These arpeggios are audacious indeed as they move between different major and minor keys. Keep the string crossings nice and smooth and watch out for the accidentals!
The Song of Veslemøy, from Halvorsen’s Suite Mosaique, is a gorgeous folk song. It’s yearning, heart-warming tune will keep you warm on a chilly Norwegian evening!
Try these exercises and you’ll soon be double stopping at the double! Practise getting the bowing arm at just the right level to play two open strings at the same time.
Turkey in de straw, Turkey in de hay, Roll 'em up an' twist 'em up a tune called Turkey in the Straw … a riotous American folk song from the early 19th century!
These two-finger scale exercise are fantastically useful for improving shifting and intonation and a great way to warm-up at the start of a practice session.
Shift up and down with the first finger - from 1st through to 4th position - to get a new, and hopefully nice and clear, perspective on things!
This year's Spring Show will be hosted at our London school at 5pm London time (4pm UTC) on Saturday 2nd April.
Although we won't be livestreaming this time (remote participants will be on Zoom as usual), we are recording the event and highlights will be released on YouTube afterwards.
There will be performances by groups from both the Adult and Child courses, as well as the ViolinSchool Ensembles.
The music includes: Danse Macabre, Rieding Violin Concerto, Pastime with Good Company, Bourrée by Bach, Galop, He's a Pirate, and much more!
Guests are welcome! There is no guestlist, and no ticketing - you can just turn up (Yes, after two years of Covid restrictions, this feels odd for us too!).
The venue in London (UK) is:
Pimlico Academy, Lupus Street, Pimlico, London SW1V 3AT
Date/Time: Saturday 2nd April, 5pm London time (4pm UTC)
After the concert, there will be a fiddle jam session and everyone is invited! (no entry fee). The address is:
The Grosvenor, 79 Grosvenor Rd, Pimlico, London SW1V 3LA
Music starts at 7.30pm, food and drink will be available.
Here is the concert programme:
This exercizzzzze is a hive of activity! Use the slurzzz and Rhythm patternzzzz to practizzzze your B major and E major 1 octave scalezzzzz in 1st pozzzzition!
Greetings and salutations! This bold but welcoming, Scotch-snappy tune will help you to familiarise yourself with the key of E major in one octave in first position.
Practise doubling stopping (playing two strings at the same time) with fingers on the upper string - Doubling Up - and fingers on the lower string - Doubling Down.
Bzzzzzzz! Practizzzzze thezzzzze exercizzzzes and your B major and E major 1 octave arpeggiozzzzzz in 1st pozzzzition will be the bee’zzzzzz kneezzzzzz!!
Schubert’s Three Marches Militaires were originally written for piano 4-hands (not a 4-handed pianist!). The first one is the most famous, and definitely the best!
Enjoy that little bit extra as you make it a double! Keep your first finger across two strings throughout and then quaff those delectable double stops!
This study has lots and lots of broken chords, where each note of the chord is played one after the other, up and down, up and down, otherwise known as arpeggios!
J.S. Bach was one of the most famous composers of the Baroque era. He wrote this piece for singers and orchestra in 1742.
Join the band of brave elves as they venture on an adventure to uncharted pastures! Watch out for the tremolo trolls, shifting serpents and staccato sea monsters!
Practise getting double-stopped octaves in tune to make lovely, shiny pieces of eight! An octave is an absolute miracle of music, but only if it's exactly in tune!
Welcome to Week 10! This week is the final week of the New Year Term.
No classes today
4pm UTC - Violin Clinic with Marisol (1hr)
4.30pm UTC - Children's Course B Practice Session (30min)
Singing, Pitch and Finger Placements
6pm-10pm UTC - Practice Sessions
6pm UTC Level 1 [Course A] - Concert Preparation
6.45pm UTC Level 1 [Course B] - Concert Preparation
7.30pm UTC Level 2 [Course C] - Concert Preparation
8.15pm UTC Level 3 [Course D] - Concert Preparatio
9pm UTC - Ensembles Playthrough (1hr) - Concert Preparation
Playthrough of Ensembles music for concert:
Allegro in D by Handel, Mazas Duet No.1, Marche Militaire, Chant de Veslemøy, An Elven Adventure
2pm UTC - Violin Clinic with Caroline (1hr)
9am UTC - Adult Course A Instructional class (90min) with Marisol and Simon
Concert Repertoire
10.30am UTC - Adult Course B Instructional class (90min) with Simon
Concert Repertoire
10.30am UTC - Children's Course A Instructional class (45min) with Marisol
Concert Repertoire
11.15am UTC - Children's Course B Instructional class (45min) with Marisol
Concert Repertoire
12.30pm UTC - Adult Course C Instructional class (90min) with Simon and David
Concert Repertoire
2.15pm UTC - Adult Course D Instructional class (90min) with David
Concert Repertoire
4.15pm UTC - Ensembles (90min) with David and Simon
Playthrough: Danse Macabre, Pastime with Good Company, He's a Pirate, Allegro in D by Handel, Mazas Duet No.1, Marche Militaire, Chant de Veslemøy, An Elven Adventure
7pm UTC - Live Music Event / Jam Session - ViolinSchool Live at the Grosvenor (45min)
Folk Jam - to include Men of Harlech, Galopede and more
*We will introduce new workshops and events gradually over the next few weeks
In the UK? Come and enjoy our new live music series in London!
If you always know how to improve then you'll always be getting better and better! And this Practice Menu helps provide a clear structure for your violin practice.
A ‘Bransle’ is a type of Renaissance dance popular in the early 16th century … lots of dancers, in a line or circle, usually holding hands, having a merry old time!
The melody of this sorrowful piano prelude by Armenian composer and musicologist, Gayane Chebotaryan, yearns and wails, ebbs and flows, grows and wilts. Intense stuff!
Anton Rubinstein was a Russian pianist, composer, conductor and educator (Tchaikovsky’s teacher!). He is best known for this delicious little sweetmeat, Melody in F.
This is a gorgeous, idyllic, pastoral song by the excellently named Norwegian violinist and composer, Ole Bull. Those herd-girls must be having a really lovely Sunday!
