Time for some dynamics! Go from quiet to loud, to quiet, to very loud, to infinity and beyond!! In this lesson, we practise changing the speed, weight and contact point of the bow.
Click here to play the backing track:
VS Members - download this lesson & MP3 backing track!
An Adventure in the Air! Can you fill in the note names to discover what happens to the hot air balloon? Only those who know where the notes go can find out the end of the story!
Click here to download the story!
The Creative Strings Workshop with Christian Howes closes today - it's your last chance to enrol!
The course, which is highly recommended by all of us here at ViolinSchool, will lead you on a 7-week creative adventure through the world of harmony and improvisation.
We particularly like Chris's approach, because he draws such profound connections between different styles of learning, and gets you playing instinctively, whilst feeling the most fundamental elements of rhythm, and harmonny.
He's also one of the first violinists ever to produce a comprehensive framework for understanding harmony and improvisation - extraordinarily, this wasn't considered to be an important part of traditional ('classical') violin training up until just a few years ago - and in some places, still isn't!
Creative Strings Workshop puts this right, which is why we recommend it so highly. Check out this exclusive lesson below from Christian (you can play along right now, with your violin!):
Enrolment closes today, so it's your last chance to take part in this season! Click on over to Creative Strings Online right now to find out more about the course!
Welcome to the first of our daily lessons! Every single day, there's a new lesson at ViolinSchool for you to explore. Today, it's ...
Super Speedy Super Fly!
Test the speed of your left hand fingers, as Super-Speedy Super Fly flies high into the sky!
Click here for the lesson - don't forget to log in!
How was your summer? We spent about 80% of it locked in a dark room, hunched over computers and violins, writing and editing a very large number of lessons for you ... it's been a lot of work, but totally worth it, we hope!
Every day from 1st September, we'll be releasing a new lesson for you on ViolinSchool.com ... and you'll find everything right here on the blog!
We'll have lessons from across Courses A, B, C and D, as well as our new Starter Course, and ViolinSchool members will be able to log in and download beautiful new printed sheets for every lesson.
Simon, David, Marisol and Caroline will be teaching the new lessons throughout the term, and as all classes are now recorded, we'll take the video highlights of each class and add them as tutorial videos to every lesson of the course.
Why not bookmark the blog right now? Then it's easy for you to check in and see what's new.
Also, take a moment to subscribe to our YouTube channel ... we've got some fun videos coming out in the next few days ... so watch this space!
One of the outstanding presentations at our Teacher Training Course in Ireland this week was from legendary jazz violinist and creativity educator Christian Howes.
Christian took the participants - all teachers - through a series of exercises that were truly transformative for everyone in the room (and on the call).
Understanding harmony and improvisation as Chris teaches it can truly liberate you in the way you approach the violin.
We've been big fans of Christian and CSW for years, and have hosted him as a guest workshop leader on several occasions at our school in London.
But now that the pandemic has brought an entirely new structure to the way we teach, ViolinSchool is affiliating with Creative Strings in a new online partnership.
The CSW online workshops are now becoming a recommended part of our curriculum, and we suggest ViolinSchool learners to join in with Chris's curriculum from approximately Level 2 of our courses.
(ViolinSchool receives a small referral commission for each enrolment, which goes towards supporting our own online program development. We are incredibly picky about what we recommend, which is a testament to the quality of Christian's teaching!)
The next series of workshops begins on 1st September, and you can find out more about the program here.
For ViolinSchool learners, if you would like a personal introduction to Chris, email [email protected] and we will introduce you to him directly!
Chris has put together an exclusive free lesson to give you a sense of what CSW is like. Grab your violin, and follow along here!
If you'd enjoy more sessions like this, click here to find out more about CSW Online - the session begins 1st September!
We're sooooo excited to introduce to be introducing fully updated courses for the Autumn Term!
The Starter Course - for first-time beginners - this is available online via Zoom, every Thursday! Find out more and get started here with your first Beginner Class: https://www.violinschool.com/beginner-class/
All other courses are available as part of the ViolinSchool Coaching Program. When you register, you can choose the course that's right for your level. Your enrolment includes a full colour coursebook!
Courses we currently offer:
Course A - which takes you up to playing fluently in G, D and A Major
Course B - which will get you playing to the equivalent of Grade 1 level at any major exam board
Course C - which introduces minor keys and a wide range of different repertoire styles
Course D - which goes up to the equivalent standard of Grade 2
(Course E will be available from January 2021!)
