12-Week Suzuki Violin

Lesson Plan
Instructor: Kenneth Chia

1 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Introduction
This lesson plan, while primarily an assignment for Mrs. Stella Chiews Early
Childhood Education Level 2 class, is structured as such to be a fully functional curriculum
for successful beginner Suzuki Violin Instruction over a 12-week period. The duration of the
sessions within this 12-week period is assumed to be 30 minutes per session, with one session
occurring per week. It incorporates both standard Suzuki methods as well as some of my
own personal music education techniques, that I have developed in my many years of having
taught traditional classical ute, adapted towards violin.





Objective
Following successful execution of the 12-week lesson plan, the student should be able
to perform up to piece #4 Go Tell Aunt Rhody.

2 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 1: Humble Beginnings

Getting to Know You (5 minutes)
Introduce self to student and parent
Demonstrate and briey practice proper salutation bowing.

Bow hold practice (5 minutes)
Have a pencil or chopstick handy.
Make rabbit ears symbol (Just like I love you sign language hand position, but
thumb instead touching between middle and ring ngers).
The rabbit then eats the pencil/chopstick.
Apply the same concept to the bow. Make the rabbit sleepy from such a big meal
by bringing the ears (index and pinky nger) down onto the bow. Thumb is on the frog
rst.
Next, try bringing the thumb off the frog.

Posture set-up (5 minutes)

Stand with feet together rst in rest position (no violin or bow at rst)

Open legs to shoulder width.

Left foot forward, right foot back.

Add the violin. Child may rst practice violin hold by touching left shoulder with
right hand if theyre capable.

Add the bow.

First notes! (5 minutes)
Tune the students violin rst.
Ensure student is holding up violin from the neck in a relaxed left hand position.
Point to E-string. Have student do random bowing on open E-string.
Point to A-string. Have student do random bowing on open A-string.
Game: Teacher calls out a string, student tries to respond by bowing on the correct
string.
3 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA

Install Twinkle Variation A (10 minutes)
Use words to mime the rhythms present in Variation A (i.e. KotaKina-ba-lu. I prefer
Watermelon - Apple, because its one word per beat and commonly used fruits.)
Have student repeat words a few times alone, and then with rhythmic clap or
metronome.
Begin teaching student to apply rhythm to the open A and E strings.
Show nger 1 on E-string, then back to open E- string. This installs the rst half of
the phrase. Absolute beginners can end here.
If time permits and student is a moderate learner, you can add nger 3, 2, 1 to
open A-String to complete the rst phrase.
Advanced learners can probably nish the entire rst variation.


Finishing up
Explain importance of parental involvement in childs daily practice to the parent.
If parent is unable to be present, a paper with some instructions can be sent home
with the student at the conclusion of the lesson.
Mention that listening to the recordings included with the book will be very helpful
in the next few weeks.
Salutation bow to nish lesson.
4 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 2: Finishing Our First Variation

Class session opening (3-5 minutes)
Bow in
Ask if student (and parent, if present) has any questions about what was covered in
Lesson 1

Posture and Bow hold review (3-5 minutes)
Tune students violin
Have student review and practice bow grip with pencil or chopstick, then with the
bow
Review and practice standing posture for violin playing

Review and Finish Twinkle A (15-20 minutes)
Chose a slow to moderate tempo, and use the word syllables to help reinforce the
proper rhythm (Ex. Watermelon - Apple)
Have the student stop after each note and wait for you to call out the letter pitch
name and ngering (For example, Open AReady, Go! Stop! Open E,Ready, Go!
Stop! F-sharp on Finger 1 on E String Ready, Go!. etc.). The student is not to be
expected to remember the note names and positions at rst, but the continuous instruction
will serve as a subconscious guide. I call this Say then Play.
Once the student can handle this, demonstrate and have student mimic your
performance of Twinkle A in sections:
! One measure at a time.
! Two measures at a time
! Four measures at a time
! The entire piece.
Finishing up
Answer any questions student might have, then conclude lesson with a salutation
bow.
5 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 3: Twinkle B

Class opening and preparation (5 minutes)
Bow in
Ask if student had any questions during the weeks practice.
Tune students violin.
Have student demonstrate bow hold and playing posture, then correct and adjust.
Demonstrate and practice ready posture (violin tucked under right arm, bow held
hair facing out with right index nger, bow perpendicular to the oor)

Review and correct Twinkle Variation A (5 - 10 minutes)
Play Twinkle-A together, and give general comments.
Have student perform it again solo and give more specic comments
Isolate problem spots, then perform one last time together.

Break time: Anatomy lesson - The Violin (5 minutes)
Point out and say various parts of the Violin together with student
Point out silently the parts and have student try to identify the parts, assisting as
necessary, of course.

