One of the biggest challenges I find as a teacher is finding ways to develop childrens' technique in a fun, engaging way.
As adults, we tend to me much more aware of our posture and the way we present ourselves. Children don't tend to have that sense of self awareness until a later age, so it's up to us teachers to invent memorable ways for children to remember to put this into practise!
Ellie, pictured, started the violin last year and has worked hard to get where she is in such a short space of time. She is a very bright girl and absorbs lots of information, so I made the most of this by inventing fun ways for her to remember her bow arm! One example was to "flap your chicken wing" up and down with the bow stationary on the string to get a feel for the angles, as the bridge of the violin is curved so therefore presents a different challenge for each string (particularly D and A!).
Ellie has done lots of practise on her bow arm and it's getting stronger each week. We now enjoy playing duets together, as you can see by this picture! :)