Here's a recent guide which shows you roughly how the levels work out:
All our courses are now available remotely, wherever you are in the world! Or you can come to our school in London and take part in person.
Get in touch with us today for a free setup call with one of our friendly learning advisors ... and make this the day you begin to move forward seriously with your learning!
We're delighted to announce the NEW ViolinSchool Coaching Program, which is now open for registration for the Autumn (Fall) Term through December.
The Coaching Program is a great option for serious learners who want accountability and support with their learning. As well as full ViolinSchool Membership through December, you'll benefit from:
For learners in the UK, there's an option to replace the Reviews/Coaching Calls with in-person group classes in London - visit our London school website to learn more!
**
Registration for the ViolinSchool Coaching Program is open now! Find out more here:
https://www.violinschool.com/coaching/
Did you know, we now have a growing selection of multi-level ensemble repertoire for string instruments?
These scores - which will include the entire back catalogue of string music from our publishing house, Musicland Publications - allow string players of different experience levels to play together!
One of our all-time favourites is Ragtime, Serenade and Rumba by Anita Hewitt Jones ... and we're delighted to introduce the very first video recording for ViolinSchool by the wonderful ... Carducci Quartet!
Matthew (violin), Michelle (violin), Eoin (viola) and Emma (cello) have recorded Ragtime so that you can learn the music too, by playing along ... take a listen here!
ViolinSchool members can download the score and parts, and practice the music whilst following along with the score on the digital music player. You can even mail order a printed copy of the music too!
Click here for digital access:
Not a member of VS yet?
Click here to read more about the benefits of ViolinSchool membership!
We've updated that old favourite, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, with a sparkling new piano MP3 backing track, and a useful chord sheet so you can play along with keyboard or guitar. Or indeed, any other harmony instrument!
Download it from the Library
(membership required)
Oooh... scary! Here's a lovely duet (good for Beginner violinists, Level 1 and above) ... and a not so lovely video for you to play along with!
Download the music and try playing it yourself ... find the beetles in the library, here!
Here at ViolinSchool, we've now begun a massive program of recording and filming, which will continue throughout Summer 2020 and beyond.
As well as playalong and tutorial videos, we'll also be introducing new audio backing tracks (or 'accompaniments') alongside all new pieces of music that appear in our Courses and our Library.
Each backing track can be played in the interactive notation player on the page, so that you can follow along with the notation in real time.
Or if you prefer, you can download each backing track as an MP3, so you can load it into your favourite digital music player.
For teachers, we recommend using the backing tracks in the classroom through a bluetooth speaker, so that your whole class can play along!
They're also great for online teaching on Zoom, Skype or Facetime ... we often use the accompaniment backing tracks when playing along together in one of ViolinSchool's weekly Zoom sessions!
Frère Jacques
One of the first to get the ViolinSchool Backing Track treatment, is everyone's favourite oversleeping Friar! Frère Jacques is a lovely French 'round' or 'canon', where lots of different violinists can play together at the same time.
Try playing along with the piano part ... you could even try recording the violin part yourself, then play along with the recording - but start playing at a different time, to create the 'round' effect!
Click here to download the backing track, chord symbols, and piano part >>
We're excited to announce that our ever-popular Beginner Violin Class is now available online! So you can join in from anywhere in the world ... all you need is your own violin and bow!
In just 2 hours, you'll learn the core techniques of good violin playing, including:
Full details here: https://www.violinschool.com/beginner-class/
(and we hope that the offline London versions of this class will be able to restart again from September 2020!)
For nearly 10 years, we've been running the Beginner Violin Class in London at venues all around our home city.
We've always intended to offer it online too ... but we never quite made it happen yet!
The pandemic has changed all that ... throughout the Coronavirus crisis, we've continued to help people begin playing violin for the first time.
New learners have been purchasing violins via mail order, and our team of Learning Advisors has been getting them set up, tuned and ready to play via Skype, Zoom or Facetime!
So long as you have a good quality beginner violin, we'll be able to guide you through the tuning process online - usually in about 20 minutes.
Do you need help getting your instrument set up? Get in touch with us today to request a Setup Call with one of our instrument specialists!
Once that's done, your violin will be ready play ... and that means you'll be ready to take part in the Online Beginner Violin Class!
We're regularly adding different dates and times for this class, so that we can help learners in different countries and time zones to get started.
