How can we sight read a new piece more efficiently?
If I foresee that the problematic passage that we're working on is more left hand-centric, we play "puppet" again where I am the one controlling the bow while holding his right hand, so that the student can fully focus on the left hand mechanisms.
The key is to find a way to align mind and body in the most efficient way possible. This takes time, but it's worth it and achieves a few things concurrently with this process:
- Fun! (Key to learning)
- Aligns the brain on right hand coordination
- Aligns left hand mechanisms
- Creates awareness on where the problematic areas are
- Creates laser focus awareness and attention on problem solving
In this example, it's little Jules's first attempt to learn this difficult passage of the Huber Concertino in G. While holding his right hand, I can also feel where he is having resistance and doing the wrong bowings while sight-reading. Guiding him along as a puppet can further train his bowings, bow directions and control while he’s taking care of the left hand mechanisms. I'm extremely proud of him and his progress with his concentration, awareness and attention to details. We shall work harder and a lot more on this!