Givens, Shirley - Adventures in Violinland, Book 2A: "First Skips on Fiddle Hill" - Arioso Press Publication

Renowned pedagogue Shirley Givens' series for beginning violinists is widely respected for its clear, child-friendly format, and its sensible progression through techniques. There are lots of pictures, fun and familiar songs, and even pages for coloring! Ms.Givens uses a "Movable Do" system to teach pitch relationships and good intonation. Recommended for very young children. Book 2A, First Skips on Fiddle Hill, begins the building of the 1-octave violin arpeggio by teaching the Major Third interval (DO-MI), then the Minor Third interval (MI-SO). There are many violin songs and duets utilizing these skips. Violin bow technique includes deep tone, staccato and bow division. By means of the "4/4 Train" and the "3/4 Train" the concepts of meter, beats and measures are visualized. The "Harmony Belles" characters are introduced as well. "Young children love the violin! It is small and huggable – and it makes sounds! How to nurture this initial enthusiasm for the instrument and to transform it into a deeper love of music is the object of my books." "Don't be misled by the seeming simplicity of the material! The books are written from a child's point of view while incorporating the most exacting standards of modern violin technique. But there are other important features of the books that contribute to their uniqueness: *The young student is encouraged to participate actively in his own learning by developing his own imagination. *There is discovery and improvisation. No imitation or copying from CDs. *Training the child's own pitch awareness from the start assures early in-tune playing. *Note reading and harmonic awareness from the beginning cultivate musical literacy for a lifetime. *A wonderful rhythmic foundation is established through body movement" - Shirley Givens