If you don't see a time that's convenient for your time zone, just email [email protected] with your preferred days/times and we'll do our best to schedule a class for you!
Learning the violin for the first time can be very confusing if you don't know where to begin!
We know this, because over the past 10 years or so, ViolinSchool has helped literally thousands of people to begin playing for the very first time. So we're very familiar with the most common questions you'll have when starting to play.
How do you find the right violin? Do you need to read music? What's the quickest way of learning to play your favourite tune?
We thought it was about time to pull together everything we know about helping Beginner violinists to get started for the first time, so we're pleased to introduce:
ViolinSchool's Beginner Setup process for first-time players!
You can read all about it here:
https://www.violinschool.com/beginner/
We've put together 5 simple steps that will make sure you have a smoooooth start to your learning.
Right now, we're offering a FREE advice service to help you choose a violin that's right for you. Just get in touch with us with your location and budget, and we'll direct you to exactly the right instrument and accessories, so that you don't waste time or money with the wrong setup.
Read more at our new Beginner Violin page here:
https://www.violinschool.com/beginner/
We look forward to helping you get started with the violin!
How To Stop Rushing When Using A Metronome
Here's a clapping game that will help you to stop rushing when using a metronome! We'll use subdivision - dividing up notes into shorter (but still regular) units of time - to help us feel the beat more accurately.
Follow along with Simon from ViolinSchool as you clap and play crotchets (quarter notes), quavers (eighth notes), and semiquavers (sixteenth notes) in time to the metronome ... without rushing!
Do you follow ViolinSchool's YouTube channel? If not, click here and subscribe today ... don't forget to click the notifications button to be the first to hear about our latest videos!
Using your fingers to place the notes on the violin can seem daunting at first ... after all, the violin doesn't have any frets, like the guitar does!
So how do you learn where to place your fingers?
One of the easiest and quickest ways to learn how to get the right notes is by learning Finger Patterns.
Once you know which note pattern you're using (the key signature tells you this!), then you'll be able to work out which hand shape you need to get the fingers falling in the right place!
Finger Pattern 1 is the first hand shape that violinists usually learn, because it works for the easy-to-learn keys of G Major, D Major and A Major. It looks like this:
Check out this video about Finger Pattern 1 on ViolinSchool's YouTube channel:
If you're a member of ViolinSchool, you can find the lesson about Finger Pattern 1 at the beginning of Course B. Click here to download and print a diagram, then practise the exercises until your hand shape is secure!
for Learners, Parents, Teachers and Schools
At ViolinSchool, we’re obsessed with the sequence of our violin curriculum, because we know that the smoother the sequence, the quicker and more easily a violinist can learn.
That's why we continually upgrade and refresh the sequence of learning materials that we publish.
Today we're announcing a major upgrade to our curriculum, several new courses, and a series of new coursebooks, which will be available to pre-order from late June 2020.
For now, we've focused on Beginner and Intermediate levels. Next will be the Violin Teacher Training course (available from August 2020, in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy of Music), followed by Advanced level courses in 2021.
If you'd like to know more, here's a deeper explanation of the new course structures ...
A Holistic Approach
ViolinSchool courses are built on the principle that you're not just learning to play the violin ... you're also learning to be a musician and a performer too.
As you build up your technical violin skills using our courses and ever-growing library of learning resources, you'll also be developing your rhythm, musicianship, music theory, sight-reading ... and many other topics that are essential for good violin playing!
Each one of these important areas of skill is completely integrated into the course structures.
Changes To Expect
If you're already learning with ViolinSchool, or you're a teacher who's already using our books and course materials, then here are the changes you can expect from our recent upgrade:
For Learners, Teachers and Schools
We’ve spent a enormous amount of time refining the sequence of activities, skills and tutorials that move learners smoothly from beginner to intermediate level and beyond.
If you're a learner (or parent), you can use all of these resources on your own, or with the help of our coaching team, or with your own teacher.
If you're a teacher, our new courses come with lesson-by-lesson teacher notes, so you can save time and help your school class or private students make amazing progress really really quickly (also - keep an eye out for our new Violin Teacher Training Course, which will be available soon in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy of Music).
The new course sequence will be fully mapped to the major Exam boards such as ABRSM, Trinity, AMEB and RIAM, so that you can take an exam with confidence. For example, if you've completed Level 1 at ViolinSchool, you'll be at a level where you can take take a Grade 1 exam with any of the major exam boards.
We're rolling out the new courses to existing ViolinSchool members from today, and new lessons are being added daily on ViolinSchool.com.
