Energizing Young Players: Creative Ideas to Inspire Beginners

By Monica Hrudik

The following article sample was reprinted from American String Teacher, vol 73, issue 1 with permission from ASTA and the author.

We all recognize and acknowledge the importance of starting new string players off right. It begins with instrument demonstrations, tryouts, parent follow-ups, rentals, and finally, it’s time to start lessons. We have the students in our string classes, now is the most critical time to make sure they find success and enjoyment in playing music. 

Maybe you’re a veteran teacher looking for new ideas, or perhaps you’re a new teacher interested in learning what works for other teachers. Here are some ideas that have worked to inspire and motivate young musicians and may work for you as well. 

Start with Why 

The Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) model fosters understanding of the historical and theoretical components of music as well as the creative process (Wisconsin Music Educators Association n.d.). Design lessons around skill and knowledge outcomes, but most importantly, around affective outcomes. “An affective response includes a meaningful connection (e.g., spiritual, physical, or emotional) between the student and the music. It often results from the connection of the elements of music, personal knowledge, and accumulated experiences” (O’Toole 2003, 35). In turn, the students know and understand their music at a much deeper level and play it with feeling and very musically. 

Name Your Instrument Poster 

Students show their creativity and connection to their instrument by picking a name for it. Everyone signs the poster with their name and their instrument’s name, and it’s displayed in the classroom. This is a fun way for students to take ownership of their instrument and start off their musical journey. 

Winter Caroling 

By December, beginning students will have a range of ability levels. Form small groups of two to four students to learn carols, or tunes from the book, and name it something festive, with the goal of performing for classes. This is really a confidence booster for kids and a good first performance. Caroling takes place at school and is a school-wide event. Send an email to the staff so that they may request a caroling group stop by their room during a specified time range. Allow students to dress festively and even decorate their instruments and stands. 

Practice Cactus 

The Practice Cactus is a simple thing to make with Styrofoam, a flower pot, and toothpicks for needles. The cactus is a tangible representation of student practice time and the students take pride in adding their needle to the cactus each week. 

Here are the rules: Each sixty minutes that you practice each week gives you one needle to put on the cactus in the orchestra room! Here is how to count practice minutes: 

• Small chunks of time 

• Practice three or more different days per week 

• Begin: Start with a warm-up 

• D Major Scale 

• Open String Cycle 

• During: Review songs you know, work forward in your book, play concert music if you have it. 

• End: Clean your instrument before putting it away. Loosen your bow. Record the amount of minutes for today’s practice on your practice log. 

• Add a bonus five minutes: Play for others or teach a technique/note reading to someone! 

★ Each school’s cactus will be displayed at the concert! 

Playing First Recordings at the Concert 

Record students playing their music in the early stages of learning it. Play the recording at the concert right before they play the polished live version. Students and parents will appreciate the growth that has occurred, and it helps motivate students to continue practicing. 

Orchestra Buddies 

Middle school orchestra students write positive notes to the fifth-grade students on brightly colored paper. Middle school students sign up to write to one to five students a few times a year, especially around concerts. Fifth graders can write back but this is something entirely driven by middle schoolers. Some send the students candy or invite them to their concerts! Beginners absolutely love getting these notes! 

Instrument-Specific Song Book 

The intention of this is to give students a booklet of songs that are familiar to them—folk songs, jingles, patriotic tunes, and so on. You can arrange it to have easier pieces right next to challenging ones. According to Woller, “Not a year goes by without students stepping up their playing abilities because they were excited about these tunes!” 

Others include 

• Orchestra Karate 

• Student–Parent Involvement at Concerts 

• Music Swag 

• Celebrate Music 

• Summer Music Offerings 

• Student conductors 

• Sight read mystery pieces (remove the title) 

• iPad/Chromebook games (i.e., Staff Wars, Musicracer) 

• Practice poster—created by students 

Get creative, think outside the box, try new ideas, and look toward colleagues for inspiration. Adapt and expand upon these ideas to fit the needs of your students. These ideas can be modified to fit your ensembles and any level within those groups. Push yourself as an educator, just as you do with your students, to learn and grow. Teaching is an ever-evolving process. When you get excited about new ideas, you’ll also generate excitement among your students. 

Making music in school as part of an orchestra is a powerful and, in many ways, a magical experience. The magic happens when you build relationships, create buy-in, and foster a culture of inclusivity. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching beginners, but as I have observed, music education that is both high quality and exciting for students is possible with a creative approach. 

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