Steps to Twinkle: Putting It All Together

After setting up the violin, the bow, and the left hand, it's time to start taking the steps that will teach the student how to play the Twinkle, Twinkle Variations of Suzuki Violin Volume 1. Here are some basic steps I follow, although I make adjustments along the way to accommodate the physical, mental, or emotional issues of each individual student, including concentration problems. The steps I am presenting here do not follow necessarily in any particular order, although some are logically progressive. I'm just compiling a list of items from which I draw. If the student is using a box violin, then I save some of these exercises for when the student has a real violin, although there are some exercises that can be done with both box and real violin.

Left Hand Pizzicato

While my students are working on the bowing rhythms, I am also teaching them the proper left hand setup. In a previous post, I discussed how I set up the violin with colored tapes to match the first finger pattern my students will learn for Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star: A-B-C#-D on the A string. I have the student practice putting each finger down on the appropriate tape that corresponds with that finger, and then the student or the practicing partner or parent plucks the note. At first, the student usually has little strength in the left hand or fingers, and the sound comes out a bit "thuddy." I am careful not to tell the student to press down or harder. Instead I just put a little bit more weight on the finger myself, saying something like, I'm helping the finger to put on its heavy shoes. I let the student gradually discover how much weight is necessary to have the vibrating string "tickle" the finger, and thereby play the correct tone.

We perform the exercise like this:

• I shape the student's left hand to get ready, spreading the fingers open like a fan and making sure they aren't clenched or squeezing.

• I pluck the A string and say "A" at the same time.

• I place the student's index finger on the yellow tape mark, making sure to shape the hand and finger appropriately. Then I pluck the note and say "B".

• I place the student's middle finger on the red tape mark, make sure that the finger and hand are shaped correctly, then pluck the note and say "C#."

• I put the student's ring finger, the weakest finger, on the green tape, make sure that everything looks good, then pluck and say the note "D." This note is often indistinct in the beginning, but over time the student's finger grows stronger and the note resonates clearer.

• I curve the student's pinkie onto the blue tape, make sure the hand is gently rounded and not squeezing, then pluck and say the note "E" or "pinkie E" to distinguish between the E string and the pinkie note. Even though I won't be teaching the student how to use this finger in songs until halfway through book 1, I find it useful to introduce it in the beginning.

• Then I reverse the process and return down the scale.

Variation A Bowing

While the student is practicing the left hand pizzicato exercise at home, I am also teaching the Variation A bowing. There are many different names for this rhythm: Mississippi Hotdog, Mississippi River, Taka Taka Stop Stop, to name a few. I have had parents make up entire epic poems based on this rhythm, for example: Armadillo Cowboys, riding up the canyon, eating poky cactus, and so forth.

I place the student's violin bow on the E string so that the student's right arm is bent at a 90 degree angle, thereby forming a "square." I have already marked this area of the bow with yellow tape, which I refer to as the "sunshine patch." I tell the student that this is the "yard" and that the student's bow is to stay in the yard area. Then I help the student to play Mississippi Hotdog on the E string. Sometimes I am pulling the bow while the student goes along for the ride, and sometimes I let the student draw the bow. Ideally the student continues to maintain the proper bow hold and has a relaxed elbow that opens up and works like a hinge. This allows the student to play and keep the bow "straight" (parallel to the bridge). My goals here are a good sound, a straight bow, and starting with a down bow.

Previous to this point, the student and I have done many rhythmic games to awaken the student's sense of rhythm. We have tapped, clapped, knocked, patted, and marched to this rhythm in previous lessons and group classes. We have made finger chains, shaken hands, scrubbed our left arms, and moved our bows in time to this rhythm.

My goal is to get eight solid Mississippi Hotdogs in a row on the E string because one of our group Pre-twinkle songs is the "E String Concerto" by Sonja Edén. This is a catchy little piano accompaniment to the students' playing eight Mississippi Hotdogs on the E string.

After learning the E string, I introduce the bowing variation on the A string. This might be at the same lesson or at a later date depending on the student. My goal is that the student can play eight solid Mississippi Hotdogs in a row on the A string so that we can play the "A String Concerto" by Eva Bogren, which is another of our group Pretwinkle songs.