Each new lesson and video tutorial will be featured on the ViolinSchool Blog, or you can join our mailing list for a weekly update on new lessons as they become available.
Membership: Full access to all our new Courses and Library resources is available from just $19/month with a ViolinSchool membership - click here to join!
Coaching: If you need more guidance and accountability to help achieve your goals, then can enrol with our Coaching Team from US$479 per term, or we can refer you to a local teacher or music school in your area.
Or come and join us at our school in London, England!
Violin Teachers and Music Schools - supercharge your teaching with our educational licenses!
This delightful traditional song in the key of C, often known as 'Come Follow Me', can be played as a round, with each player starting at a different time.
Try playing along with the digital music player, but wait four bars after the recording starts. When the recording reaches line 2, you start from the beginning!
You can even play it as a round yourself, by recording yourself three times, starting on a different line each time!
Come, follow me to the Greenwood Tree!
We're adding more and more resources to the ViolinSchool Library, to help you with your teaching and learning, including new multilevel ensemble music, technical exercises, and much, much more!
To help you find what you need as quickly and easily as possible, we have added new 'filters' to the library, with more on the way soon.
You can now browse by Level, Composer, or Instrumentation, or by the Type of resource that you'd like to look at. Try it now:
We are revising our plan for the Summer Term at ViolinSchool London, in line with new UK Government guidelines and lockdown extensions.
A full update will be published here by Wednesday 22nd April.
We can already confirm:
If you are a new student booked into a beginner class or course, we will contact you individually in the coming days to make sure you are set up correctly with an instrument.
If you are a continuing student, your membership will be extended until the end of August, and we will contact you before the end of April to welcome you to the new term.
Please check back here after Wednesday 22nd April for the revised Summer Term plan.
Thank you, and keep safe!
Tonight at 7pm London time, we are premiering this Term's debut performace from Course A. Click here to watch the stream live on our YouTube channel, or view the video here afterwards:
The music, including all-new piano backing tracks and downloadable sheet music, is available for ViolinSchool members here:
The first Easter e-Concert videos, featuring Beginner Course A and the Children's Course will premiere on Sunday 12th April at https://www.youtube.com/violinschool/
Subscribe to ViolinSchool's YouTube channel today and click 'notifications' to hear when the videos go live on our channel. We look forward to entertaining you from tomorrow!
Happy Easter!
Here are 10 really useful tips for getting the best results when recording your part for a virtual violin ensemble or orchestra...
Click the play button below to hear this feature, or download the MP3 to listen offline!
1) Record horizontally not vertically.
If you record vertically when you're holding your violin in playing position, then either the instrument will be cut off the screen because you're too close to the camera, or it won't be possible to crop your video to the right size because you'll be too far away, and the resolution won't be high enough.
So please, set up your device *horizontally* not vertically before you record!
2) Choose a Good Camera Angle.
A lot of people put their phone or tablet on a piece of furniture, and have it pointing up at them whilst they play. The problem with this is that all the viewer sees behind you is your ceiling!
So make sure that your camera is pointing directly at you. If you're recording with a computer, then the screen should be exactly vertical.
If you're using your phone to record but you don't have a tripod, then balance it so that it's almost vertical, or use something sticky to hold it in place whilst you record.
3) Place Your Camera at Eye Height
To get the right camera angle, you're also going to need your camera to be at eye height. If you're recording at home, try to find a shelf or a bookcase that's nearly as tall as you, and set up your device there.
If you can't find a piece of furniture that's high enough, it might be better to record sitting down instead. Set up your phone or laptop on a table, and if you don't have a tripod, use some books or other heavy objects to balance your phone in place.
4) Light In Front, Not Behind
When it comes to basic lighting, there's only one thing you need to remember ... the strongest light should be IN FRONT of you ... not behind you!
Just make sure you're not filming yourself in front of an outside window or a bright light, and you should be OK.
If the sun is shining, then you should be facing the sunlight - don't record with the sun behind you!
5) Check The Dress Code
If there's a dress code for your virtual orchestra or ensemble, then make sure that you check it before you record! That's one thing that can't be fixed in the edit!
6) Check Your Background
Also check the background of your visual image before you hit the record button. A simple or plain background is fine, but if you're recording at home, it's always a good idea to check that laundry, unwashed dishes, the remains of yesterday's cake, or your child's toy monkeys aren't photobombing you without your permission...! Trust me, I know this to be true 😉
7) Use Earphones
You have to use earphones if you're recording a virtual ensemble part. This is because you'll always have to play at an exact tempo, so that the different parts can be stitched together by the editor.