Install Twinkle Variation B (10 - 15 minutes)
New rhythm mnemonic: I STOP, then you STOP.
! Practice saying it without clapping, then add eighth note / quaver clapping, then
switch to quarter-note/crotchet clapping.
! Walking game: In rhythm to the mnemonic, have student take steps walking
forward. (Left-Right. STOP. Left-Right-Left. STOP. Right-Left. STOP. Right-Left-Right.
STOP).
! Bowing game: Similar to walking game, but instead just use the bow perpendicular
to oor in front of student. (Down-up, stop. Down-up-down, stop. Up-down, etc.)
Play together Twinkle B.

Finishing up
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow.
6 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 4: Twinkle C
Class Opening and Preparation (3 - 5 minutes)
Salutation Bow in.
Answer any questions student might have had during the weeks practice.
Tune students violin.
Check ready posture, then check playing posture.

Review: Twinkle A (3 - 5 minutes)
Quick run-through with minor xes.

Review: Twinkle B (5 minutes)
Continue work on Twinkle B, playing walking game and bowing game again if
necessary.
Ensure student uses maximum comfortable bow.

Break time: Anatomy Lesson - The Violin Bow (3 - 5 minutes)
Point out and say various parts of the violin bow together with student
Point out silently the parts and have student try to identify the parts, assisting as
necessary, of course.

Install Twinkle Variation C (5 - 10 minutes)
New rhythm mnemonic: Tom-Jerry, Tom-Jerry. I prefer Stop, Go-go, Stop, Go-go! or
Here, go to there, go to here, go to there
Practice mnemonic without and with rhythmic quarter-note/crotchet claps.
Apply to executing Twinkle C, noting that bow direction switches are the same as
Twinkle B (therefore walking game and bowing games will also work for this variation)

Finishing up
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow.
7 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 5: Twinkle D
Class Opening and Preparation (3 - 5 minutes)
Salutation Bow in.
Answer any questions student might have had during the weeks practice.
Tune students violin.
Check ready posture, then check playing posture.

Review Twinkle C, B, A (10 minutes)
Going in reverse order to mix things up a bit.
Emphasize the difference of long strokes versus short strokes, applied to rhythm, as
well as bow position.

Install Twinkle D (15 minutes)
New mnemonic: Buttery. I like to use either fruits such Pineapple. or
Strawberry, or, my favorite Evenly, which will really reinforce the teaching point for this
variation.
Clapping, walking, bowing games, work for this variation.
Have student execute Twinkle D on the violin.
Clapping hands or tapping students shoulder while student is performing in time
through the triplets will help reinforce the rhythmic evenness needed, and prevent it from
devolving into a rendition of Twinkle C or reverse Twinkle C.

Finishing up
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow.


8 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 6: Twinkle E and Theme

Class Opening and Preparation (3 - 5 minutes)
Salutation Bow in.
Answer any questions student might have had during the weeks practice.
Tune students violin.
Check ready posture, then check playing posture.

Review Twinkle D (5 minutes)
Continue previous lessons work on keeping the bowing evenly through the triplets.

Install Twinkle E (5 - 10 minutes)
New mnemonic: Caterpillar. Personally, I prefer to use Watermelon again,
because keeping the same words for the sixteenths/semi-quavers keeps familiarity. Just
state that you now have extra Watermelons because you traded them for Apples!
Clapping/Walking games help alongside a steady quarter-note/crotchet clap.
Emphasize shorter strokes for this one, as longer strokes will tire out the student.
Throughout the students acquisition of this variation, quarter-note/crotchet claps by
the teacher help keep the student anchored.

Install Twinkle Theme (10 - 15 minutes)
Long beautiful strokes of the bow throughout.
Use isolation stops before string crossings to help troubleshoot difculties in that
area.
For variety, student and teacher can take turns playing one of the variations while the
other plays the theme.
If time and student energy permits, put it all together with a straight run-through
from Variation A to B to C to D to E and nish with the Theme.
Finishing up
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow
9 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 7: Lightly Row
Class Opening and Preparation (3 - 5 minutes)
Standard Salutation Bow, Q&A, Violin tuning, and bow+posture check.

Twinkle A-E + Theme Run-through (5 minutes)
Light run-through with only minor corrections. Bulk of time needed for the next
piece.

Install Lightly Row (20 minutes)
Teacher plays the entire piece rst in a run-through.
Student and teacher then work together in 4-measure blocks.
! Measures 1-4
! Measures 5-8
! Measures 9-12
! Measures 13-16 are the same as 5-8, so no need for extra time towards this block.
With each block, a session of Finger, Bow, then Go! is needed to assist the student in
having the note set before moving on to the next one. Say then Play is also a good
technique where the student says the pitch name of the next note before executing it.
Singing along with ngerings as lyrics will help. (E-2-2 3-1-1 A-1-2-3-E-E-Eetc.)
If the student is already has a good handle on the actual ngering technique, then
sing along with the lyrics borrowed from the Suzuki Piano version would be more
benecial for phrasing:
Lightly Row, here we go, gently up the stream so slow.
Lightly rowing, smoothly oating, gently up the stream we go.
Slowly drifting in our boat, up the stream we gently oat.
Lightly rowing, smoothly oating, gently up the stream we go.

