Dr. Suzuki listed ten Vital Points for violin playing. He used these points to develop a weekly progress report that allowed students and parents to chart improvement over time.* Suzuki’s emphasis on Vital Points suggests that the important question to ask is not “How quickly can I move from one piece to another?” but instead, “How beautifully can I play?” Suzuki acknowledged that each student develops at their own pace. He patiently enjoyed this process with the conviction that, given the correct environment, all students can learn.
Hearing Colors in the Music of Michael Torke
Javelin…Michael Torke (b. 1961) Find on iTunes Find on Amazon When you listen to music do you hear colors? The idea of musical color may seem like a strange mixing of the senses, but color is an important element of music, along with motion, energy, flow and fabric.* For violinists, color is synonymous with timbre. We often choose between playing the same pitch in a lower position on a higher string …