- Posture (Pictures, Book 1)
- Hopping fingers and “helicopter” bow lifts (Song of the Wind, Book 1)
- Marcato (Allegro, Book 1)
- Arpeggios, with distinct arm levels (Minuet No. 2, Book 1)
- Ringing tone (Tonalization, Book 2)
- Trill preparation (Gavotte from “Mignon,” Book 2)
- Extensions (Gavotte by Lully, Book 2)
- Bow placement, a.k.a. “lane changes,” during crescendos (Gavotte by Bach, Book 3)
- Double stops (Seitz Concertos, Book 4)
- Note length and style in Baroque vs. Classical (Books 1-10)
- Listening and Memorization (Suzuki CD’s)
5 Valuable Techniques I learned outside Suzuki books:
- Shuffles and Tag Endings –roughly age 7, from a Suzuki teacher in Utah
- Sautillé –age 9, from a Brazilian teacher
- Tenths –age 13, from a teacher in Minnesota
- Arm vibrato –age 19, from a Russian teacher
- The science behind harmonics –age 24, from a fellow orchestra member in Colorado
I was also taught as a young child how to write down music using old-fashioned manuscript paper and a pencil. In the current days of Finale and Notion and other composing apps/software, I feel this is a bit of a lost art, like cursive writing or tallying your own bowling game. But it's so helpful to learn, as technology is not always reliable or accessible. (For example, if you wanted to compose and distribute copies of a short tune while on an orchestra tour bus, it might be less-than-practical to use up a bunch of phone data and then wait around for access to a printer.) But I digress.
My point in this post is to reiterate that no matter what instruction we receive or where it comes from, we should try to find the value in it, even when the value seems small. To the extent possible, teachers ensure the weaknesses from their own playing become areas of strength for their students. We are all inspired, and let down, by mentors at various times. And as teachers, we try to pass on the good we receive from all walks of life. We share what works and what makes most sense, whether it originated from Europe, South America, a Russian Conservatory, Talent Education from Japan, a traditional teacher, a school orchestra program, a music camp, a selected university professor, our peers, or a favorite childhood teacher in our home state. My goal as a teacher is to get students excited about learning and improving—as violinists, yes, but also, like Shinichi Suzuki said, as “good citizens” with “beautiful hearts.”
