General InformationString Instrument instruction is offered to Calais students starting in third grade. Lessons are offered on violin, viola and cello (not guitar.) Historically, over 90% of our students choose to try a string, wind or percussion instrument during elementary school. An advantage of string study is that string instruments are made in a variety of sizes so that children can use an instrument that fits them correctly. For this reason, most people rent string instruments and trade up in size as their child grows. Our families rent instruments from Vermont Violins, a local company in Montpelier, VT (229-4503). Repairs of rental instruments are included in the rental cost, so there is no reason to be playing an out of repair instrument. A simple phone call by a parent will arrange a repair and the student will be loaned an instrument by Vermont Violins to use while the repair is being performed. Students who own their own instrument can get repairs through Vermont Violins, but will need to pay for their repairs. Scholarships are available for students whose families are not able to afford the purchase or rental of an instrument. A great resource for students and parents is the Michael Hopkins String Pedagogy Notebook. This site contains a wealth of information on string instruments. I especially recommend it to parents who wish to better understand the journey their child is undertaking. Back to the Top | Orchestra | First Year | Second Year | Third Year OrchestraOrchestra is the performing group for students with at least one year of experience. Two types of string instruction are offered at the Calais Elementary School. Lessons help students build their playing skills; orchestra is an ensemble experience where they put those skills to work to make real music. Both types of instruction are required starting in the second year. Students who take private lessons outside of school may be excused from our lessons at Mr. Owens' discretion. Orchestra takes place during Academic Choice Time (ACT). Pianists and percussionist are occasionally invited to join the orchestra; wind players have their own ensemble. Repertory for the orchestra includes music in a variety of styles such as classical, folk and rock. Mr. Owens arranges and composes a considerable amount of the group's music. Back to the Top | Orchestra | First Year | Second Year | Third Year First YearThrough the general music program, students arrive in third grade with the ability to keep a steady beat, sing simple melodies in tune and have experience performing on a number of classroom instruments, such as recorder and Orff xylophone. At this time we hold an evening meeting with parents to help students make informed choices about string instruments and to fit interested students for the correct size instrument. Lessons begin with learning about correct playing posture. Then students learn how to play pizzicato, i.e. plucking the instrument. This lays the foundation for playing in tune, since it allows students to focus solely on pitch, without having to worry about bowing the instrument. After several months students are taught the correct way to hold and and use the bow, and begin playing simple tunes by bowing. During the first year we work largely by rote. By the time we begin to work from notation the students are enthusiastic at the prospect and progress rapidly in note reading. We use a method book called "Essential Elements for Strings". This book comes with a CD/DVD that reinforces lessons. The instructor generally does not use tapes on the fingerboards. Instruction consists of a forty five minute weekly lesson which is held at 8:00 AM on Wednesday. Parents often attend and take lessons along with their children. In fact parent participation is a huge help and is a lot fun for everyone First Year players are expected to play with good posture and to hold the instrument correctly. They play simple tunes in the key of D. They are expected to hold the bow correctly using a standard bowhold. They are expected to practice between forty and sixty minutes per week. Back to the top First Year Program Second Year Program Second year players continue to refine the skills they acquired in their first year of playing. Their weekly lessons are held during Academic Choice Time. Second year players often participate in the first year lessons for extra practice and reinforcement of the fundamentals. These students have grown, so often they end up exchanging their instrument for one a size larger. One big issue for second year players is reading from notation. In addition, they are expected to play in tune and develop bowing technique including bow lifts and slurs. Violinists learn the first position notes on the G and E strings; cellists learn the first position notes of the C and G strings. Second year players join orchestra for an ensemble experience Back to the Top | Orchestra | First Year | Second Year | Third Year Third YearThird year players have mastered the basics of playing their instrument and reading music. We review continuously to ensure that good habits are developing. Violinists learn to play the notes C natural and F natural by putting their second finger in "low 2". Cellists learn these note by beginning to use the second finger. This allows players to master two new keys, C major and G major. New bowings are also introduced, including hooked bowing and staccato. This brings the total to 6 different ways to produce sound on the instrument. Fourth year lessons will be added in the future as the need arises. Back to the Top | Orchestra | First Year | Second Year | Third Year |
Welcome to String Lessons and Orchestra
Calais Elementary School ~ 321 Lightening Ridge Road Plainfield, VT 05667
(802) 454-7777 ~ FAX (802) 454-1580
(802) 454-7777 ~ FAX (802) 454-1580