Another song we play is the "Bunny Song." I believe that I found this song in the Maurer's String Book

Bunny ears are pink, pink (Variation A rhythm on the E string)

Bunny nose is pink, pink (Variation A rhythm on the A string)

Bunny paws are pink, pink (Variation A rhythm on the E string)

Bunny tail is pink, pink (Variation A rhythm on the A string)

Other Open String Songs

For variety, we also learn other open string songs in our group classes, such as "Open String Blues," which is another song I've used for years and accompany on the piano by memory but no longer seem to be able to put my fingers on the actual music. The song consists of the student playing each open string 8 times while the piano part plays a common blues progression in the key of C major.

My students also enjoy playing three of our favorite songs by David Tasgal from his The Family String Method (www.familystringmethod.com): "Blast Off," "Duck Song," and "Lullaby." For even more variety, my students have come up with some footwork to accompany the "Duck Song." Although "Lullaby" is a very slow song for young beginners, I find that my students are highly motivated to learn this song because they like it so much. I find that my students improve their concentration when they work hard to master this song.

First Finger Pretwinkle Songs


The next step to learn while the student is working on the open string songs and the Variation A bowing on the E and A strings is how to use the left index finger, or "first finger." At first we practice curling up the finger to form a square joint (the flesh folds will form a "Y") and placing the fingertip on the yellow tape.


Then we lift the finger up. We continue placing the finger down and lifting it up a few times. The student usually expresses some interest in hearing what the note sounds like, so we eventually play the F# note.

There are several pre-twinkle songs that use the E and A strings and the F# note. The classic pre-twinkle song is "Flower Song," by Marilyn O'Boyle. Marilyn is a registered Suzuki teacher trainer and well known in the Suzuki world. She is currently the director of the New Mexico Suzuki Institute. If you ever have a chance to take teacher training courses with Marilyn, I highly recommend that you do. You will walk away from the experience with an incredible wealth of information and useful teaching materials.

In addition to "Flower Song," one of my former students sort of composed a song when she was three years old. We were working on playing F# when my student's bow slipped off the string and made a horrible squeaky noise. We both laughed, and then we came up with a new song that used the squeaky noise. To this day, I credit my former student, Mila Martinez, with having composed the song "Squeaky Mouse."

Little mice are squeaky (Variation A rhythm on the E string)

Little mice are squeaky (Variation A rhythm on first finger F#)

Little mice are squeaky (Variation A rhythm on the E string)

Little mice are squeaky (Variation A rhythm on first finger F#)

(then place the bow behind the bridge and play a squeaky Variation A rhythm)

Kids love this, probably because it annoys their parents, similar to fingers scraping down a blackboard.

Monkey Song

This is another pre-twinkle song composed by Marilyn O'Boyle. It uses the A string and the first three fingers A-B-C#-D on the A string, walking up the A string notes and returning back down step-wise. Sometimes I need to help my students to place their ring fingers with enough weight to make a good sound when played.

A Scale

After learning "Monkey Song," the student is ready to learn how to play the A scale (1 octave) on the A and E strings. First we talk about the music alphabet. Most kids today, even three year old students, know the regular reading alphabet, so we talk about how the music alphabet is shorter -- just 7 notes repeated over and over. I write the names of the A scale on a set of colored half index cards. I fill out the four A string notes on cards of one color, and the E string notes on cards of another color. Then I set the cards on the floor in order, like a linear hopscotch pattern. Then we hold hands on either side of the scale cards and "walk the scale" forwards and say the names of the notes as we walk (sometimes we hop). Then we walk the scale backwards. This gives the student practice saying the alphabet in both directions.

Then I gather up the scale cards into a neat pile. I pick up the pile, and I throw the cards into the air so they land in a mess. I ask my student to pick them up and put them in the right order. When we're done, I let the student take the scale cards home to keep.

I have a set of A scale cards hanging up on my studio wall going up in a diagonal line. Sometimes I find it useful to have a place where I can visually trace the notes of a song.

The above list is a good starting point for beginning a student on the road to playing the Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Variations. I hope you find these steps useful in your own studio.