After a wonderful professional development day in store in early July led by string pedagogue Jeremy Woolstenhulme (USA), we have devised a brief breakdown of each of his TEN books!
Here is how they work with each other, and how you can use them in your classroom and ensemble room.
These resources have been created so they hone in on the necessities of intonation, ensemble awareness and solidification of technique, and even better, they work extremely well with the AMEB grades and Education Queensland state curriculum levels.
All of Jeremy’s tutor and ensemble books have these colours at the top of their front cover:
Red band = first two years of learning (EQ levels 1 - 2 / AMEB Preliminary)
Blue band = years 3 and 4 of learning (EQ levels 2 - 4 / AMEB Grade 1 - 2)
Green band = years 5 and 6 of learning (EQ levels 4 - 6 / AMEB Grade 2 - 3)
TUTOR and CLASSROOM BOOKS:
String Basics Book 1 (red band)
- Includes individual books for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Teacher Score
Strings Basics Book 2 (blue band)
- Includes individual books for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Teacher Score
String Basics Book 3 (green band)
- Includes individual books for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Teacher Score
String Basics Solos Book 1 (red band)
- Includes individual books for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Teacher Score
- 25 pieces including a mix of classical themes, folk songs and originals, developing soloist confidence
- Can be used for assessment material
ENSEMBLE BOOKS:
- Known as the ‘gig book’, this series of 24 ensemble works is loosely correlated with String Basics Book 1 tutor book
- Based on a string quartet set up; easy to pull pieces together for any special occasion
- Appropriate for the first two years of learning.
String Basics First Performance Ensembles
- Flexi arrangements
- Appropriate for first and second years of learning
- Loosely correlates with concepts learnt in String Basics Book 1 tutor books
String Basics Intermediate Performance Ensembles
- Flexi arrangements
- Appropriate for third and fourth year learning
- Extension from ‘First Performance Ensembles’
- Loosely correlates with concepts learnt in String Basics Book 2 tutor books
TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT:
- A brilliant series teaching vibrato in simple yet extremely effective practices - the resource we all needed as school students ourselves!
- Simple online learning resources - contact our Education team for instructions (education@simplyforstrings.com.au)
- OLRs can be used in the classroom and for online home practice and learning
- Appropriate for fourth to sixth years of learning
- A supplementary resource to guide ensembles to superb intonation individually and as a group
- Develops ‘tightness’ as an ensemble
- Includes access to 20 instructional videos
- Appropriate for second to fourth years of ensemble
Rhythm and Dictation Student Workbook
- Only requires up to 5 minutes each day for full benefit
- One workbook suits all instrumental and vocal students.
- Understanding of counting and rhythm patterns, and become confident rhythm readers.
- Skills learnt translate to improved playing and sight-reading ability.
Get in touch with the Education team for more information and in-depth assistance on how to activate and use the books and online learning resources. Our email is education@simplyforstrings.com.au
We hope these series assist with setting up your strings programme, or refining aspects of your current programme - whatever is needed, Mr W. assists with it all!
By Teegan Dowdell
Education Manager
