Since 1997
( Developed by Ms. Audrey White, Music Educator)
Below are books that I reccomend to those who are violin students
or teachers as well as parents and patrons of urban string musicians.
They fall into the following categories:
These books I reccomend to all my begining students. Also, see my "Checklist for the first lesson".
Suzuki
Violin School
(Suzuki Method Bk1-violin)
Paperback (June 1978)
Summy-Birchard; ISBN: 0874871441
The following is the reccomended listening edition for my students:
Suzuki
: Violin School Cd Bk1(Perfromed by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki)
Intermediate and Advanced Repertoire:
The
Fritz Kriesler Collection
by Fritz Kriesler
Paperback (June 1990)
Carl Fischer Music Dist; ISBN: 0825804078
An Excellent Intermediate to Advanced Collection for Violin. This collection
was first introduced to me through my violin teacher, the late Adreinne Krasner
(wife of Louis Krasner who debued the Berg Violin Concerto). Since that time
I have returned again, and again to it with my own students. My favorite is
the Preludium and Allegro but the Sicilienne and Rigadoun are very popular as
well.
Books for Teachers and Parents:
Art of Practicing the Violin : With Useful Hints for All String Players
by Robert Gerle
Paperback (September 1983)
Galaxy Music Corporation; ISBN: 0852495064
Violin
Playing As I Teach It
by Leopold Auer
Paperback - 99 pages (June 1980)
Dover Pubns; ISBN: 0486239179 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.31 x 8.43 x 5.40
This book gives good insight to the methodology of teaching and developing a
young violinist.
Nurtured by Love : The Classic Approach to Talent Education
by Shinchi Suzuki, Waltraud Suzuki (Translator)
Paperback 2nd edition
Amereon Ltd; ISBN: 0848817672
This book is required reading for any teacher or parent of an urban string musician!
The
Inner Game of Music
by Barry Green, W. Timothy Gallwey
(Contributor)
Hardcover - 225 pages (March 1986)
Doubleday; ISBN: 0385231261 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.88 x 8.56 x 5.75
Journey Down the Kreisler Highway : Reflections on the Teachings of Shinichi Suzuki
by Craig Timmerman
Paperback (June 1987)
Ivory Palaces Music Pub Co; ISBN: 0943644070
Suzuki
Parents Diary : Or How I Survived My First 10,000 Twinkles
by Carroll Morris
Paperback (June 1984)
Summy-Birchard; ISBN: 0874875900
Other
People's Children : Cultural Conflict in the Classroom
by Lisa D. Delpit
Paperback - 206 pages (February 1996)
New Press; ISBN: 1565841808
By the year 2000, nearly 40 percent of the children in America's classrooms will be African American, Hispanic, Asian American, or Native American, yet most of those children's teachers will be white. In a radical and piercing analysis of what is going on in American classrooms today, MacArthur Award-winning author Lisa Delpit suggests that many of the academic problems attributed to children of color are actually the result of miscommunication as schools and "other people's children" struggle with the imbalance of power and the dynamics of inequality plaguing our system. Winner of Choice Magazine's Outstanding Academic Book Award, the American Education Studies Association Critics' Choice Award, and one of Teacher Magazine's Great Books of 1995. Delpit is also a contributor to Racism Explained to My Daughter (New Press: June 1999).
Exploring African American Style:
This book exlplores a uniquely African American style, Jazz.
