Choosing the Right Method Book for Teaching

String Students
With so many options out in the market, which string method book is best?
By Setareh Beheshti posted March 2009

One Size Does Not Fit All

THE PAST FEW YEARS have seen a renaissance of new method books for the beginning
violinist (and other members of the string family). Before this deluge, a teacher seemingly had an
easier time setting up a curriculum with the few books at hand, all of which had passed the test of
time and received the approval of renowned pedagogues.
Such dependable series as Harvey Whistler's Introduction to Positions; Paul Herfurth's A Tune a

Day; Shinichi Suzuki's Suzuki Violin School; Mathieu Crickboom's Le Violon; and books like
Franz Wohlfahrt's Easiest Beginning Elementary Method, Op. 38 and Op. 45, and 60 Etudes,
were irreplaceable tools for preparing young students. These books helped pave the way for
such advanced violin-method books as the Hrimaly Scale Studies; Carl FleschScale System
series; Schradieck Scale Studies; School of Violin Technics, Books I and II; Sevcik School of
Technic series, Op. 1, 2, 7, 9; Kayser's Elementary and Progressive Studies; Kreutzer's 42
Studies; and other prerequisite conservatory studies.
Due to the limited number of method books for beginners at the time, in the past a teacher could
quickly evaluate whether a student was ready to move up to the pre-conservatory books or
needed to stay with simple tunes and school-orchestra pieces
These days, when paging through sheet-music catalogs, a string teacher can be overwhelmed
by the number of choices. The flashy covers, pictures, and accompanying CDs seem to
obfuscate the teaching philosophy behind each book.
So how does a teacher establish a studio syllabus?
In most cases, a teacher begins by using the same method books that she used as a student,
from beginner's books through advanced levels. Keeping this in mind, you can follow the trend of
favored publications from region to region and generation to generation. But you might ask,
"Does my experience as a student meet the needs of today's student?"
Today's teaching approach and the wider selection of books should inspire a new generation of
students, even those with possibly diminished attention span and a heavy load of after-school
activities. String teachers must stay current with the new method books entering the market. So
how do you accomplish this seemingly daunting task?

WHERE TO BEGIN
The first step is to evaluate the many methods and teaching philosophies available. But this will
take some time and expense. You can simplify this task by creating your own string-method
library, so you can make use of both established and new publications suited to the teaching
priorities for each of your students. Keep an eye out for new publications that can fit into the
classification system you set up for your method-book library.
Take the time to assess each of these method booksold and newso that you are
knowledgeable about new trends in pedagogy while appreciating the established methods. Begin
by evaluating advanced method books and then work backward to the beginner books. This will
allow you to keep the end result in mind and to find the appropriate steps leading up to
intermediate and advanced lessons. For example, if Hans Sitt's Studies in Positions, Op. 32, is a
popular etude book in your pre-college curriculum, then find an appropriate prequel for your
younger students, such as Kathyrn Kinnard's Easy Songs for Shifting in Positions One through
Five.

In most universities and conservatories, the freshmen must undergo a serious scale regimen.
With this in mind, find a progression of scale books that lead up to the Carl Flesch or Ivan
Galamian scale books to better prepare the aspiring music major. There are many colorful scale
books these days that invite young students to practice scales and basic technique. These
include Kathy and David Blackwell's Fiddle-Time Scales, Books I and II. Slightly older beginners
might appreciate Mary Cohen's Scaley Monsters. Preteen beginners are best matched with
Hrimaly's Scale Studies.
Teachers should encourage good habits from the beginning as well as keep long-term goals in
mind for the education of each student. Thus, it's important to note the skill range of each book
as well as the appropriate age range. Some method-book series may include multiple volumes
with progressively harder skill levels, but youthful packaging that includes colorful pictures and
cheerful titles may not be appreciated by an older beginning student. The student's age and the
method book's intended marketing target are important to keep in mind. Remember that the
appropriately matched method-book series can help encourage a child's growth and build her
love for the instrument.

LEARNING STYLES
A teacher's recognition of a student's ability to gather and retain information also can make a
lesson a joyful experience rather than an agonizing ordeal. Understanding the various learning
types can help in the selection of the best beginner method book for the task. There are three
general types of learning styles: visual, auditory, and tactile (also known as kinesthetic). Every
student falls into a combination of these three categories with a tendency toward one of them
(see sidebar, "Learn to Match Method Books to Appropriate Learning Types.")
The visual learner gains and retains information after seeing it. This type of student tends to
memorize in the picture format, so when they recite or play something from memory, these
students recall where they are on the page. These students can become good sight-readers.
The auditory learner gains and retains information by listening. Written material is not useful for
this type of student unless it is recited to them. These students tend to have a beautiful tone due
to their sensitivity to sound and sonority. They're also prone to becoming sloppy note-readers
unless they hear an exact recording of what they are seeing on the page.
Tactile (or kinesthetic) learners retain information through repetition of a physical activity. They
don't seem to mind a cyclic routine of short exercises.
For the purpose of a music lesson, and more importantly the evaluation of method books, you
can classify both student and method book into one of these categories and then match them.
This approach can then serve as a resource when you create an individualized syllabus for each
student and it can help alleviate obstacles that can occur during a lesson.

LEARN TO RECOGNIZE A STUDENT'S LEARNING STYLE

The Visual Learner Beginner's books that include accurate pictures and take a visual approach
are geared toward visual learners. Usually, these books don't include an accompanying CD.
Rather, they include somewhat lengthy explanations for each new technique. Every new
technique is followed by a moderate number of pieces that the student must learn before moving
to the next topic. Once the visual learner studies a topic, there usually is no need to go back and
review. So method books that have musical examples that are variations of a technique can help
these types of learners reach the same level as students who review their music lesson
repeatedly. Examples of method books that fall under this category are Mathieu Crickboom's Le
Violon series; Paul Herfurth's A Tune a Day (the earlier version without the accompanying CD);
Mary Cohen's Scaley Monsters; Shirley Givens' Adventures in Violinland series; and Janice
Rhoda's ABC's of Violin for the Absolute Beginner. The Auditory Learner Method books aimed
at the auditory learner include an accompanying cassette tape or CD. These companion sets
usually offer little written explanation. For the auditory learner, the progression of new techniques
is relatively quick, because most can memorize a piece and then perform it repetitively. One
caveat: it's important to review the accuracy of the CD's recorded lesson before assigning this
type of book, since students will copy exactly what they hear. Examples of books for the auditory
learner include Shinichi Suzuki's Suzuki Violin School series; Dinie Goodhart's Violin Fun; Kathy
and David Blackwell's Fiddle Time series and scale books; and the new version of Paul
Herfurth's A Tune a Day (with accompanying CD). The Tactile Learner Beginner's books geared
towards the tactile, or kinesthetic, learner are easily identifiable: these books don't have a CD;
the pieces are short and similar to etudes or exercises; and each music lesson has a specific
goal in mind. These books are teacher dependent, meaning that each lesson must be explained
in order for the student to grasp the specific movement being taught. The rate of progression is
slow due to the short and repetitive pieces, but upon completing a tactile-oriented book a student
has a more solid foundation in advanced technique than the other learning types. Examples of
books that meet these criteria are Sally O'Reilly's Fiddle Magic and Fiddle Rhythms; and Kathyrn
Kinnard's Easy Songs for Shifting in Positions One through Five.

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