Incorporating Alt Styles with 5th grade beginning students

From Mike McDonough

Here's a list of ways Mike's going to be looking to incorporate ideas from our week at this workshop in his program - he sees 5th grade beginning string students once a week for 45 minutes:

* Use a beat-heavy background for bow hand games
* Alt Styles and classical music in the background for bow games
* Exploring sound effects including bow effects and tapping on the instrument (all students in his school take African drumming... the violin/viola/cello/bass can be tapped on the back of the instrument like a drum
* Give kids choices in free improvisation - have the students respond simply to actions you make with your hands
* Call and Response - not only classically but with Alt Style sensibility. Include chopping, back beat, and different parts of the bow
* Basic Fiddlers Philharmonic - even though it's been out for a few years, it was a new one on him. Will work great with his program
* Have the kids bring in recorded music *they* like for body and bow warmups
* Have advanced students play their instruments completely backwards - left to right - to simulate what it feels like to be a beginner.