Jazz
Violin
by Matt Glaser, Stephane Grappelli
(Contributor)
Paperback - 144 pages (March 1981)
Oak Publications; ISBN: 0825601940 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.44 x 11.03 x
8.53
I
See the Rhythm
by Toyomi Igus, Michele Wood (Illustrator)
Category: Literature & Fiction, Children's Books
Reading level: Ages 4-8
School & Library Binding - 32 pages (April 1998)
Childrens Book Pr; ISBN: 0892391510
All Night, All Day - A Child's First Book of African-American Spirituals
by Ashley Bryan, David Manning Thomas (Photographer)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
School & Library Binding - 48 pages (April 1991)
Atheneum; ISBN: 0689316623
Lift Every Voice : Expecting the Most and Getting the Best from All of God's Children
by Walter Turnbull, Howard Manly
ASIN: 0786861649
Desription: From Booklist
Turnbull, director of the Boys Choir of Harlem, started the group 26 years ago
to "share the joy of music with African American children." His success with
motivating and transforming the lives of the boys eventually helped the choir
evolve into the Boys Choir of Harlem Academy. Music and the music instructors
in Turnbull's life were instrumental in shaping his beliefs and desire to rise
above his situation. His educational achievements, from an elementary one-room
schoolhouse to master's and doctorate degrees from the Manhattan School of Music,
are noteworthy for a poor child raised in Mississippi before the civil-rights
era. The boys' stories of successes and failures shaped Turnbull's vision of
providing musical, academic, financial, and emotional support for his choir
members. It is evident from his own drive and ambition that he has instilled
the same work ethic and courage in his young men of Harlem. Turnbull's musical
triumphs have propelled him into international prominence, and his goodwill
and philosophy are lessons for us all. -Lillian Lewis
Kaleidoscope-Music by African American Women
Composer: Irene Britton Smith, Dorothy Rudd Moore, et al.
Performer: Gregory Walker
Leonarda Records - #339
Audio CD (January 29, 1999)
ASIN: B000004AF2
Included on this CD:
Track 1. Sonata for violin & piano
Composed by Irene Britton Smith with Gregory Walker
Track 2. Pieces (3) for violin & piano
Composed by Dorothy Rudd Moore with Gregory Walker
Track 4. Seasonal Sketches (4), for violin & piano Spring
Intermezzo
Composed by Betty Jackson King with Gregory Walker
Track 6. Pulsations for violin solo (revised in 1993)
Composed by Lettie Beckon Alston with Gregory Walker
Track 14. Blues Dialogues for solo violin
Composed by Delores White with Gregory Walker
The
Bat Boy & His Violin
by Gavin Curtis, E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)
Category: Children's Books
Reading level: Ages 4-8 Paperback
Reprint edition (January 2001)
Aladdin Paperbacks; ISBN: 0689841159
Desription: From Parents' Choice®
"I sashay my bow across the violin strings the way a mosquito skims a summer
pond" begins this ingratiating story about a young black boy, Reginald, who
is as enamored of playing the violin as his father is of playing baseball. Papa
is the "manager of the Dukes, the worst team in the Negro National League" and
eager to have his son be batboy to the team. In low-key, non PC language, the
author brings to life a past era (the time is 1948) when baseball was still
segregated and the "Negro Leagues" had their own stars and heroes. The burgeoning
relationship between father and son, and the subliminal message that a talent
for music is as admirable as a gift for hitting baseballs makes this an unusual
and valuable book. E. B. Lewis's full-page watercolors breathe life into the
characters and the setting. An altogether admirable work. Parents' Choice Recommended.
(Selma G. Lanes, Parents' Choice, 1998) --This text refers to the School & Library
Binding edition.
The
Cello of Mr. O
by Jane Cutler, Greg Couch (Illustrator)
Category: Children's Books
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover 1st edition (October 1999)
Dutton Books; ISBN: 0525461191
Description: From Kirkus Reviews
In a shelled, rubble-strewn city, women and children huddle indoors and waitfor
the war to be over, for the men to come home, for the fear to end. When even
the slight lift brought by the weekly arrival of relief supplies is taken away
by the bombing of the delivery truck, irascible old Mr. O calmly steps out into
the open and, despite the danger, sits down to play Bach on his magnificent
cello. Cutler ('Gator Aid, p. 1131, etc.) has fashioned a simply told, powerfully
evoked tale of music and courage; in somber watercolors lit by abstract swirls
of color, Couch places the young narrator and her neighbor amidst shattered
buildings beneath overcast skies. Not even the destruction of his cello stops
Mr. O from continuing to deliver his gift; out of his pocket comes a harmonica,
and the music soars again. Though the setting and characters have a modern,
European look, neither locale nor enemy is specified, or, in fact, relevant.
(Picture book. 6-9) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Mole
Music
by David M. McPhail (Illustrator)
Category: Children's Books
Reading level: Ages 4-8
School & Library Binding - 32 pages (March 1999)
Henry Holt & Company, Inc.; ISBN: 0805028196
Desription: From Kirkus Reviews , February 1, 1999
Music has the capacity to make friends of enemies, in this quiet study of one
introverted fellow: Mole. Mole spends his days alone in his underground hovel,
until one night while eating supper in front of the television, he hears the
sweet sound of a violin. ``I want to make beautiful music, too,'' Mole claims,
then sends away for a violin of his own. One note leads to another, and his
music goes from screeching to symphonic. Unbeknownst to him, his years of underground
practice have overarching effects, seen by readers only in the illustrations.
Lilting strains of music attract birds, farmers, presidents, and queens. Mole's
subterranean world, a realm of permanent night, is softly lit by glowing umber,
while outside, fighting armies lay down their arms as the music plays on. With
endearing characterizations stylistically akin to Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad,
the beloved Mole will easily win the affections of readers and inspire young
hopes for a better world. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates,
LP. All rights reserved.
Little
Bobo
by Serena Romanelli, Hans De Beer (Illustrator), Hans De Beer (Illustrator)
Category: Children's Books
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback - 32 pages (March 1999)
North South Books; ISBN: 0735810974
Desription: From Horn Book
Bobo, an orangutan, whiles away the rainy days in the rain forest by learning
to play a violin that he finds. When a crocodile snaps up his violin, Bobo is
devastated. A new violin is found, along with a whole collection of other instruments,
and Bobo and his friends form a band. Though a bit contrived, the story is a
pleasant tale of the joys of music, and the illustrations have a winsome charm.
-- Copyright © 1996 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers
to the Hardcover edition.
Musical
Life of Gustav Mole
by Catherine Meyrick (Illustrator), Michael Twinn (Illustrator)
Category: Children's Books
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover - 32 pages (November 1989)
Childs Play Intl Ltd; ISBN: 0859533034
Review: A reader from Saginaw, Michigan USA
I am a music teacher and absolutly love this book! While it can be shared with
almost any primary class, I saved it for my second graders and used it with
the cassette. The story tells of Gustav's musical life from infancy to adulthood.
On a quest to find his "musical self" he discovers jazz, classical, big band
music and much more. Following the story, we play a game that I developed using
segments from the cassette. My students had a great time identifying the different
instruments played in the story. I would recommend this book and cassette to
all! Enjoy!
Other String Related Materials:
The Rough Guide to Violin & Viola : The Essenial Tipbook
by Hugo Pinksterboer
Rough Guides; ISBN: 1858286514 ;
Desription: Excerpted from an Amazon.com customer review
"Chapters include: The Violin and Viola, A Quick Tour, Learning To Play, Buying
Or Renting, A Good Violin, Good Strings, A Good Bow, Accessories, Tuning, Violin
Maintenance, Back In Time, The Family, How They're Made, The Makers. Also included
is a glossary, index, extra sources, and pages to write down your own information
on your violin and strings. This book teaches you all the basic (and some more
advanced) ideas of the violin and its accessories.
Sounds On Strings/getting to know your violin
by Maxine Alburty Madden, Harry Spencer
Maxine Madden Spencer; ISBN: 1893178005
Description:
A pre-method or supplement for beginning students of the violin.
This is a "kid friendly" book featuring larger notes, fun illustrations, and fun pieces.
It is a valuable starting book for any age. Rote "aerobics" present the basic skills
needed to build physical control of the instrument; at the same time note reading
skills are presented a step at a time.
Strings Magazine
Publisher: String Letter Publishing
ASIN: B00005N7SZ
Desription:
MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION: 8 issues/1 year
Strings is the magazine for players of bowed stringed instruments. Strings readers make music an integral part of their daily lives. Strings helps them satisfy their desire by covering the personalities, music, news, events, and instruments that encompass the world of stringed instruments.