Another teacher gone

Rodger Alexander was my violin teacher, both at school and privately, for the two years before I learned that the cello was what I REALLY wanted to play.  He also directed my high school orchestra and string ensemble my last year of high school.

When I began to teach cello, one of my first thoughts was, "How did Mr. Alexander teach when I first learned the violin at the age of 9?"  The answer was, he made it FUN!  I've tried to make sure that informed my own teaching of children.  I'm sure I'll never forget the swinging arm trick. 

I went to visit his orchestra class 20 years after I graduated.  His students all wanted to know... did he really used to have red hair?  Oh yes! Too bad the memorial video here with his obituary had all his younger-days pictures in black and white!

More memories can be found at this Facebook page.

Video of the Week: Goshu!

Find yourself an hour to enjoy this one!  The young kids will need someone to read the English subtitles, unless they know Japanese!

Here is the story of Goshu the Cellist, struggling to learn his Beethoven symphony part - the best cartoon cellist I've ever seen! Watch how the animals help him practice..

BONUS question for students: Which Beethoven Symphony are they playing? Answering this gets you TWO ENTRIES for our draw June 18! (Yes, write it on two slips of paper!)

And it's not too late to go back and watch any videos you missed and enter with answers from those!

Video of the Week: Dvorak Humoresque

This was a piece I didn't like much when I learned to play it on violin.  The parent of one of my cello students voiced that she was really looking forward to their daughter learning it, they loved that piece!  ???  Well, okay, I guess we all have our own tastes.  I don't have any recordings of my violin playing, and I suspect I was pushed through the repertoire at the speed at which I could learn the notes, never mind my other skills.  I know I never mastered violin vibrato, and my bow skills were probably still pretty limited when I learned it, I guess, so there was no gracefulness, just an odd staccato melody... so what was to like about Humoresque?

Then I saw (and heard) this recording!  No doubt it was this gracefulness, inflection, and singing which Dvorak intended, not the beginner violin sound!  So!  Students, work on those bowing skills to be able to make MUSIC of this and enjoy it as much as I do now!

Students:  How do you say this composer's name and in which of these categories does the music belong - Modern, Romantic, Classical, Baroque?

Video of the Week: Vivaldi for Siblings

Well, no, there's no evidence that Antonio Vivaldi wrote his Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor for siblings, but with so many siblings in our cello studio, I just thought I would dream of each set playing this together some day!  You can start now by listening!  :-) Not too far away for the Chan brothers!

Students: The music would fall into which of these categories - Modern, Romantic, Classical, Baroque?

Video of the Week: Legato String Crossing Technique

Okay folks, time for a teaching video again!  Here is Paul Katz of CelloBello.  http://cellobello.com/lessons/9

Students: Try this at home and show me at your lesson! Scroll over and read the Learn Think Feel Listen points, or print and read the pdf, and write one point from there that you find helpful on a slip of paper as your entry for the Cello Bello bag and pencils!

Take some time to read "How to use the lessons", look at the other lessons, interviews, etcetera while you're at CelloBello.  Paul Katz has been very generous to share all this with us, just for donations, let's not let it go to waste!

Video of the Week: Bach 2nd Cello Suite

Come see Zuill Bailey play 3 movements of Bach's Cello Suite #2 in D minor!

http://stringsmagazine.com/strings-sessions-presents-zuill-bailey/

Students, explain why the ornate rosette on his cello is hidden under the fingerboard.

Video of the week: Use your body

Some of my students tend to be stiff in their bow elbows, and I thought this video with Amit Peled would be helpful!  Please give his directions a try!  Be a tree!

Students: What should your arms be like?

Video of the Week: Travel in time for a cello lesson with Leonard Rose

Back to 1978!   41 minutes if you can make time to watch it all - a good lesson!

Watch his smooth bow change early in the video.  Much good advice here - he covers a lot of ground! 

Students: What instruction on this video did you find the most helpful?

Video of the Week: Softness is Strength

I probably shared this one before.  But it's good to have the reminder frequently!

Students: How did Mr. Katz's Tai Chi instructor know he was weak?  Think about this when you practice this week! 

Video of the Week: Elgar, Julian Lloyd Webber

Here is the third (slow) movement from Elgar's Cello Concerto played by Julian Lloyd Webber. (Conducted by Yehudi Menuhin.)  No, most of us won't play on a Stradavarius cello, but we can still aspire to a very sweet and gentle sound like this. 

Students: What do you notice about his bow hand that helps make smooth bow changes?
How much of his bow does he use?

Video of the Week: Moon Over the Ruined Castle

Moon Over the Ruined Castle is a "Tonalization" piece in the Suzuki cello repertoire.  It appears first in book 2, introducing the backwards extension fingering, then in book 3 for playing in 3rd position, and later in book 3 in a new key for fourth position.  It is not included in the Suzuki CDs, however. 

I would like my students (those ready for backward extensions and/or 3rd position) to perform this as a group this spring!