You need to wear earphones so that you can listen to a reference track or a metronome beat whilst you play, without the sound being picked up by the microphone that's recording you!
This is exactly how string musicians work in a studio recording session. On the right ear, each player wears a single-ear headphone, which is like a headset *without* a microphone.
The metronome beat, known as the 'click track', is pumped through the right earpiece. But the left ear remains clear, so you can keep listening to what you're playing, without distraction.
You might like to try this with your own earphones, to find out what works best for you.
Always check the BPM, or 'beats per minute', that's been agreed for the piece you're recording. This tells you the tempo you'll need to play at. Set your metronome to this tempo.
8) Hide Your Earphones
Wired earphones can look messy on camera, so *hide* them if you can. Try running the cable behind your shoulder and down your back, or inside your clothing.
9) Angle Your Violin Towards The Camera
Your performance may be pre-recorded, but it's still a performance. So the *angle* of the violin is important - make sure that you're facing the camera just as you'd face an audience from a concert stage ... rotate your body very slightly to your left, so that your violin is facing directly towards the camera.
Don't rotate too far to your right, otherwise all the viewers will see is the scroll of your violin.
10) 'Perform' the Beginnings and Endings Too!
As with a live performance, the beginnings and endings of your recording are really important.
Be in playing position, ready to start, at least a couple of beats before you play the first note. And at the end, hold your position for a moment or two, before you bring your violin down.
This will give your editor time to fade the visuals in or out, and make sure that your performance matches up visually with the rest of the group. Don't forget to smile!
P.S. ... Name Your Files!
Here's a bonus 11th tip for you that will take you no more than a few seconds, but will save your editor a LOT of time! ... make sure to name your video files correctly!
We recommend putting your first name then surname, then the name of your ensemble or project, then the name of the piece, like this:
Simon Jones - Course A July 2030 - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.mp4
It's a small thing to do, but it makes it *much* easier to organise at the production end! And most importantly, it reduces the chance of your recording getting lost, or not making it into the final cut of the video.
These tips might individually seem like small things. But together, they make a massive difference to the level of production quality that your ensemble can achieve.
Try to remember them, and lift your video to the next level. Good luck with your recording!
Last week, ViolinSchool's Caroline Lumsden sent out a call for performances of Bring Me Sunshine - read the full story here! Here's the final video:
The video will also be broadcast in the UK on The One Show (BBC1), tonight (3rd April) after 7pm!
ViolinSchool's Caroline Lumsden is gathering a 'Virtual Orchestra' today, to perform Bring Me Sunshine for British TV (broadcast date to be confirmed - likely to be in the next 48 hours). You can be part of it!
It all started when Caroline recorded a video message for her husband Alan, who because of the UK lockdown, is isolated in a nearby nursing home.
Read the news articles here:
As well as performances from her family, Caroline would like to include learners from the schools she works for, including Gloucestershire Academy of Music, ViolinSchool, and Musicland Oxford.
If you'd like to take part, record a video of yourself SINGING or PLAYING one of the parts below, and send it to us as soon as you can!
Email your video to [email protected] or if it's a big file, send it via Wetransfer to the same address. Please remember to put 'Bring me Sunshine!' in the subject line, so that we do't miss your message!
RECORDING TRACK [RECORD WITH THIS!!!]:
This track is for RECORDING the video! Listen to this on earphones as you record yourself! Click here to download it! **This track is updated as the project evolves - v10 is below**
PRACTICE TRACK [PRACTISE WITH THIS!!!]:
This track is for PRACTISING the video! Listen to this on earphones as you record yourself! Click here to download it!
DOWNLOAD SCORE/PARTS HERE! (There is a download link under each part)
Music arrangements by Thomas Hewitt Jones
Score:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Full ScoreScore & Parts (1 PDF):
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Score and partsVocals:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - VoicesViolin Parts:
Part 1:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Violin 1Part 2:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Violin 2Part 3:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Violin 3Part 4:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Violin 4For Beginner Violinists:
Part 5:
Part 6:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Violin 6 (easy)Cello Parts:
Part 1:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Violoncello 1Part 2:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Violoncello 2Part 3:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Violoncello 3Part 4:
Bring me Sunshine string parts FINAL - Violoncello 4
