Make the learning stick!

Kids love to play! They learn best by playing and using their imagination. If you’re not using play words when teaching young violin beginners, you’re missing out on this big opportunity.

The tiny 3 to 5 year olds aren't the only ones that love these words. The 7 to 9 year olds love them as well. And imagine, if you use these words from the very start, they will work for years to come.

Rather than saying "keep your left hand fingers close to the fingerboard," just say, "helicopter fingers" and voilá, the frame of the hand is fixed! Two words is much better than a long wordy phrase. Keep reading to see what I mean. 

Catchy words will make the learning stick.

Just think about those catchy phrases you learned as a child. I bet you’ve used “See you later, alligator!” many times. And how about “Good job?” This is also a catchphrase that kids have heard over and over. 

When teaching, we have the perfect opportunity to use catchphrases to help students remember the different aspects of playing. 

But we shouldn’t overlook the power of silliness! Yes! When I teach, I don’t care if I’m being silly. I think that this is one of my good traits as a teacher. This silliness has made me create silly words and silly phrases that bring the point across.

These phrases have become memorable in my studio. All my students know what the “monster mouth” is. Even the youngest ones know that “chicken wings” are a no-no. 

The best part is that the parents in my studio use them too.

They help their child correct posture issues by saying one or two ‘code’ words, and all the extra wording is instantly avoided.

I’ve created a fun INFOGRAPHIC with 16 catchy phrases and photos to help you teach your young violin beginners the difference between correct and incorrect posture for the bow hold, the left hand fingers, and the like. You're welcome to use my words, such as, “pinkie stick,” and “pinkie little ball.” 

I think of these words somewhat like the Pavlovian conditioning, whereas two concepts are linked together to bring about a new learned response. Instead of a long, wordy description, the use of one or two simple words suffices to bring about the sought-after effect.

If you're looking for more ways to approach teaching your young violin beginners, feel free to write me an email at info@momisimusichouse.com or sign up for a free consultation. I also have more resources on the Momisi Website that you can check out.

CONCLUSION

The best words to choose are those that translate your teaching vocabulary into terms that young children would relate to. It's a matter of translating physical needs into terms that are playful, and fit within a child's imagination. Painting a picture in the child's mind to describe something is a lot more powerful than using a whole bunch of words that end up getting lost in a 3 to 5 year old's mind.