Marnie Thies of proviolin.com believes that practising the violin or any musical instrument is an artwork in and of itself. As she continues to refine her educating expertise, Marnie Thies continues to deepen her understanding of assorted methods to observe.
Twin Cities, Minneapolis, 4th March 2025, ZEX PR WIRE, An important observe tip is discovering an excellent time to observe and establishing a set observe time. Ideally, an grownup pupil or little one practices when they’re probably the most mentally alert. Many academics assert that establishing an everyday time to observe helps guarantee a way of routine, thus making it simpler to observe. Moreover, a well known technique for making observe simpler is to go away the instrument out of the violin case. This serves as a observe reminder.
One other confirmed approach of practising the violin or any instrument is to play musical excerpts slowly. Practising slowly is each efficient and important when studying new music, and it stays useful all through the method of refining items. Practising on this approach permits the participant to pay nearer consideration to pitch, rhythm, dynamics, phrasing, and different musical particulars, whereas additionally serving to the musician memorize items extra successfully.
When a violinist is studying new repertoire, tough musical segments will come up. Whereas it’s comprehensible {that a} musician could need to be taught the piece immediately, it’s extra helpful to interrupt issues down sequentially. Dividing music into smaller sections makes it simpler to grasp more difficult items. One other benefit of practising passages in smaller sections is that it will increase the possibilities of success, motivating musicians to observe extra.
As Dr. Suzuki, the founding father of the famend Suzuki technique, famously mentioned, “Celebrate small steps.” Engaged on music in smaller segments is particularly vital as a result of some college students must expertise success shortly after beginning to work on one thing. This strategy to practising is important when mother and father are working with their younger youngsters, which is a cornerstone of the Suzuki technique.
When studying a brand new piece, it’s simple to miss dynamics because of the give attention to different parts of musical efficiency, comparable to pitch, rhythm, tone, and different musical particulars. Many academics, together with Marnie Thies, suggest color-coding music to focus on the place gentle and loud dynamics happen. To assist start the method of color-coding music, Marnie Thies states, “I have students write down which colors symbolize loud and soft dynamics. When a student does not know where to begin, I may suggest that the color red be for loud and blue is for soft dynamics. From there, a student’s creative juices may flow, which will help them color-code other musical signs such as crescendo (getting louder) or decrescendo (getting softer). Color-coding the music may help a student recognize the dynamic differences he or she should execute when playing the violin.” If a pupil wants assist remembering sure musical nuances when enjoying, Marnie Thies advises older college students to take notes by utilizing post-it notes.
Throughout highschool, Marnie Thies studied violin below Mary West, the previous emeritus professor of violin on the College of Minnesota. She emphasised listening to at the least three totally different artists when studying new repertoire. Listening to totally different violinists is useful as a result of a performer can take what they like when it comes to dynamics and phrasing from every performer and incorporate it into their very own enjoying. With the innovation of YouTube, college students can incorporate dynamics and phrasing in addition to bowings and fingerings into varied items. Bowings and fingerings can simply be seen on YouTube and may affect how a chunk sounds. By watching a violinist carry out “The Swan” by Camille Saint-Saëns, Marnie Thies realized to make a more practical crescendo by utilizing two bows versus utilizing one. This made the piece extra thrilling as a result of the crescendo was simply heard by Marnie Thies and the viewers.
It’s pure for violinists to need to play via items and “perform” them throughout observe. Nonetheless, it’s more practical to designate sure components of assorted items as observe spots when musical nuances comparable to dynamics, phrasing, steady vibrato, and different features of a elegant efficiency should not up to par. When Marnie Thies instructs college students throughout classes at Marnie Thies Violin Classes to mark particular sections of their repertoire as observe spots, they perceive that these areas require targeted, repetitive consideration throughout observe. Specializing in particular sections of a chunk helps obtain a higher-quality efficiency when enjoying it in full throughout auditions and recitals.
When studying a brand new piece, a pupil writes down varied musical particulars to recollect throughout classes and in observe. Because the weeks go by, it’s simple for music to get cluttered with varied reminders of how to play sure notes. Beginning out with a number of photocopies of the music is useful as a result of previous copies may be discarded when the musical particulars written in are not relevant.
It is very important have optimum psychological alertness throughout observe classes. Practising in brief bursts retains the thoughts extra contemporary and alert. For some pupils, it could make sense to observe for 10 minutes at a time. For others, longer observe classes may be extra appropriate. It’s advisable for college students to seek out the period of time they will observe earlier than they lose focus. Shorter observe classes lower the probability that defective method ensues and will enhance the likelihood of studying new music accurately with reference to pitch, rhythm, dynamics, phrasing, and different musical features.
Many violinists be aware of musical nuances to observe and pay attention for earlier than they play musical excerpts. This makes loads of sense. Nonetheless, Marnie Thies discovered that it’s more practical for gamers to recall musical particulars simply earlier than they want them, somewhat than firstly of the excerpt.
It’s essential for college students to hearken to the items they’re finding out every single day. Listening promotes internalization of the piece, which is a deep consciousness of pitch, rhythm, dynamics, phrasing, and different musical nuances to the purpose that the scholar can precisely sing what’s written on the sheet music. As soon as a pupil has internalized a chunk, they will independently appropriate errors whereas enjoying varied repertoire. This permits extra lesson time to be devoted to new materials, making it simpler for college students to advance via the repertoire.
There are on-line and offline sources obtainable that specify varied methods of how to observe.
Many YouTube movies present a wealth of details about practising successfully. A couple of on-line movies that will profit musicians attempting to enhance their observe method are David Kim, who’s at the moment Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Nathan Cole, concertmaster of the Boston Symphony.
One other useful resource that could be useful to academics is Philip Johnston’s The Follow Revolution: Getting Nice Outcomes From the Six Days Between Classes. On this e book, Johnston discusses varied observe methods, highlighting these which might be efficient and people that aren’t. He helps academics be taught methods to strategy practising in order that they will coach their college students. His second e book about practising, Practiceopedia: The Massive Ebook of Follow Assist, was written for college students and oldsters. This guide explores observe ideas and tips.
The Suzuki Methodology, developed by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, emphasizes the involvement of a “practice parent.” For Suzuki mother and father, college students, and academics, this strategy requires the mother or father to attend classes, take notes, and observe alongside their little one. Suzuki mother and father could discover it useful to learn Edmund Sprunger’s e book, Serving to Dad and mom Follow. Mr. Sprunger attracts on years of educating expertise and his background in psychotherapy to elucidate totally different observe methods mother and father can use when working with their youngsters.
On the launch of this publication, Marnie Thies is offered for each on-line violin classes and in-person classes to youngsters and adults in St. Paul, within the suburbs of Falcon Heights, and North Oaks. Marnie Thies seems ahead to increasing her educating places to incorporate the Anoka County space in cities comparable to Blaine and Coon Rapids. Marnie Thies has been educating on-line since 2014 and extra continuously since 2020 with Marnie Thies Violin Classes. Her web site showcases the development of her pupil who started taking classes on-line completely with Marnie Thies. One other video on her on-line classes web page highlights how her pupil realized vibrato solely via on-line classes. To collaborate with Marnie Thies, please contact her via her web site.
PR 6- AWAITING APPROVAL
Violin Knowledgeable Marnie Thies Displays on How Her Expertise Has Reworked Her Method to Instructing at Marnie Thies Violin Classes
If there’s one factor Marnie Thies would have modified about her educating strategies in earlier years, it might be to have college students ship her movies of themselves enjoying scales, musical repertoire, and different lesson gadgets throughout the week. This helps Marnie Thies verify for understanding and permits her to evaluate their strengths and areas wanted for enchancment. Sending recordings permits Marnie Thies and her college students to focus extra lesson time on present repertoire, which leads to quicker musical progress and improved violin method.
Marnie Thies states, “Recording scales and arpeggios for my students during my earlier years of teaching would have saved my students and I time in the lessons as the recordings of both items begin with an explanation of fingerings to use then a play-through for each video.” When pitch is tough for college students studying scales and arpeggios, the play-through part of the movies on Marnie Thies’s YouTube channel, Marnie Thies Violin Classes, permits college students to play alongside along with her to allow them to self-correct any pitch errors made whereas enjoying. Gaining access to this materials familiarizes college students with scales and arpeggios they examine at the moment and in future classes.
On Marnie Thies’s web site, proviolin.com, there are Suzuki violin recordings for all ten books of Suzuki. Marnie Thies states, “I added this page to my website because I wanted students to have easy access to recordings of pieces they are studying. I wish I would have done that in my earlier years of teaching.”
Through the years, Marnie Thies has realized the worth of getting Suzuki piano accompaniments or different violin accompaniments on her web site because it higher prepares college students for recitals. By familiarizing and enjoying together with the piano accompaniments, college students can really feel extra snug enjoying with the accompanist for the primary time and at recitals. When college students know the piano accompaniments, they’re extra relaxed when enjoying the violin, which results in higher musical performances.
Marnie Thies feedback, “Another practice I have developed is scheduling a Meet and Greet before a student’s first lesson. This allows me to gain insight on a student’s personality, so I can adjust my teaching style accordingly and to answer any questions a student or parent may have. Meet and Greets give us an opportunity to talk about violin set-up, which includes rosin, a powdery substance that is applied to the bow hair, chinrest, and shoulder rest. All of these accessories can make a difference in the enjoyment of playing the violin. If a student does not own a violin, I can advise during the Meet and Greet what to look for in a violin, which can help them in selecting a suitable instrument.”
Through the years, Marnie Thies has damaged her educating down into smaller, extra manageable steps. Doing so helps significantly with motivation when college students can expertise some success immediately. That is particularly vital for youthful college students or any pupil who values quick success.
Marnie Thies strives to refine her educating method as time goes on. She enjoys the affect it has on her college students’ progress and is at all times in search of a number of strategies to enhance her educating. She enjoys discovering varied methods of educating the identical factor as college students be taught the identical issues in several methods.
On the date of this publication, Marnie Thies offers on-line violin classes and in-person classes to youngsters and adults in St. Paul within the cities of Falcon Heights and North Oaks with Marnie Thies Violin Classes. Marnie Thies seems ahead to increasing her educating places to incorporate the Anoka County space in cities comparable to Blaine and Coon Rapids. Marnie Thies has taught on-line since 2014 and extra continuously since 2020. Her web site showcases the development of her pupil who started taking violin classes on-line completely with Marnie Thies. One other video on her on-line classes web page highlights how her pupil realized vibrato solely via on-line classes. To work with Marnie Thies, she may be reached via her web site.