What Suzuki Book to Place a Student In Based on Skills

Notes from this video:
If a student has trouble with 3 or more of these skills, they need the skills taught in RDV’s Suzuki Book 1:
• holding the violin securely and naturally
• Holding the bow securely but relaxed
• Relaxing the left hand (no squeezing)
• Good left hand position
• Playing in tune with finger tapes (at least 80% accuracy)
• Producing a good solid, beautiful tone
• Learning book 1 songs unassisted by ear
• Keeping the bow on the highway
• Drawing a straight bow
• Crossing strings without noise

The link for my Suz1 class is in the video description box below.
If students only have problems with 1 or 2 items, then those can be addressed as the student continues into Suzuki Book 2, but they need to be TOP priority
_______________________
Assuming all skills listed for book 1 are mastered, if a student has trouble with 3 or more of these skills, they need the skills taught in RDV’s Suzuki Book 2:
• Ears should adjust for very fine pitch discrepancies without the aid of the tapes
• Understanding of ringy notes (sympath. Vibrations) and consistent accurate use of them
• Nice clean hooked bow with dotted rhythms (Witches Dance)
• Understanding of detache’, legato, and staccato
• Learning Book 2 tunes by ear unassisted
• Good accurate rhythmic playing
• Slurring up to 4 notes
• Left Hand relaxed
• Hitting the corners of the finger tips consistently (targets)
• Good left hand dexterity and speed
• Bow and Left hand are synchronized
• Note reading
• 1-2 Octave Scales and arpeggios
• Common finger patterns on violin (tetrachords)
• Finger independence

The link for my Suz2 class is in the video description box below.
If students only have problems with 1 or 2 items, then those can be addressed as the student continues into Suzuki Book 3, but they need to be TOP priority
__________________
Assuming all skills listed for book 1 and 2 are mastered, if a student has trouble with 3 or more of these skills, they need the skills taught in RDV’s Suzuki Book 3:
• Vibrato fully developed and implemented
• Performance practices of the Baroque period
• Ornaments: grace notes, trills, mordents, turns, nachschlag
• Understanding of major musical periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th c.)
• Musical phrasing
• Bow distribution, bow speed
• Manipulating 3 elements of tone for tone color
• 2 Octave Major and Minor scales and arpeggios in all keys
• Practice techniques (extensive)
• Fluent 3rd position
• Shifting
• Spiccato
• Staccato
• Music theory and Ear training: interval identification, fingerboard geography, timbre recognition, pitch memory

If they only have problems with 1 or 2 items, then those can be addressed as the student continues into Suzuki Book 4, but they need to be TOP priority
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[augusttingjiaoli]

i signed up for her course 2 weeks ago. it's nice to see what I'll be able to do in the future in such a logical fashion

[andrewmullen]

What a great breakdown. Thanks, Lora!!

[trafalgara]

Thank you Desert Flower....you are a Godsend

[declairelegenou]

Thank you so much for this comprehensive list!! I think by far the hardest point to achieve is good, beautiful tone (for my son who is now at book 1). Everything sounds so squeaky & crunchy, ditto with the posture that always need tweaking Our problem is that he got all the notes correct and can play by ear almost any songs (including some in book 2 and book 3. He figured out the notes of Minuet 3 book 3 all by himself, by ear, or even any random songs that he likes, such as from video games). It's hard to balance between technique & wanting to advance. Do you have any suggestion for this?

[fiddlegrandmom]

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