Violin strings notes to show how to play Twinkle! Sometimes a compromise is in order, and this sheet music that shows the violin finger positions has made this song easier for a student who doesn't play easily by ear.
I know I'm going to get picked on for this music which shows the violin finger positions, and this will seem like sacrilege to those of you who have been trained by the Suzuki classic approach, using the Suzuki music books.
My student and I spent such a long time playing the Twinkle variations, that she forgot how the real Twinkle melody goes. Yes, it can happen.
Please scroll down the page for the download links.
WHY am I giving in like this? I am giving in because I have found that one particular violin student of mine thrives with finger numbers, and flounders without them.
My young student's strength is reading and reproducing the notes. She DOES NOT have an ear for notes yet. (She also is very slow to match pitch when singing.) I am hopeful that "the ear" will eventually come.
Perhaps in a classroom of other kids playing the violin, she would "catch on." At home, with just her lonesome, she teaches herself MISTAKES.
Yes, she should be LISTENING and LISTENING and LISTENING to her Suzuki CD. But she ISN'T, and her parents are the kind of parents who want to leave it all up to the student. (Tell me I'm not alone!)
She's a sweetie, and her mother is dear to me too, so...
Here is a "cheater" version of Twinkle, with violin strings' notes displayed.
This sheet music is a worksheet for us. What we do is loop the notes with a different color of ink to represent each string. For example, my student chose blue for the "A" string notes, and purple for the "E" string notes.
So, we made a blue loop around the first two notes of Twinkle, and a long purple loop around the next four notes, as those ones are all played on the E string.
I have placed the Twinkle lyrics in the song because I want her to sing along as she plays on the violin, at least sometimes. Her singing can be tuneless - as if she doesn't hear the notes.
Matching pitches is something a violin player has to master! I will say that there has been an improvement over the months she has been a student.
However, singing and playing by memory (by ear) simultaneously has not been helpful for her. She does better with written music.
I've not given up on the Suzuki CD listening. Just this week I told her mother she HAS to make the recordings a priority. The funny thing is, my student loves the violin.
You might say that piano would be a better choice for her, and I would agree - except that she didn't like the piano, which she took last year (with a different teacher). The violin, she loves. I empathize with that, and I will work with her.
From Henrik Nordberg, a Suzuki graduation recital:
The link for the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star music:
Download violin strings notes for Twinkle
All the first-year material I give my beginner students.
Piano keyboard sheets, scales, chords, note-reading exercises, and over 256 pages of music!
This beautiful song book for piano & voice "Esther, For Such a Time as This", available as a digital download, tells the riveting story of the time when Jews in ancient Persia faced a foe named Haman, and how a brave young queen risked her life to save her people.
A good choice for a singing story-teller, an operatic group, a short theater production, or a class of children!
This book is also available from Amazon as a paperback.
This book is available as a digital download from this site. Visit this page to see some free examples from the book.
It is also available from Amazon as a paperback!
This is the perfect easy start for little pianists.
And when they start reading white-key notes on the staff, this is a fun easy resource to say each week, "Choose a new black-key song at home this week and figure it out to show me next lesson!" They will be spending more time at the piano.
A perfect read aloud storybook
for little boys or girls.
The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.
With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.
Lots of trolls in this book - including one who gives him a Christmas gift!
Cheryl:
AMAZING site!
Helps me a lot as a music teacher too. I'm a violin and piano teacher, and I think this is an incredible site!
Ashley:
Thank you so so much for this site!
I'm teaching my little sister and everything up here is absolutely amazing! I will definitely be making a donation as soon as possible! Thank you again! You're wonderful!
April:
Thank you so much for all the information and materials! Your site is very thorough and well organized!
I am a piano teacher in New Orleans, LA and in the process of putting together my own curriculum and recordings. You have inspired me to make my materials available to all online!
Anna Lee:
What a fabulous website! I've been a keen amateur piano player since I first learnt 56 years ago at the age of 8.
I now have a three year old granddaughter and am hoping fervently that she'll want to learn - at which point I'll teach her. This is just the kind of resource I'll need to make it comprehensible. Thank you very much.
Hi, I'm Dana! (Say that like "Anna".) I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.
Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.
You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.