Givens, Shirley - Adventures in Violinland, Book 2A: First Skips on Fiddle Hill

Renowned pedagogue Shirley Givens series for beginning violinists is widely respected for its clear, child-friendly format, and its sensible progression through techniques. There are lots of pictures, fun and familiar songs, and even pages for coloring! Ms. Givens uses a movable Do system to teach pitch relationships and good intonation. Recommended for very young children. Book 2A, First Skips on Fiddle Hill, begins the building of the 1-octave violin arpeggio by teaching the Major Third interval (DO-MI), then the Minor Third interval (MI-SO). There are many violin songs and duets utilizing these skips. Violin bow technique includes deep tone, staccato and bow division. By means of the "4/4 Train" and the "3/4 Train" the concepts of meter, beats and measures are visualized. The "Harmony Belles" characters are introduced as well.