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A Semester of Violin: 20 Week Course

A Semester of Violin with Suzuki Book One
Michele Roger-Beresford
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(110)
Class

What's included

20 live meetings
10 in-class hours
Homework
1-2 hours per week. This is a more intense violin class. Students will be expected to practice and be ready.

Class Experience

Learning to play the violin teaches music and a whole lot more.  In each lesson, students learn to read the treble clef, play the music on their violin, discipline with practice, music mathematics and appreciation for music.  Violin requires a certain amount of physical commitment as well. We will be using the Suzuki Violin books.  Using this method, students will be required to stand up to play their violin.  They will also be required to hold their bow a certain way and to practice holding and moving the bow outside of lessons.  

The great thing about the Suzuki Method is that the songs are familiar to students.  Suzuki believes that if the student already recognizes the tune, it will be easier to learn pieces of music from the very first lesson.  Each week we will cover:
-note reading
-bow techniques
-dynamics

Week 1: How to tune your violin. How to read the lines and spaces of the treble clef.  Practice page 23, All Notes in First Position on the A and E Strings.

Week 2: Suzuki notation for violin.  Tuning your violin in practice. Review of Song 1, Variation 1 in Book 1.  New Song for this week,Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Variation 1.  Intro to beginning flash cards for notation reading.

Week 3: Using Twinkle, Twinkle as a warm up during practice.  New song for this week Lightly Row.  Flash card practice.

Week 4: We will use Lightly Row as a warm up for practice this week.  New song for this week is Song of the Wind. Flash card practice.

Week 5: Pizzicato and Bowing Review.  Introduction to advanced bowing techniques are introduced this week.  Practice all pieces learned so far while applying the bowing techniques. Flashcard practice.

Week 6: New Song for this week: Go Tell Aunt Rhody. New flash cards added.

Week 7: Warm up song is Go Tell Aunt Rhody.  New song we will learn this week is O Come Little Children.  Review of all flash cards.

Week 8: This week, we will focus on the Scales and Arpeggios in A Major with the exercises on page 30.  Review of flash cards.

Week 9: Warm up with Scales and Arpeggios and new song will be May Song. New flashcards added.

Week 10: Warm up song will be a review of May Song.  New song will be Long, Long Ago.  Review of all flashcards that we have learned so far.

Week 11: Review of the differences between staccato and legato and how it is applied to the bow.  New song this week will be Allegro on page 32.

Week 12: This will be our second week to work on the song Allegro and practice the precision of going back and forth between legato and staccato.  

Week 13: Review of Allegro and our new song will be Perpetual Motion.  Review of flashcards.

Week 14: This week we will review Perpetual Motion the song.  We will add Finger Exercises Number 11 on page 34 and the Scales and Arpeggios in D Major.

Week 15: New Song will be Allegretto.  New flashcards added including accent marks.

Week 16: Review of all flashcards.  Review and second week for the song Allegretto.

Week 17: New song will be Andantino with emphasis on timing and rhythm.

Week 18: We will use Andantino as our warm up song and practice the new scales and arpeggios for G .Major on page 36

Week 19: New and final song for the semester will be Etude on page 37.

Week 20: Etude and performance as a class.

While I do teach using the Suzuki method, I do not believe that each piece needs to be perfect before the student can move on to the next song.  I am patient.  I also have links to samples of all of the pieces so students can listen to them.  I suggest listening to the week's lesson song each night before bed or as students are falling asleep.

Please let Miss Michele know if you have played the violin before or if you can read music.  That will help her to place you at the correct level. Students will be expected to practice 10-15 minutes per day outside of lessons.  As the semester progresses, MORE practice time will be required.

Syllabus

20 Lessons
over 20 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Foundations
 How to tune your violin. How to read the lines and spaces of the treble clef.  Practice page 23, All Notes in First Position on the A and E Strings. 
30 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Intro to Notation
 Suzuki notation for violin.  Tuning your violin in practice. Review of Song 1, Variation 1 in Book 1.  New Song for this week,Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Variation 1.  Intro to beginning flash cards for notation reading. 
30 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Moving forward
 Using Twinkle, Twinkle as a warm up during practice.  New song for this week Lightly Row.  Flash card practice. 
30 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
A and E string mastering
 We will use Lightly Row as a warm up for practice this week.  New song for this week is Song of the Wind. Flash card practice. 
30 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Supply List
Suzuki Violin Book 1, violin and bow, rosin
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Suzuki Violin Book 1
Joined January, 2021
4.9
110reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Hi, I'm Ms. Michele.  
I teach French and Music (piano, harp, violin and guitar as well as preschool and Kindergarten music).
I own Michigan Music Conservatory where I teach music. 
I spent several years teaching French at a Montessori school as well as at a high school.  
When I'm not teaching, I write and illustrate children's story books.
I believe everyone is a natural learner.  When we are engaged, interested and encouraged, we can learn anything successfully.  My goal is to make Music and French classes fun and inspiring.
Here is my CV:

MUSIC TEACHER, MILFORD MONTESSORI AND OUTSCHOOL ONLINE PLATFORM
2018-PRESENT
Planning lessons that meet the needs of students but also fit the theme and theory that is
Montessori. Coordinating parent volunteers for concerts as well as working closely with
parents in the community who see art and music as a valuable teaching tool in early educa-
tion. Teaching music theory, ear training as well as cultures from around the world through
songs.

OWNER/TEACHER, MICHIGAN CONSERVATORY FOR MUSIC: 1999 TO PRESENT
All operations of running a small business are my responsibility. I work with parents to co-
ordinate 40+ individual music lessons. I build relationships within the local community
where students can perform and combine music performance with community service. Ac-
counting and book keeping for instrument sales, music lesson fees, taxes and the best
strategies for profitability. Social media is often my job too; although at different times
throughout the year, I coordinate interns who sign on to work as apprentices to learn the
business.

EVENT COORDINATOR, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER, KIWI LANDSCAPING, 2009
-PRESENT
This job started out for me as a volunteer. Now, from March until September, I have the
responsibility of seeing this event from inception of theme to fruition at the gathering on
Labor Day weekend. Kiwi Landscaping is owned by a man from New Zealand. Each year,
he hosts a Hangi for his company and 300-400 people attend from several countries. I
arrange discounts with local hotels for his guests and set up ticket purchase options
through Event Bright (like Ticketmaster).
I coordinate 50-100 volunteers every year. The numbers of volunteers grows as does the
event. In the earlier part of the year, we set up committees and have meetings online
through Skype (nearly half of my volunteers are out of state or out of country.) Commit-
tees are formed for everything from children’s activities, to hiring live music, a committee
for t-shirts for that year’s design to a group in charge of the teens who babysit and act as
designated drivers. Then, as the event draws closer, I meet with the heads of each commit-
tees to make sure we are all on the same page, are on the same timeline for the 3 day
event. As the day arrives, I do what good leaders do, I trust my committee captains to do
their jobs. I then have the time to answer questions about international travel and sort out
emergencies.

HARPIST, 1999-PRESNT
Member of the Pebble Creek Chamber Orchestra since 2016 and a board member since
2018. I’ve written score as a harpist and composer which lead to a 2015 and a 2019 De-
troit Music Award Finalist for Best Classical Composer. I perform as a soloist with two pub-
lished CD’s. Social media networking, performing in the community for major life events
from weddings to funerals to corporate events. I presently work without an agent and do
my own booking, accounting and contracting.

NON-PROFIT AND GRANT WRITING, CELTIC KETTLE, 1999-2005
I am one of the original founders of the Celtic Kettle Coffee House, a non-profit that started
in Milford and is now housed at Heartland Music Hall. Our goal was to provide the Huron
Valley area with affordable, high quality entertainment in a smoke-free, alcohol-free, family-
friendly space. I helped to write and apply for non-profit status. Then, I learned through
free classes and through mentorship, the art of grant writing.
AUTHOR — 2005-PRESENT

Senior Writer for SEARCH Magazine where I write their travel and food column. Three hor-
ror novels published through Boston publisher, Undead Press. Two novels were nominat-
2265 Welch Court, Commerce, Mi 48390 248-535-1754 harpymichele@gmail.com
ed for a the Horror and Science Fiction Parsec Award. Two children’s books published in
2016 and 2018. Several romance novels published by Meant To Be Press 2017-2018.
Winner of the Joy Humanist award for Poetry, Village Fine Arts Association.
EDUCATION

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY — 1990-1992, OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
1992-1994, HEALING HARP THERAPEUTIC MUSICIAN PROGRAM 2015

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$16

weekly or $310 for 20 classes
1x per week, 20 weeks
30 min

Completed by 37 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 7-12
3-9 learners per class

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