Wacky, Zany, Crazy! Violin Tunes for Kids is a book of brand-new repertoire written for students of the Suzuki Violin School Book 2 and 3 Level. The eight original pieces plus thirteen new Twinkle Variations build on developing skills while adding new techniques in the context of melodic, entertaining, and sometimes silly music that children will naturally love.
This book proudly features international Suzuki violin guru, Dr. Timothy Durbin. With his creative approach, endless energy and an irrepressible humor, Dr. Durbin’s teaching is simply magical. He has spent a great deal of time and energy editing all the violin parts, composing several works for this book, and has even created recordings of all the pieces and some of the extended techniques in order to help students and teachers take full advantage of the music. Thank you, Dr. Durbin!
Students will enjoy learning technique and musicality, and they will augment their already developing violin studies. Above all, they will have fun learning and performing this music!
Some of the specific techniques that students will encounter include…
slides
double-stops
(intentional) scratches
sound effects
articulations (staccato, spiccato, legato, accents)
four-note chords
grace-notes
glissandos
a wide variety of bowings
trills
pizzicato
swing rhythm
and optional third position moments
These techniques are presented in a manner that is easy to understand. In addition, there are a few pieces with opportunities for direct audience engagement and interaction. This collection will allow students to naturally relate to the music and help with phrasing, dynamics, and general expression.
The piano parts are idiomatic and feature highly interactive moments for both musicians. They are written in a manner that will foster independence and confidence for the violinist, and they are skillfully crafted by a pianist. Their difficulty is in line with the accompaniment for Books 2 and 3.
I think this is a wonderful addition to the supplemental literature for young violinists. I can recommend this to all teachers and students as creative and fun pieces to study for motivation, in the private lesson or in groups. High quality music, sure to capture the imagination of young violinists.
Chris Howes, Violinist, educator and composer
Ranked #1 by the Downbeat Critics Poll and named among the top three jazz violinists by Jazz Times Critics Poll
Gabe Evens 