Comments

Essential Elements is used in the public schools here, too. I like it because it tells the student why they're playing a certain exercise and because it has a lot of little songs that students like to play, such as Can Can and When the Saints Come Marching In. I haven't seen the DVD, but I have heard the CD and I don't like it. My students are divided on this issue. There is an orchestral backup to each song so that the student can play along. It'd quite different from the Suzuki CDs, in which you can listen to a violinist play the tunes over and over. For the Essential Elements CD, some students find the orchestral backup confusing, and some find it helpful and fun. I find it confusing, and I can't stand the musicality of the backup.

You are so right about the importance of parental involvement and support, whether they play an instrument or not. I give each of my students a homework sheet with the names of the pieces they're supposed to practice and goals for each one. I keep the goals simple, i.e., "low 2 on A and D strings" or "slurs."

I can understand your excitement about this new step in your daughter's life. The father of one of my students brought a camera to the first lesson and photographed his son learning to play with me. The father plays guitar, and he now accompanies his son when the boy learns a piece. It's great for teaching rhythm, and the two of them have a lot of fun together with music.

I hope that your daughter will do well in her new class and that it will inspire her to keep playing and enjoying the violin.

I like the fact that the 'why' is explained--and agree that is missing in
Suzuki.

For this reason alone, I take any phrase (getting ready for v4) that I do not get well and get back to basics with it--and sometimes there's a lot of basics to consider(quick f4 in detaches landing from f1 on E, calling for accent, probably vibrato etc.)

Also, it isn't only the "Essential" that has a bad backup cd--not talking about Suzuki, but other play along things.

Pauline, do you think that the students benefit from playing along with the backup CD? That is, for the ones who like the way it sounds, does it motivate them to practice longer? And when they do practice with it, does it help them with rhythm, intonation, etc? And for the ones who don't like it, what do they have to do instead? Karen, those who like the Essential Elements CD say that it helps with rhythm and intonation. I often suggest that my students bring a tape recorder, if they have one, to their lessons, and they can record me playing the pieces. Those who do find it helpful. My students like playing with the accompaniment tracks. I don't use them often in class, but when I do, it is so I can force them to try everything in tempo. The tracks are cheesy because unfortunately, kids like cheesey music. That doesn't mean that they can't listen to high quality music as well.