So here is a lovely arrangement, apparently performed by Yo Yo Ma (there is little information on the YouTube - if anyone can confirm and let me know where this recording is from...)

Students: Tell me something about the composer, R. Taki OR make a drawing or painting to accompany this piece.

Video of the week: Who wrote Lully Gavotte?

I am totally stealing this from Timothy Judd at The Listener's Club!  In fact, I am not going to write a lot - just send you to his blog to read there! (If you didn't already follow the same link I shared on Facebook last week.
http://thelistenersclub.com/2016/01/25/who-wrote-lullys-gavotte/

But I will embed two versions of this from YouTube, both of which are different from the way we find it in Suzuki Cello Book 3.  (Timothy's link to a recording by Mischa Maisky didn't work for me, this one does.)

Students: Who really wrote the "Lully" Gavotte?

Video of the Week: Perpetual Motion Doubles

This week we have a teaching video with Abigail McHugh Grifa.  This bow stroke is not only used in Perpetual Motion, but again and again in cello playing.  We have some students learning Webster's Scherzo (Suzuki Cello book 3), who will benefit from this review!

Those not yet learning Perpetual Motion can have some fun giving this a try, too!

Students: What will help the motion go side to side instead of up and down?

Video of the week: Bring Him Home - The Piano Guys

The Piano Guys' cellist has done a lot to bring the cello into popularity in the last 5 or so years. Mixing popular and classical pieces, many very high in energy, this pair has a wide following! 
Here he is playing (singing on his cello) a calmer and lovely "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables (Claude-Michel Schönberg, composer).

Students: What is the name of this cellist?
Did you know his cellos have their own bios on The Piano Guys' web page?

Video of the Week: Piazzolla

Another lovely offering from Astor Piazzolla in cello quartet form! La Muerta del Angel played by the Boston Cello Quartet. Students: Tell me something about the composer, Piazzolla!

Video of the Week: Pavarotti sings Schubert Wiegenlied

We can learn a lot by listening to SONGS we learn on the cello being SUNG by SINGERS!  Everything we play is not a song... but those things meant to be sung are songs, and we should likewise sing them on our cellos.  Here is one example of a song we learn at the beginning of Suzuki book 3. 
We know it by the French, "Berceuse".  "Wiegenlied" (VEE-gun-leed) is the German word for lullaby.

Here is one example of how it is sung - maybe when the baby you're singing to is at the back of the cathedral?  :-)


You might like to look up examples of other singers as well.

This is the best cello video I found with the arrangement we play. What does she do to "sing" with her cello?

"Video" of the Week: Beethoven's birthday

December is a busy month for birthdays in our studio!  Did you know Beethoven's birthday is in December, too?

Did you get a chance to play the Google Doodle game on December 17?  It's fun!  If you are reading music, try it before listening.  If you don't read well yet, just click on the pieces and sort them out from there!  If you don't get it the first time, try again! 

Have fun!

https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-ludwig-van-beethovens-245th-year

Video of the week: A Christmas favourite from the Piano Guys

Please enjoy this, one of my favourites for the season!  I tend to like things in minor keys, as well as ancient plainsong chants, which this is based on...and cello solo? Of course!

Students: Please send me a link to a favourite video of yours, and tell me why you like it, if you can!

Christmas Crafties and Cello Too

Christmas... Between crafts and music I've been pretty busy!  Happy that the latest CAL projects have been small ones!  Here is my "Holly in the Snow Cup Cozy", and the white Christmas tree which I've been putting off finishing...  I have the beads which will serve as decorations, just not looking forward to sewing them on!  Don't be surprised if I decide an un-decorated tree, save the ribbons on top, will suffice for this year!  Sorry the top is chopped off - I was really focusing on the cup cozy, as that's the one I need to post to enter for the CAL giveaway.

The pattern for "Holly in the Snow" is HERE.

The tree was based on the pattern HERE, though I made the boughs more like the ruffles on the scarf pattern HERE.  And my tree did NOT reach 12 " as the pattern stated... In order to even get this size, I had to stretch it over a styrofoam cone.

After the dress rehearsal for Saturday's concert with Gratiela Friday evening (here we are minus the "voice of an angel" soloist)...

 ...I rushed over to our church to arrive in time for the craft portion of Ladies' Night (and too many goodies.. my November sugar fast is definitely over!).  I chose to make the mason jar luminary.  A small stemmed glass was already glued into the mason jars for us.  There were several options for decorating, and I chose the glittery frosted look achieved by painting the jar with Mod Podge and sprinkling with Epsom salts.  I chose my ribbons and do-dads to tie on, and then it was sprayed with a fixative to protect the salts.  Last step was to drop a battery operated "candle" in.  Voila!

Video of the week: Piano Guys... Silent Night with Placido Domingo

What a lovely new video from the Piano Guys and Placido Domingo!

Students: No questions, just enjoy!