Pirates Work Better

May 16, 2007 at 11:58 AM

The method book I use refers to the right hand fingers as sailors who navigate the bow as one would navigate a ship across the waters. Captain Thumb takes charge, the leader of four unruly sailors who report to his curved dominion without fail.

My six-year-old student, Gabriel, listened intently for further instruction as I introduced the bow to him for the first time. On a hunch, I changed the story a little. Instead of sailors, why couldn’t we use pirates? Pirates on the sea, who plundered Violinland for buried treasure. It sounded like a plan. I showed him the role of each pirate and sent him home to ponder the plot of his future plundering.

It surprised me on Monday, when he returned to me with not only a perfect bow hold, but unearthly powers to keep all pirates in line as he navigated through the three tests that would deem him sea-worthy. His pinky held a perfect arch as he twisted his bow this way and that. His thumb never faltered while he hoisted the ship to the sky and back. His bow hold was solid. I eagerly jumped to the next exercise to see how he and his pirates would fare.

“Let's set the bow on the string now, and see if we can get the bow to move in a straight line. If you succeed, the ship will sail a straight course and make a beautiful, clean sound.”

He drove the boat downward on the E string and observed a scratchy, screeching wail. “It needs less pushing,” he noted, without prompting. In a matter of seconds, he adjusted the speed and weight of his bow arm until a smooth, ringing tone emerged. “There, that’s better.”

Of all the students I own, suddenly I come across a six-year old beginner who has the ears to navigate his bow to smooth waters from the very first voyage. Astounding!

From Tom Holzman
Posted on May 16, 2007 at 1:48 PM

Good work, Emily! Your wonderful imagination clearly serves you well.

From Armand Allégre
Posted on May 16, 2007 at 4:45 PM

And when you're having a day of bad playing you can just pass it off as the pirates having a wee bit too much rum.

From Emily Grossman
Posted on May 16, 2007 at 5:15 PM

I decided to teach my fall semester in the Caribbean. See how that works. :)

From Donna Clegg
Posted on May 16, 2007 at 5:59 PM

Great story - thanks for sharing.

From Yixi Zhang
Posted on May 17, 2007 at 12:10 AM

Woow! Will you be my teacher?

From Emily Grossman
Posted on May 17, 2007 at 1:16 AM

Arrr!

From Jim W. Miller
Posted on May 17, 2007 at 5:56 AM

And the left hand pirates can be walking the plank. Vibrato can be shiver the timers. And the violin case can be Davy Jones' locker. And if it breaks down you can say arrr ye sailed us into a sand bar. And the piano can be the Royal Navy coming to hang all their asses from the mizzenmast.

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Pirates Work Better

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