Finishing up
Remind student of the importance of listening to the recordings.
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow
10 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 8: Finish Lightly Row
Class Opening and Preparation (3 - 5 minutes)
Standard Salutation Bow, Q&A, Violin tuning, and bow+posture check.

Warmup: Twinkle Theme (3 - 5 minutes)
Run-through of Twinkle Theme once or twice. Long smooth bow and tone to later be
applied to Lightly Row.

Review Lightly Row (25 minutes)
Continue the work from Lesson 7, but consider long 8-measure blocks for extended
ow, and short 2-measure blocks for intense detail work, in addition to the standard 4-
measure blocks.


Finishing up
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow
11 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 9: Song of the Wind

Class Opening and Preparation (3 - 5 minutes)
Standard Salutation Bow, Q&A, Violin tuning, and bow+posture check.

Lightly Row Run-through + Twinkle E Warmup. (3 - 5 minutes)
Brief run-through of Lightly Row with minor corrections
Follow up with Twinkle E to get the students bowing crisp and light in preparation
of Song of the Wind.

Install Song of the Wind (20 - 24 minutes)
Teacher demonstrates rst while student listens.
Teacher and student then work together building the piece via the following measure
blocks:
! Measures 1-2
! Measures 3-4 and 5-6 are the same, and must be cycled heavily. Lots of Finger,
Bow, Go! and Say then Play for this one.
! Measures 7, 8, 9 and 10 rst done individually, and then as a straight block.
! Measures 11-14 are the same as 7-10, so no extra time is needed for this block.
Remind student that because there is a repeat sign at the end, the entire piece will
need to be played twice.

Finishing up
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow
12 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 10: Finish Song of the Wind
Class Opening and Preparation (3 - 5 minutes)
Standard Salutation Bow, Q&A, Violin tuning, and bow+posture check.

Warmup: Twinkle B and Theme (3 - 5 minutes)
Run-through of Twinkle B and Twinkle Theme once or twice. Short staccato bowing
emphasized.

Review Song of the Wind (25 minutes)
Continue the work from Lesson 9, but divide the work with larger blocks between
measures 1-6 and 7-14.

Bonus: Cooldown with Lightly Row (No more than 3 minutes)
If time permits, a quick run-through of Lightly Row just to help keep it fresh for the
student.
Finishing up
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow
13 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 11: Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Class Opening and Preparation (3 - 5 minutes)
Standard Salutation Bow, Q&A, Violin tuning, and bow+posture check.

Run-through: Song of the Wind (5 minutes)
Brief run-through with minor corrections. Bulk of minutes needed to be reserved for
next song Go Tell Aunt Rhody.

Install Go Tell Aunt Rhody (20 minutes)
Teacher demonstrates entire piece rst while student listens.
Teacher and student then work together building the piece via the following measure
block sequences:
! Measures 1-2
! Measures 3-4
! Measures 1-4 together. Go for a nice peak in volume and phrasing towards
measure 3 and back down.
! Measures 5-6.
! Measure 7-8. Note to student the fact that measure 5 and measure 7 are the
essentially same starting measures pitch-wise.
! Measure 5-8. Challenge for student is in remembering measure 6 and 8 end the
mini-phrases differently. Work with the dynamic drop to p to help differentiate the mini-
phrases better.
! Measures 9-12 are the same as Measures 1-4, so no extra time is needed for this
block.
! Entire piece once or twice as time permits.

Finishing up
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow
14 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA
Lesson 12: Finish Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Class Opening and Preparation (3 - 5 minutes)
Standard Salutation Bow, Q&A, Violin tuning, and bow+posture check.

Review: Go Tell Aunt Rhody (10-15 minutes)
Continue the work from Lesson 11
Sing together with the student the piece, emphasizing the breaths at the ends of
measures 4 and 8.
These lyrics I found on thesuzukiacademy.com could be quite helpful:
Go tell Aunt Rhody, listen carefully
Go tell Aunt Rhody, listen now to me
First I play loudly, I use lots of bow
Then I play softer, use less bow
Go tell Aunt Rhody, listen carefully
Go tell Aunt Rhody, listen now to me
Dont spend too much time on run-throughs for this piece, as it will be played again
later in the lesson.

** THE GAUNTLET: Complete run-through of all pieces! **(10 - 15 minutes)
Run-through with minor corrections as needed:
" Twinkle A, B, C, D, E and Theme
" Lightly Row
" Song of the Wind
" Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Finishing up
Congratulate the student!
Answer any questions raised by student, then conclude lesson with a salutation bow.
15 SUZUKI VIOLIN 12-WEEK LESSON PLAN - K. CHIA