Shar Music Adventures in Violinland, Book 1D: ''Halfway Up Fiddle Hill'' - Givens - Violin - Book

Author: Shirley Givens
Format: Book
Instrumentation: Violin

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 colouring! Ms. Givens uses a "Movable Do" system to teach pitch relationships and good intonation. Recommended for very young children.

Book 1D, Halfway Up Fiddle Hill, introduces the 3rd and 4th fingers in the violin 1st position, and also string crossing (the DO-SO skip). There are left hand agility exercises. Hand signals to act out the scale are introduced (Curwen-Kodaly method), as well as rhythm syllables. There are many violin songs and duets; pencil play is continued..

"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