Looking for more Suzuki violin group class activities and ideas?
Look no further as we have dedicated this blog to Suzuki Violin group class ideas, activities and even ready Suzuki Violin lesson plans.
Before you read the full article, make sure you check our Suzuki teaching page where you can find a ton of fun games and activities for your group class. Make sure you also visit our resource page where you can find lots of ready Suzuki practice games you can use both in your private lessons and as a part of your Suzuki group class.
But first…about me…
I have been teaching Suzuki for about 15 years now. I trained wth Prof. Susan Kempter at the University of New Mexico. After completing my Masters I opened two private Suzuki violin programs in the area and I started teaching part time at a public school strings program as well. The beginning of my teaching was very busy but I also learned a lot.
Later on I started working as a string pedagogy coordinator at the University of New Mexico. I would help younger teachers with lesson planning and feedback. This blog was a product of some of these demo lessons and discussions.
These days I conduct a high school program and I do lots of clinics both for Suzuki violin group classes and conducting young string orchestras.
I absolutely love what I do. I hope some of the ideas and Suzuki activities in this blog to be helpful to you as well!
About this article
This post offers one activity that I love doing especially toward the end of the school year. You can check other Suzuki violin group class games and activities on this page. Additional articles with helpful tips and more games will also be linked at the end of this post.
The X Factor Suzuki Group Class Activity
I’ve started planning some of my Suzuki violin group classes to imitate the X-factor shows. The kids absolutely love it! This has become a favorite. It makes the Suzuki violin group classes and working on technical problems and review very effective as everyone is focused and engaged.
When teaching many Suzuki violin classes, you need to start getting as creative as possible after awhile. I do these activities with my Suzuki book 2 and 3 classes and so far it has been fun!
I am finding out that my students especially enjoy doing these activities at the end of the school year. It provides a nice change at that time.
How to Use The Suzuki Violin Game
You can use this game for any age Suzuki violin group class. It tends to work best with more experienced students. The best part is that you can use this Suzuki violin group class activity to work on a variety of technical skills.
Simply choose three students to act as judges for a given piece or activity. Carefully give them instructions on how to give feedback. One of the judge has to be positive all the time. One has to provide more critical feedback (but not in a negative way) and one has to do both by giving both positive and what needs improvement.
You can also utilize three parents to act as the judges.
Pick a specific song or technical concept in the song you want the Suzuki violin students to work on. In many cases that could be staying together and watching the leader. It could also incorporate technical skills such as bow hold, moving the elbow when crossing string, left hand posture, etc.
Note: The Suzuki violin method fosters non-competitive learning. When we play this game, we take feedback, but in most cases we are all winners. The game is never played so that a student feels inferior at the end.
The Suzuki violin group class activity can take a portion of the class. You may also schedule it to be the entire lesson plan for that day. See ideas below:
How to Schedule the Suzuki Violin Activity:
Here is my favorite way to schedule the Suzuki violin group class for older students:
Separate the material the students will work on class between:
- One technical element or preview
- One piece (practice staying together, listening, watching the leader)
- Note reading at the end.
The different judges give feedback for each of the activities
At the end all students play for the audience (the parents) and the audience votes if they are ready and have learned the material well.
Don’t be afraid to change the “rules” of the game a bit to fit the needs of your class.
This is also a fantastic way to involve the kids who are not playing a certain piece yet and make them judges. When do they know when to move from one activity to the other? Want to go further? Why not involve the parents as well? Then can vote when the element worked out sounds great! They can be the judges as well.
Additional Suzuki Group Class Activities and Ideas
I am a big fan of creating fun Suzuki violin group class activities that change the pace of the lesson but also provide opportunities for learning in a fun way. See below other Suzuki violin group class ideas you will enjoy doing with your students:
Don’t forget to sign in below so you can be on our mailing list and I can share new ideas and Suzuki violin group lessons and group activities posted on the blog!
