I am so excited about this warm-up book! I've been needing a warm-up book to use with my year 2 players. I tend to find myself repeating the same scales the same ways, only to find that my orchestra struggled to play in tune once the notes were all mixed up in the concert music.
This warm up book is perfect for many skill levels. There are ways to differentiate each exercise so all students can succeed as they master scales, fingerings, intonation, bowing, time signatures, and key signatures from 2 sharps to 2 flats.
Check out the many ways to utilize this book as your daily warm-up:
1. Help students learn the scales by having them play ONLY the first note in each measure. You can have them hold the first note as a whole note, or have them play the rhythm of each measure on the scale pitch (first note). If you have students who struggle, you might allow them to play only the first note of each measure while the class plays the other notes.
2. Divide the orchestra into 2 groups. You can group students a few different ways:
-By section - violins in one group and viola, cello, bass in another.
-By row - alternate rows for each group.
-By stand partner - one person in group 1 and one person in group 2.
Once students are groups, assign various ways to practice the sequence:
-Group 1 plays only the first note, group 2 plays as written
-Group 1 plays measure 1 as written, then group 2 echos measure 1, etc.
-Group 1 plays measure 1, group 2 measure 2, etc.
3. Add challenge and difficulty by asking students to practice the bowing suggestions. You might have more advanced students play challenging bowings while others play the sequence as written. When experimenting with bowing, you can experiment with starting down bow or up bow. Add bow lifts as desired.
4. There are rhythm variations to help students get the feel of the sequence in different time signatures. Once students have mastered the rhythms, you could have students create bowings for those variations. You could also use the rhythm variation stems for students to create a composition or develop improv skills by coming up with ideas as to what could come next. If students struggle because the rhythms stems do not show the entire variation, have them write it out. It’s great practice!
5. After each sequence, there is a challenge activity for students to create their own variation or experiment with technique. By completing the challenges, students develop their creativity, composition, and improv skills
