Week 1:

Your First Lesson:

Holding the Instrument

So this is your First Lesson?

Congratulations!!! We will have a great time this year in orchestra! Today you received your instrument, String Basics book, & practice book. It’s important to bring these with you each week!

Along with receiving your instrument, you must make sure that you take good care of your instrument. Always keep your instrument in a safe place at home, where it won’t get too hot or too cold, and where little brothers, sisters, and pets won’t be able to damage the instrument. If your instrument does get broken, DO NOT try to fix it yourself. Very special tools and special glue are used on string instruments. Using tools and glue from around your house will ruin the instrument.

Practicing is a very important part of playing any instrument. As you saw on your “Contract for Success”, you are required to practice your assignment for 100-minutes per week. Practicing in small chunks of time (15-20 minutes) over several days will help you learn to play better than waiting until the last minute and practicing 100-minutes all at once.

If you follow these simple steps throughout the coming year, we will have a great time and make some awesome music!!!

What to bring to class

Being prepared is going to allow us to have the most fun with your instrument! Each week, bring the following:

🎻 Your Instrument & Accessories

📕 String Basics book

📒 Signed practice book

✏️ A Pencil!!!

Violin & Viola

`Cello

String Bass

String Basics Scavenger Hunt

Instrument Setup & Hold

Violin & Viola

Instrument Setup

Lay the case on the floor on the flat side of the case. Unzip and carefully open the lid of the case.
Carefully remove the shoulder pad and violin from the case.
Place the shoulder pad on the bottom of the violin: remember “Thin-Chin.”
Put the violin away in reverse order.

Holding the Violin or Viola

Follow these simple steps to hold your instrument and to play the open strings pizzicato. Make sure you follow these procedures every time you play so you can perform your best!!!

Grab
Out
Up
On

To learn how to play your instrument, you must first learn the string names. Here are a couple sayings to help you learn the string names. Memorize these sayings and your string names by next week.

Violin

Eek, eek, eek, all the little

Ants, ants, ants, digging in the

Dirt, dirt, dirt, going under

Ground, ground, ground

Viola

Ants, ants, ants, digging in the

Dirt, dirt, dirt, going under

Ground, ground, ground, all the way to

China, China, China

`Cello

Instrument Setup

Lay the case on the floor on the flat side of the case.
Carefully remove the bow and lay it next to the case.
Unzip the case and carefully pull the instrument out of the bag.
Set the instrument on it’s side and pull out the endpin to the appropriate distance and tighten thumb screw.
To put the instrument away, go in the reverse order. Make sure that you place the bow back in the case, tip first.

Holding the `Cello

Follow these simple steps to hold your instrument and to play the open strings pizzicato. Make sure you follow these procedures every time you play so you can perform your best!!!

Feet
Sit
Center `Cello
Pull Back

Check: Knees
Check: Chest
Check: Ear

To learn how to play your instrument, you must first learn the string names. Here are a couple sayings to help you learn the string names. Memorize these sayings and your string names by next week.

`Cello

Ants, ants, ants, digging in the

Dirt, dirt, dirt, going under

Ground, ground, ground, all the way to

China, China, China

String Bass

Instrument Setup

Lay the case on the floor on the flat side of the case.
Carefully remove the bow and lay it next to the case.
Unzip the case and carefully pull the instrument out of the bag.
Set the instrument on it’s side and pull out the endpin to the appropriate distance and tighten thumb screw.
To put the instrument away, go in the reverse order. Make sure that you place the bow back in the case, tip first.

Holding the String Bass

Follow these simple steps to hold your instrument and to play the open strings pizzicato. Make sure you follow these procedures every time you play so you can perform your best!!!

Feet
Center Bass
Pull Back

Check: Left Leg
Check: Balance

To learn how to play your instrument, you must first learn the string names. Here are a couple sayings to help you learn the string names. Memorize these sayings and your string names by next week.

String Bass

Eek, eek, eek, all the little

Ants, ants, ants, digging in the

Dirt, dirt, dirt, going under

Ground, ground, ground

String Basics Scavenger Hunt

To get better acquainted with your "String Basics" lesson book and with the parts of your instrument, please complete both sides of the String Basics Scavenger Hunt in your lesson folder. An additional copy of the form can be found below.

MethodBookScavengerHunt.pdf

Report abuse