Star Wars Suzuki Violin and String Class Ideas
Left Hand Posture Game for Violin
St Patrick’s Suzuki Violin Lesson Plans and Ideas
Suzuki Group Class Ready Lesson Plans
This year I have started collecting ideas and activities that have worked for me into ready lesson plans so teachers can get them and deliver a great group lesson plan with no extra fuss or extra planning. Find links to some of them below:
Easter Violin Group Class Activity
Valentines Day Group Class Lesson Plan (focused on learning key signatures)
Cartoon Characters Group Class Plan Book 1
Cartoon Characters Group Class Plan Book 2
Suzuki Group Class Lesson Plan: Review Songs in a Fun Way
Suzuki Violin CELLO Group Class Lesson Plan: Review Songs in a Fun Way
Suzuki Group Class Lesson Plan for Cello and Violin: Practice Two Difficult Parts in a Fun Way
Recommended Products from the Article
Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching (Dover Books on Music)
A celebrated instructor explains his philosophy of teaching and practice methods, including the appropriate combination of technique and interpretation. Ivan Galamian, a longtime Juilliard professor, incorporates aspects of both the Russian and French schools in a system both ingenious and logical. His tutelage has produced astonishing results with students, many of whom rank among the world's most acclaimed concert artists and orchestral concertmasters.Suitable for violin teachers and students of all ages and levels, this guide presents general principles and offers practical suggestions related to posture, holding the instrument and bow, vibrato movements, intonation, tone production, bowing patterns, double stops, trills, and many other facets of playing and practice. This edition features a new Introduction by Sally Thomas, violin virtuoso and Galamian's former student.
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77 Variations on Suzuki Melodies: Technique Builders for Violin
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[I Can Read Music, Vol 1: Violin (For Violin)] [Author: Martin, Joanne] [February, 1995]
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Sing on the Violin: Rhythms and Songs for the Young Beginner
With a combination of songs, visual cues, and colorful illustrations, Sing on the Violin helps young beginners to meet the early challenges of the violin and to discover their musical potential. Suggested for ages 4 to 8, the method captures a child’s interest and imagination by using illustrations of animals, each animal name having its own rhythm and representing a specific note pattern. As students grow more comfortable playing the animal rhythms, the corresponding notes are introduced. Throughout 86 pages are other visual cues to introduce a child to the fundamentals of note reading, bowing, and left-hand technique. Text and illustrations are presented in readily understandable terms, so that parents can follow along and reinforce what the student has been learning in violin lessons. The music is a mix of traditional and original songs that hold a child’s attention with appealing melodies, lyrics, and accompanying pictures, while always building on their accumulating skills. The book closes with an introduction to three of the great composers – Beethoven, Mozart, and Vivaldi – and a chance to play samples of their most famous works. It’s meant as a glimpse of all that the world of music has to offer, in those early years and for a lifetime.
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How Muscles Learn: Teaching the Violin with the Body in Mind
How Muscles Learn provides information useful in helping teachers find productive techniques in teaching based on how muscles learn movement patterns. Muscles and bodies can and should be thoroughly trained before concentrating exclusively on musical outcomes. Contents include: the importance of good posture, range of motion and movement, muscles have memory: how movement patterns are acquired, and proactive interference: its issues and effects. Each chapter includes helpful photographs illustrating techniques, helpful hints, exercises to practice the principles in each section, and musical examples.
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Group Lessons for Suzuki Violin and Viola
A compilation of violin and viola repertory group lesson ideas, planned to reinforce what is learned at individual lessons at home. This 84-page book is organized according to students' ability levels from pre-Twinkle through Volume 4. Each chapter contains an introduction, suggested warm-up activities, and appropriate ideas for working toward these goals: posture, concentration and coordination, right hand techniques, left hand techniques, and musicality. Activities for combined violin and viola groups, and suggestions for the end of the group lesson wrap up each section of the book. This is an attractive and useful book with an emphasis on ideas. Photographs help to illustrate concepts.
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