I like to call Friday rehearsals 'Friday Fun Day!' I want Fridays to be a celebration of all we learned during the week, but also serve as a meaningful review and reinforcement of material. Last week one of my students said, 'It's funny you call Fridays 'Friday fun day' because every day is fun!' Learning an instrument is fun...that means the pressure is off! No need to spend hours and hours planning intricate games. I've found my favorite Friday Fun Day is a review day using Ninja Belts as my theme. Many music teachers use karate belts as a way for students to pass off tunes and achieve a certain level of playing. When I taught small elementary string classes, I used the belt system and tied yarn on the scrolls of instruments and all of that. While I feel it can be a good way to motivate students to practice certain exercises, the karate belt system can be leveraged in other ways. I use karate belts as a review tool and self-assessment tool. I adjust and change the belts as students progress. I don't give out any physical object - no real belts. There's nothing I have to track or pass-off. Students help each other and work hard just to achieve 'black belt' status. Here's how I do it... I begin class with a short video showing some awesome ninja skills or a clip from 'America's Ninja Warrior' showing how people train and work to pass the 'obstacles' in the course. Then I tell them we're going to see if students can pass each 'obstacle' in our training ground. I made slides with each skill I want students to review. Each slide contains a belt color and we rehearse from the simplest skill to the most advanced. We rehearse some slides as a class...and some slides students practice themselves for a minute or so (all at once). Sometimes I give students a worksheet where they can track either progress as we rehearse/review the skills on each slide. Sometimes students assess themselves and let me know with a simple thumb scale or finger scale how they are doing. Other times I have stand partners assess each other and provide feedback. Students learned how to switch from pizz to arco while holding the bow. Each violin/viola student got a straw to put in the f-holes to use as a guide to keep the bow straight. Cello/Bass students practiced bowing in paint roller tubes on their instruments. After that, we all played the open strings with straighter bows. We played 'Pandemic' with creepy music. All students freeze in play position, but we decide on one thing they do incorrectly. A small group of 'doctors' walk through to try to find out what ailment is happening with left hands. Pizz up and down the strings with great left hand placement (practiced in previous belt). I called out any note in the D scale and students had to place the correct finger and pluck 4 times. We played the finger twisters as a class...trying not to make a mistake. I had to skip this one because of time..but will do it next time. Concert music....review Twinkle using pepperoni pizza rhythm - students are getting better and better! I didn't give a written tracker/assessment to students this week...but here's the one I gave them last time we did a Ninja Belt review activity. I've done this type of review twice this school year...and both time my students were engaged, focused, working HARD, and thriving. It's easy to prep...helps rehearsals stay relevant and meaningful...and it's fun! When students notice and understand how much they are progressing, they have fun and they are motivated to keep working.

My beginners are learning to play in the key of G major and it can be a real struggle to get a good C natural with a high F sharp. We are learning 'Fiddles on Fire' where there are a lot of C naturals and they have been out of tune! I found some tiny fine-mist spray bottles at Hobby Lobby and quickly made labels to create 100% Genuine C# Repellent. I also bought some silly string and didn't have time to make labels, but I told students the silly string was the 'heavy duty' version of intonation repellent. Here's how it went in rehearsal....I told students I invented a new product that would cure their intonation struggles. C# repellent - (just tap water!) I tasked students with playing a few measures from Fiddles on Fire while making sure they played accurate C naturals in the passage. I sprayed students who felt they needed the repellent. My spray bottles had such a fine mist...I sprayed students if they wanted some on their left hand, or their face, or in their mouths if they wanted. I also used it as a room mist and sprayed it around the room...just to be sure we were all clear of C sharps. It helped students remember to watch for C naturals and listen to each other to match pitch. My students immediately played so much better in tune! I joked that I would have get out the 'heavy duty' intonation spray if things got really bad. I used silly string for my heavy duty spray - and students WANTED to get sprayed. I 'fixed' a few students and we laughed together and got back to work. It was a fun way to keep students motivated and help clear up intonation issues in our music.

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Our district has been really focusing on student learning objectives and teacher/student goals. As part of this process, we have had quite a few trainings about 'checking for understanding,' and I believe this concept really helps improve teaching and student growth. I remember a time during my first year when I taught a new concept - low 1's, and then gave a playing test at the end of the week. As I taught the lessons, I thought my students were getting it. They sounded in tune - at least in the front (we know how that goes). At playing test time, it was pretty discouraging to learn that most students were not understanding the skill and they were extreemely out of tune. I should have checked for understanding earlier in the week so that I could have targeted my teaching to what my class needed. Students could have then had the experience they needed to do well on the playing test. Now, I try to check for understanding constantly. One way I do this in my beginning strings class is to have bell-work that students complete every day. An added bonus is bell-work gives students something to quietly focus on during tuning. Here's what's been working for me: 6 Tips for Implementing Bell-work: 1. Establish a routine. From the first week of school, teach students to always read the board where you will have instructions about bell-work. Students should enter the classroom, set up their instrument, get it tuned by the teacher, then complete bell-work. The student must be finished with bell-work BEFORE the teacher is done tuning. When bellwork is finished, students place the paper on their music stands in full view for grading. Students who do not finish do not get points and there is no way to make-up missed bell-work assignments. 2, Keep stacks of staff paper (half sheets) and blank paper (half sheets) on hand so you can write directions for bell-work on the whiteboard and students answer on one the papers. Then, you never have to hunt for specific worksheets or make copies. (I do use my 'Be An Amazing Note-reader' workbook pages for bellwork during the first few weeks of school.) 3. Don't stress about creating bell-work assignments - it's easy! As you think about what students learned the day before, what could you ask them to check for understanding? What it essential that you want to make sure students understand? It can be short, simple, and easy. Possibilities are endless. Here are a few examples; Note-reading - draw 10 notes on the staff - draw your clef 10 times and circle the best one - divide the staff into 4 measures and draw 2 half notes in each measure - draw one note on every line of the staff and label the note names - draw the notes for your open strings Rhythm - music math - copy a rhythm and label the counting - draw a dotted half note. How many beats? Skills: - what should your thumb look like when forming a proper bow hold? - Show your bow hold to your stand partner. Write about anything you see that is good, or that should be fixed. - What are the notes on the D string? - How long did you practice last night? - List anything that was hard for you to play yesterday? - How do you play F#? 4. Keep grading simple. During warm-ups, you can walk around the room and look at the papers on the music stands to see who has done their bellwork. Give every student points for completing the work, and collect only the ones where you see the student needs help. Then, you can spend time at the end of class re-teaching the students who did not understand. 5. Consider investing in clear pockets and fine tip white-board markers for quick bell-work assignments. It saves paper and they are very convenient. 6. Be sure students know what to do with bellwork papers at the end of class. You don't want little papers left all over your classroom. You can have students hand them in or throw them in the recycle bin on the way out the door.

I've been posting some ideas and things I do during the last couple of weeks of school. This is a final exam that I created for my beginning orchestra to go along with the SLO (Student Learning Objective) I have been working on all year. At the beginning of the school year, I gave students a pre-assessment on rhythm to determine their level of ability, then I divided the class into high level learners, middle-level, and lower-level learners. By the end of the school year, I wanted every student in my class to reach proficiency (writing, labeling, and performing) on whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted quarters, and corresponding rests. This final exam helped me to determine their final level of proficiency. In one of my beginning classes, every student passed the test and I was feeling good, but then in my other beginning class, I had 4 or 5 students fail the test and I felt like I failed. I still need to work on differentiation to reach the kids who really struggle. Students worked on this exam while I held a playing test on the rhythms at the bottom of the page. For the playing test, I listened to each student individually and I let them choose 2 out of the 3 rhythms to perform. They were sight-reading these rhythms, but the last students to perform did have an advantage after hearing the rhythms performed previously. This is the 2nd page of the exam. I wanted to be sure that all beginning students knew these basics about fingering and they did very well.

It's finally finished - my book for teaching shifting in string orchestra! I started working on this last year because I HATED teaching shifting in my orchestra class. The method books I used had shifting exercises for my 2nd year players, but I found that my students would get frustrated trying to play those pages because they weren't ready. Students need time to internalize the motions for shifting and they needed simple exercises to help them learn to read notes in a new position. I haven't been able to depend on standard method books for teaching shifting because the exercises in those books move too quickly. They contain tricky rhythms which draw student focus away from the task at hand...shifting! I found myself skipping sections about shifting and feeling guilty that my students were not proficient in that area. My frustrations with teaching shifting changed last year when I started using many of the exercises in this book with my 2nd year students. I also switched method books...I now use String Explorer book 1 for my beginners because that book takes students further in technique than any other book. For my 2nd year players, I use String Basics book 2. It's not very hard...we get through the book in about 1/2 a year. Students get really good at playing flats and extensions - which is my goal for them during their 2nd year. Then we have time to take a break from our method book and focus on shifting for a term. I didn't spend tons of time each day....maybe 5-10 minutes. It didn't take long for my students to play in 3rd position with great intonation. My 3rd year students are using String Basics book 3 -which contains a lot of 3rd position. After using the exercises in 'Exploring Shifting for String Orchestra,' I feel my students will now be well-prepared to easily master the shifting regimen in book 3. Here's my favorite part about teaching shifting to my 2nd year players.....it helps the students stay super motivated! I purchased a couple of pieces for them to play that had some shifting: 'American Princess' by Bob Phillips and 'Impact' by Bob Phillips. Both pieces are gorgeous and I played the audio for my students so they would really want to learn the music. My class fell in love with both pieces and they were willing to work hard to master them to sound amazing. The great thing about those pieces is that every section of the orchestra gets to shift and the melodies and harmonies are fun to play in position! I even got out a cello and learned the cello part myself because the music is so beautiful. Thanks to the shifting work we had done, my students excelled at learning our concert music. It was a lot of work..don't get me wrong....but they were able to do it with great intonation and musical phrasing. When we performed, I was in tears, the audience was in tears, and students felt such a sense of accomplishment. It is now one of my happiest performance memories and I'm so proud of my students....and it all started with a willingness to teach shifting in a way that all students could achieve success. My book contains a 50 page teacher manual with tips for teaching shifting and 18 page student books for violin, viola, cello and bass (123 pages total). I am not selling a hard printed copy of this book. You can purchase a PDF downloadable version HERE or HERE. The beauty of a printable book is that you can print as many as you need for your entire class at a very low price. You can also pick and choose which pages to do if you don't want to use the entire book. It is a lot cheaper to print your own shifting workbook than to buy a hard copy of a book for every student. Also if you find any errors, feel free to email me and I will fix it and re-send the file. I'm the first to admit that I'm not a bass player. Bass shifting can get pretty crazy. I have some really smart bass students in my class who enjoyed figuring out higher positions. For my bass players that are slower learners, I allowed them to change fingerings and play more in 1st position. As a teacher, you can change/adjust fingerings as needed depending on student ability levels. Read the preface for more info about the book and a sample of the first couple pages below:

I was once asked, “If you could have any super power, what would it be?” For me the answer came easily. I would want to have ceaseless energy and never need to sleep. Imagine all of the things we could get done if we neve had to rest or sleep! I’ve always been the type of person that wants to do everything. Pre-Covid, I was as busy as I could be…teaching hundreds of students, participating in every festival, scheduling concert after concert. Then Covid quarantines and cancellations changed everything. Calendars became clear. The extra time that had always eluded me was readily available. Life slowed to a pace of reflection and growth which resulted in a shift in priorities. It became impossible to do everything and the most important things came into focus. As the world moves forward through a process of healing, some may feel an urgency to return to ‘normal,’ yet I know my teaching will never be the same. As an educator, I have evolved. Now is the time to question what has always been and change for the better. Here are some questions I’ve been wrestling with as I determine my best path forward for my program: How many traditional concerts should we have in a school year? Are there non-traditional performance opportunities to explore? How much tech do I want to continue to use in my program? Am I meeting the needs of my students? How can I take care of my needs to enjoy my job and avoid burnout? 1. How many traditional concerts should we have in a school year? I think I’m finally realizing that there is no required concert quota for a school year. In 2020 my school was in person with masks and lots of protocols and I was not permitted to have a traditional concert. We ended up having a total of 2 socially-distanced concerts. I have to say I didn’t miss the cancelled concerts. I found myself enjoying my job more. There was no pressure to hurry up and learn some music to perform. We had time to explore, hone, and refine our skills. Performing is very rewarding and I will always offer positive performing experiences for my students, but I am working to simplify my performance schedule which will allow me to really focus on my needs and the needs of my students in other areas. 2. Are there non-traditional performance opportunities to explore? There are so many ways to perform and share with others. I know an educator who never schedules a holiday concert in December and instead sends a ‘digital holiday card’ to parent emails with a short video performance and happy wishes for a fun and safe season. There’s a website called upbeatmusicapp.com where students can record themselves playing their parts and the site will automatically generate a virtual performance. Students love YouTube and it would be fun to start a class YouTube channel with practice videos and performance clips. A class YouTube channel could be curated with mini commercials to promote the program and recruit students. Students could collaborate with other groups or artists to create a music video. There are so many musicians willing to work creatively with students. This year, I was lucky enough to be contacted by a viral YouTube violinist who offered the opportunity for my class to be featured in one of his videos. This turned out to be one of the most memorable performances my class had ever done! 3. How much tech do I want to continue to use in my program? I’ve heard of tech burn-out from many educators. It was not a simple task to teach such a hands-on subject online. This school year, I am not required to use online resources for my students and it feels great to be back in the classroom. There are some tech tools I will leave in the past, while others have proven useful even in a classroom setting. It’s nice to not have to do every little thing online, but I still have students grab chromebooks to work on note reading, practice rhythms, and create simple compositions. Tech tools have provided me a way to restructure rehearsal time to get more done. For example, while some sections work on chromebooks to practice notes/theory skills, I can rehearse/help other sections. On playing test days, students have to wait for their turn to play for me. No time is wasted as they wait because there are many music activities students can explore online. Students have enjoyed creating their own simple compositions using looper composition sites (https://music-grid.surge.sh/#0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-3072-&120&pentatonic). Students are learning, exploring, and expanding knowledge as we combine some rehearsals with some tech tools. I have learned that tech tools should not be used if it will create a ton more work for myself. I carefully select tools that are useful, efficient, engaging, and expand learning activities in my classroom. 4. Am I meeting the needs of my students? Social emotional health is a hot topic these days. I want to create a classroom culture of support and understanding while maintaining high expectations and standards for success. The longer I teach, the more I realize my classroom cannot be ‘one size fits all.’ One way I am working to meet the needs of my students is to allow them to have a choice in certain activities and assignments. Instead of making students all practice the same measures for a playing test, I can let them choose their path. Students can demonstrate learning in more than one way. I often do playing tests in class, but I have some students with anxiety that struggle to perform in front of their peers. By offering an alternate option to record a video online, I have gotten to know these students better. I have a few quiet students who would never speak in class, but they are able to contribute to assignments/discussions online. It feels good to reach more students by introducing more options/opportunities for assignments. Another way to meet student needs is by opening doors for students to find and practice music they are interested in learning. One day I was teaching my students how to play a movie tune by ear and they were so excited! Many students began making requests to learn some other tunes. By allowing students to explore and pursue their interests and ideas, they became even more excited about orchestra. 5. How can I take care of my needs to enjoy my job and avoid burnout? I love being an orchestra teacher, so I was surprised to find myself suffering from burn out a couple years ago. I never thought I would go through burnout because I had always been passionate about my job. I really struggled with these feelings for a couple of years and even casually looked for a different job. As much as we do for our students, it is important to not neglect our own needs. Burnout is a sign something needs to change. There are many things to consider changing, such as personal work load, personal schedules, planned performance events, activities, or classroom routines. I found that even changing small things helped me find peace and satisfaction in my job. For example, I normally follow a basic rehearsal routine every day. By switching up my routine and exploring other ideas, I felt free. Change is key to curing burnout. The challenge is finding out what (and how much) needs to change and fearlessly making it happen. As we begin to re-enter our classrooms, rebuild programs, and settle back into live instruction, it is important to embrace lessons learned during the pandemic and initiate change wherever it is beneficial. Now is the time to evolve our classrooms and music instruction to meet the needs of our students, our communities, and ourselves.

In order to help students listen to their intonation, I teach them about note twins. The first note twin they learn is open D, and high D - we talk about how they are not 'identical' because one is high and one is low, but they have the same sound - when played together, you can tell when they 'match'. We listen and adjust to make sure those two notes sound the same - like when twins wear the same outfit. After some basic finger exercises to strengthen the pinky finger (L.H. pizz, finger taps on the fingerboard), we learned 4th finger A's on the D string. Students were quick to understand that there is an identical note twin - open A. They were immediately able to adjust their fingers and match their pitch to the open A - especially after I showed them how to swing the elbow to the right to help the pinky reach. For the cellos, I taught them that they also had a A note twin - and we learned how to shift to 4th position on the D string and play an A with the 1st finger. My young cellists loved to feel 'advanced' and I believe it is never too early to make these connections on the fingerboard. I feel that students are able develop quality intonation more quickly when they know about 'note twins' and frequently practice matching identical notes, or notes in different octaves like open D and high D.

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Last year, I noticed I was getting in a bit of a 'warm-up rut.' I kept doing the same old warm-up routine and was needing some variety. It was time to re-energize warm-up time with something new and fun. I started using rounds as warm-ups and my students loved it! Students enjoy learning rounds. They are quick to learn because all parts are unison. When ready to try as a round, there are so many possibilities! Rounds are very versatile. Here are a few ways to use rounds in your classroom: 1. While in unison, you can focus on intonation, rhythm, and bowing skills. Once students are ready, divide into 2 parts and try the round. Beginners especially love to hear the new harmonies and it motivates them to keep playing. The round adds depth and helps students listen/tune pitches. Students must carefully count and maintain a steady tempo. These are important ensemble skills that will strengthen your group as you move to more complex ensemble music. 2. When dividing into 2 parts, use a variety of combinations: upper strings/lower strings, stand partners, rows, birthdays Jan-June/July-Dec, Marvel vs. DC, etc. 3. Rounds are great to use for student group projects. Allow students to form small groups and learn a round together to perform for the class. Rounds provide a basic foundation for future chamber work. Students can form small groups using any instrument combination and easily work together since parts are unison. Students can creatively create arrangements/variations of the round to perform. 4. Rounds are a fun way for students to practice together! Encourage students to get together with friends to learn and harmonize together. 5. Rounds can be easily performed. There are a variety of ways to arrange a round to work in a concert setting. (For example, play one time in unison, play as a round, one section plays melody, play as round with different grouping of students,.etc.) 6. Many simple rounds are played on only 2 strings: D and A. Try having students play each round on the G and D strings. 7. Try changing the key signatures to create a different sound and rehearse alternate finger patterns. Teach advanced skills like shifting/fingering options as a way to differentiate in a mixed class setting. I just finished writing a resource called "Rounds for Warm-Ups" available HERE. Traditional rounds are included as well some some original compositions. This resource contains a Conductor Score, Rote pages for each round, Parts for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass. 62 pages total. 16 rounds included. BONUS: Access to the rounds on google slides is included to use as a visual while teaching.

I'm sure you've all said it before...."Stop Plucking!" It's a common plague in the string orchestra classroom. Some students don't eve...

Many teachers are now using my note-reading book in their classes and I hope everyone is finding this resource useful in teaching students to read and understand music notation. In the workbook, students learn about the staff as they figure out the names of the lines and spaces for their instrument. You can read more about the workbook HERE. The first notes that I have my students actually perform on their instruments are the open strings. It is very easy for students who are just starting to read music to recognize the difference in the notation of the open strings because there is so much space between each note. I ask students to make their own flashcards with the open strings for their instrument (I draw exactly how each note should look on the board and students copy my example). This is the form I use for students to make their own flashcards: I then ask students to put the flashcards in order with the lowest note first...then on to the highest note on the staff. I ask students to figure out what the notes must be if they are open strings. Students can quickly recognize on their own which note goes to each string. Next, students can practice memorizing their flash cards for a few minutes before trying to read some real music with open strings. I have just completed some music for students to read with only open strings. I wrote an 'A' - melody line for the teacher to perform (or for advanced students) and a 'B' line which consists only of open strings. I have found that students love to hear an advanced melody over the open strings. It makes reading the music way more fun! Plus, students are very motivated when they hear the advanced part and many go home and try to learn the harder part. This helps students learn to read music even faster! You can download my new Open String Exercises for Beginning Orchestra HERE. Downloads are very convenient for a teacher because after purchasing the file, you can just print as many copies as needed each year. You never have to worry about lost or missing parts! Here is a sample:

Ideas, games, worksheets, posters, and more for teaching strings

Virtual Sheet Music® Premium High-Quality digital sheet music for string quartet or string orchestra, full Score & Single Parts, NEW EDITION, optional violin III part to replace the viola part included. I searched eagerly String Quartet version for this music. It' s so cheerful and well arranged. I am really thankful. We like this new edition (all parts on the same bar numbers!) A great 'encore' piece and also a nice warmup at beginning of rehearsal! Thank you for another great score.

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Beginners can play in tune. Really...they can. And they WANT to play in tune. No one wants to sound bad. I learned this while studying the Suzuki method as my son (age 4) began his violin lessons. He was taught to place his fingers perfectly and he wasn't to pull his bow until his fingers were set. That means, we had to pause after every 'tukka tukka stop stop' to place the next note before pulling the bow again. With this careful practice, my son never had the chance to play out of tune. Soon enough, he developed the muscle memory to land his fingers in tune add we no longer had to pause between pitch changes. In a beginning orchestra setting, we may not be able to physically check and move each student's finger to the right place, but we can use tapes for a guide. Students in a classroom are older, anyway...and they need to learn how to monitor their own playing. When students are struggling to get pitches in tune, I have found it helpful to step back and use the Suzuki strategy. Set. pull, listen. Does it match - is it in tune? Recently, I did a warm-up with my beginning orchestra class and it helped their overall intonation so much that I started doing it with all of my groups. We often warm-up with finger patterns and scales...this is just a new way to approach the patterns. We drilled only 3 notes at a time. In my experience, students are most often out of tune when playing half steps. This little drill helped students fix those intervals and they performed with better intonation through the entire rehearsal after playing it. I don't have students read the sheet music for warm ups because I want all of their focus to be on their fingers, half steps, intonation, tone, bow placement. etc. They easily pick up on this simple warm-up by rote. The other thing I have learned about beginners and intonation is that they sound a lot better when I tune them! This is pretty obvious, but I used to not tune them very carefully. I have 50 students to tune in each of my beginning class, so I'm in a hurry...I tune them all in 5 minutes or less. With tuner blaring, I used to tune via pizzicato. Then, after nagging my class to fix their intonation, I noticed that their D's and A's didn't match...and I had tuned them! I learned that I am not very good at tuning accurately when I use pizz. Now, I tune every kid's instrument using my bow...and wow...what a difference. You students just might be playing better than you think. Every now and then, I even tune my advanced class...just to make sure their instruments are perfectly in tune before we focus a rehearsal on intonation.

After a year full of rehearsal and practice some of my school instruments look a little thrashed. Most of my school cellos are shared by 3 students - so they get a lot of use in a day. (Someday I hope to have enough cellos for all my students, but right now I’m about 40 short.) After our final concert I do an instrument cleaning day and get everything looking shiny. It’s good for general maintenance to have all students clean their instruments at least once per year. We use spray bottles filled with distilled water and 1-2 tablespoons of white vinegar. I tell students to never spray ‘cleaner’ on directly on their instruments. We use a collection of bandannas I found in my classroom and students spray a little vinegar water on a bandanna to wipe down their instruments. They use a dry bandanna for buffing. Recently I was able to tour the repair shop of a local music store, Summerhays Music in Orem, UT. www.smcorem.com I learned some maintenance tips I wish I would have known when I started teaching! These tips would have saved my program budget a lot of money. Summer is a great time to check instruments and do these simple steps to make sure instruments stay in good condition. 1. MINERAL OIL Do you have any of those fine tuners that are super hard to turn? In my classroom I have a few cellos from the dark ages with tuners so stiff it hurts my fingers to try to use them. When instruments are cleaned you should unscrew the fine tuner and put a drop of mineral oil in the hole where the screw goes. This will ensure the fine tuner keeps working properly. I will be having students do this on our instrument cleaning day from now on. You can also use mineral oil to lubricate bass pegs/mechanism. 2. ENDPINS I have a little epidemic going on in my orchestra. Students are constantly losing those little endpin bolts and we’ve had a few endpins go inside the cellos. I can’t stand it when that happens because it’s so frustrating to get those endpins back out! I once tried to get an endpin back in place with a back-scratcher…..doesn’t work. Inevitably I have to send those cellos to the repair shop to have them retrieve the endpin. At school I’ve just been wrapping masking tape around the end of cello endpins to keep them from going inside the cello. It doesn’t look great...but that was my quick fix. At Summerhays I learned you can just go to a hardware store and buy bolts (size M8 1.25) that will screw right back on the endpins. They’re super cheap..and you can SUPER GLUE them in place so they never fall off. This is going to save my program some money for sure. 3. BRIDGES A have quite a few cellos with warped bridges. I thought it was happening because the wood was bad, but I learned that the warping happens when the bridge is crooked. I have never consistently checked the bridges on all my instruments to make sure they are straight. This will now be part of my routine. The Summerhays repair shop taught me how to properly adjust the bridge. They said you do NOT loosen the strings to adjust the bridge (unless it needs major adjusting/placement). You brace your hands on the bridge and move/adjust from the top. You don’t try to move the feet...just the top of the bridge until it is 90 degrees. 4. WITTNER PEGS I actually discovered these pegs a few years ago. I was wasting too much time trying to tune old cellos with ill-equipped pegs. When these Wittner pegs came out I loved them so much...I slowly started using my school budget to have these pegs put in all my school cellos. It is worth every penny! Saves a ton of time with tuning. When I start a class of 50+ beginners I have to be able to tune them all in 3-5 minutes. These pegs make it a breeze. It also helps students tune their own instruments with ease. I teach beginners how to tune about mid-way through the school year. I now rarely have a student who breaks a string. 5. OLD STRINGS I’m guilty. There are cellos and basses at my school equipped with some ancient strings. At school I usually only replace strings when they break. I’ve never made room in my budget to replace old strings. I know some of my instruments would sound way better if I would just put on new strings. Part of my summer maintenance will be to finally start replacing strings and keeping track of when new strings are put on. My inventory is currently organized in a google spreadsheet. I can type notes directly on my inventory regarding when strings have been replaced, what repairs have been done, etc. That way I can create a rotation to begin replacing strings without having to do all 50+ instruments at once. At Summerhays I learned that it is best to purchase strings that are straight (not wound in a packet). This ensures the winding on the string lasts longer. The core and the winding of the string can deteriorate when the winding is bent and compromised. Buying local is ideal because you can buy strings that are straight. Summerhays has awesome low prices (even lower than online retailers) and stores all their strings straight. I hope you find these tips useful as you spend time with your inventory at the end of the school year/beginning of the new school year.

Last year, I noticed I was getting in a bit of a 'warm-up rut.' I kept doing the same old warm-up routine and was needing some variety. It was time to re-energize warm-up time with something new and fun. I started using rounds as warm-ups and my students loved it! Students enjoy learning rounds. They are quick to learn because all parts are unison. When ready to try as a round, there are so many possibilities! Rounds are very versatile. Here are a few ways to use rounds in your classroom: 1. While in unison, you can focus on intonation, rhythm, and bowing skills. Once students are ready, divide into 2 parts and try the round. Beginners especially love to hear the new harmonies and it motivates them to keep playing. The round adds depth and helps students listen/tune pitches. Students must carefully count and maintain a steady tempo. These are important ensemble skills that will strengthen your group as you move to more complex ensemble music. 2. When dividing into 2 parts, use a variety of combinations: upper strings/lower strings, stand partners, rows, birthdays Jan-June/July-Dec, Marvel vs. DC, etc. 3. Rounds are great to use for student group projects. Allow students to form small groups and learn a round together to perform for the class. Rounds provide a basic foundation for future chamber work. Students can form small groups using any instrument combination and easily work together since parts are unison. Students can creatively create arrangements/variations of the round to perform. 4. Rounds are a fun way for students to practice together! Encourage students to get together with friends to learn and harmonize together. 5. Rounds can be easily performed. There are a variety of ways to arrange a round to work in a concert setting. (For example, play one time in unison, play as a round, one section plays melody, play as round with different grouping of students,.etc.) 6. Many simple rounds are played on only 2 strings: D and A. Try having students play each round on the G and D strings. 7. Try changing the key signatures to create a different sound and rehearse alternate finger patterns. Teach advanced skills like shifting/fingering options as a way to differentiate in a mixed class setting. I just finished writing a resource called "Rounds for Warm-Ups" available HERE. Traditional rounds are included as well some some original compositions. This resource contains a Conductor Score, Rote pages for each round, Parts for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass. 62 pages total. 16 rounds included. BONUS: Access to the rounds on google slides is included to use as a visual while teaching.

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