Superstart Viola: The Complete Method, Book & CD - Tapa blanda

Superstart Viola is excellent value for money as a first book for a violist, partly thanks to the included CD, which maximises the potential for progress between lessons, especially in tandem with an enthusiastic parent. It can be used as a core method, but teachers used to other books can easily incorporate some of the ideas and pieces into lessons to good effect. Presentation is excellent and technical issues are explored with great imagination, for instance using a song with lines such as 'If you grip too much you'll make a scratchy sound' and 'Flex your fingers and thumb, please'. Pieces are introduced gradually via musical fragments, and finish up at around Grade 1 standard or slightly above.... most pieces are compatible with the equivalent method for violin, facilitating class teaching. The separate volume of piano accompaniments and viola duet parts is useful for teaching in order to stop and start easily where necessary but not essential. Well worth a look especially for teachers who enjoy exploring imaginative ways to get the most out of young pupils. Music Teacher Magazine, October 2007 Superstart Viola is a very well thought out method that would take the pupil from the beginning of learning Grade 1 (finger pattern 2 is introduced at the end of the book). It is packed with games, ideas and pieces presented in a well laid out engaging manner (lots of witty line drawn cartoons). The book is easy to use with the included CD and clear links shown to the teacher's piano accompaniment/duet book. European String Teachers Association, Summer 2007 I have long been an admirer of Mary Cohen's imaginative approach to the challenges of teaching the parallel rudiments of theory and technique to beginner groups. Superstart Viola, an updated adaptation of Superstart Violin is engagingly interactive at each step: it labels the parts of the instrument, addresses tone production early on, and even a song for teacher and pupil at the outset, to teach the correct positioning and holding of the instrument. Bow-hold is refreshingly uncomplicated (being left to the teacher), but reference is made to the three pivotal points giving control: the index finger, the little finger and the thumb. More important is Cohen's system of developing reading skills quickly, through cleverly combining spoken metre and childish images: Active Ants, Dozing Dinosaurs, Galloping Gazelles, Crocodiles Crawling.' The graphics are imaginative: three cartoon characters - Little Short, Short Little and Little Tiny - encourage the learner to match animal names to one of their syllable patterns. The whole book is treated as a voyage of discovery, with the feature boxes containing challenges, technical tips, brain teasers and fact files throughout. Great illustrations cater for boys as well as girls. Sheet Music Review, February 2007

Superstart Viola is a break-through for beginner violists, full of exciting music and fun activities from the very first lesson to inspire and stimulate pupils and teachers. Mary Cohen is one of Britain's leading string teachers and this new edition is a distillation of her many years of teaching and research - a core method now in one book. Complete violin technique is introduced from the start, providing a solid foundation and taking the player up to grade one level. Carefully structured, each unit covers a clear technical point through expertly written pieces, providing the student with a true musical experience at each tiny step. Mary takes an imaginative child-orientated approach throughout, encouraging interaction and the exploration of new sound worlds through a superb variety of music. The accompanying CD provides all the piano accompaniments, with unique cue entries to help beginners get started. A separate accompaniments book for viola is also available. For extra flexibility, most of the pieces in Superstart Violin, Superstart Viola and Superstart Cello book are compatible, making this a great resource for individual or group teaching. **Trinity College London selected pieces (Viola 2010-2012): Oops... (Cohen) Old MacDonald had the Blues (Cohen)