Tunes) — Download Sheet Music — Practice Music MP3 Below —
The Irish Washerwoman — Download Sheet Music — Practice MP3 Below
Saint Anne’s Reel — Download Sheet Music — Practice MP3 Below
John Ryan’s Polka — Download Sheet Music — Practice MP3 Below
Cattle Call — Download Sheet Music —
Cuckoo’s Nest — Download Sheet Music —
Star Spangled Banner — Download Sheet Music —
Star Spangled Banner (High Octave) — Download Sheet Music —
Dayenu — Download Sheet Music — Practice Video Below
Millionaire’s Hoedown — Download Sheet Music —
Star Wars — Download Sheet Music — Goofy Video Below —
Tomorrow (Annie) — Download Sheet Music —
Fiddler On The Roof (Broadway) — Download Sheet Music —
My Heart Will Go On (Titanic) — Download Sheet Music —
At performances, your child can participate by playing whichever tunes are mastered. I will be working with the students on this repertoire over these weeks.
Click here to download Twinkle Rock MP3
Click here to download Boil’em Cabbage Down FiddleBlast! Music Soundtrack MP3
Click Here to Download Music MP3
Click Here to Download Music MP3
Congratulations to Anna Victoria Lavelle and Alondra Flores for completing their 100 days of practice in a row chart this week!!
They have made tremendous improvements due to their increased practice discipline.
They were awarded their well-deserved Love Nurtured Music “Practice Champion T-shirts.”
If you want your free T-shirt, complete the 100-Day Challenge Chart here.
We are getting together to celebrate making music, Suzuki style. Let’s come and be part of the Suzuki music community by learning and playing music together.
By Rigo Murillo
I just came across an October 2010 Scientific American article, in which neuroscientists examined the benefits of learning and practicing music. They found a direct correlation of music learning to the enhancement of general learning ability. Another confirmation of the fact that music makes people smarter.
The researchers found that “assiduous instrument training from an early age can help the brain to process sounds better, making it easier to stay focused when absorbing other subjects, from literature to tensor calculus.” They also discovered that music lessons improves memory and concentration throughout one’s life and boosts the ability to multitask, work in disruptive environments and learning other languages.
This information comes handy at a time when many schools and education administrators are deciding to cut music and arts programs as a first resource. A report mentioned in the article found that, for example, the number of students enrolled in music programs in California dropped 50% from 1999 to 2004.
It seems that it is time for the scientists to educate the educators… just saying. What do you think?
Give Your Child The Gift of Music
The Suzuki Association of the Americas Violin Committee announced that the Revised Book 6 of the Suzuki Violin School is finally in print. Included in the mailing of the next SAA Journal is a list of Suggested Repertoire for Books 6, 7 and 8 to accompany those volumes.
By mandate from the 2009 International Teacher Trainers Conference, the ISA Violin Committee was to compile a list of suggested repertoire from different style periods appropriate for each book level to be published in the Revised Books 6-8. It proved a difficult task for all the Regional Association Violin Committees to arrive at consensus over a specific list. As a result, each Regional Association is to assemble its own list for distribution to its members. This is not to create an alternate repertoire but to suggest additional pieces to fill out the depth of the current books, in many instances with pieces Dr. Suzuki himself used in lessons and concerts. There will be a paragraph published in the Revised Books 6, 7 and 8 explaining this procedure. (See pg. 32 of the newly published Revised Book 6 for this paragraph.)
Beginning in 2010, the SAA Violin Committee, in collaboration with the SAA violin Teacher Trainers, began compiling such a list. The Committee appreciates the generous input from the Trainers in that process.
This list is organized by category: Tone pieces, Kreisler pieces, Concertos and Sonatas, Bach, “Show” pieces, and Modern pieces.
The list you have received today does NOT preclude any teacher from using their personal favorites, nor a Trainer from presenting a more comprehensive list for each book or distributing their own list. This list is meant as a guideline for our membership and provide a baseline resource in our training courses. This list is NOT immutable and will be revisited and revised as we work with the list in our teaching and training over the next several years. We look forward to your feedback.
SAA Violin Committee:
Allen Lieb, Chair; Ronda Cole; Lorraine Fink; Karen Kimmett; Sandy Reuning
The problem with review is NOT that students don’t want to do it. It is that it’s difficult to do it consistently throughout the Suzuki repertoire.
“Bucket” Review Technique:
Write all the pieces’ names on separate pieces of paper (or better yet, ping-pong balls), put them in a “bucket”. Everyday, have your violinist draw a few pieces of paper (or ping-pong balls) one at a time, reviewing each one, then, put the ones played in a second bucket.
When you’re through, change buckets and go through them again. When your child learns a new piece, add a new paper or ball with its name to the bucket. You can also include all of the pieces in the current book, and have your child LISTEN to it when it comes in the drawing.
This is the easiest way to “hit” all of the pieces before the “favorites” get played more, letting the others get relegated.
Happy practicing!
Rigo Murillo
Because of our high-quality instructional program and un-compromised commitment to excellence, we have families from all over the metroplex coming to take violin lessons at our program. Don't sacrifice excellent Suzuki music education!
These are some areas where our Suzuki music families drive from: