Pattern recognition in early book 1 Suzuki violin repertoire -a post for teachers

Here’s a question I like to ask early Book 1 students:

Which pieces go from open E to 3rd finger on the A string?

Ask the student to think it over—or better yet, play through the pieces and discover the answer.

The pieces that share this pattern are:

• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
• Song of the Wind
• Go Tell Aunt Rhody
• O Come, Little Children

Each contains the pattern:

EE, 33 on the A string, 22, 11

Then there is Lightly Row.

Unlike the pieces above, Lightly Row goes from open E to 2nd finger on the A string instead of 3rd finger. This subtle difference can create confusion for many students.

For that reason, once we move beyond Lightly Row, I like to revisit and drill:

EE, 33 on the A string, 22, 11

using one of the Twinkle variation rhythms.

What makes this especially tricky is that Twinkle itself contains two closely related versions of the pattern:

EE, 33, 22, 11

and

EE, 33, 22, 1, 0

which resolves to the open A string at the end of the phrase.

For some students, distinguishing between these two endings takes quite a bit of repetition and listening.

One of the things I love about Suzuki teaching is discovering these hidden connections between pieces. The repertoire is full of patterns that prepare students for what comes next.