By Staff
Thomas Tingle
Record Managing Editor
By the end of a five-week period, students in Wendy Corron's class of the Symphony School can perform a "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" variation and have developed an excellent foundation in violin playing.
The final class is an informal performance for parents and other interested parties.
Third grade students at Horizon Elementary School have been practicing for the past five weeks and presented an informal performance last Friday. The Third Grade Violin Program provides five weeks of beginning class instruction to every third grader, taught by Corron of the Symphony School of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. The program is funded in part by the Alabama State Council of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Since 1999, all Madison third graders have annually received this instruction. Each student receives 10 free 50-minute violin classes during the five weeks. Corron has been teaching violin for the past three years.
The curriculum is based on the Suzuki Violin Method, a highly successful early childhood music education method. During the instruction, the students learn the parts of the bow and the violin as well as the proper care of the bow and violin. They also learn to maintain correct posture and hand position.
"The kids come in basically clueless and it's wonderful to see what they've been able to accomplish in the five weeks I work with them," Corron said. "I've been able to teach third graders in Madison, Decatur and Athens and I've seen several kids move on to get involved in some kind of string program."
In 2001, the program received a Notable Award for Education from the American Symphony Orchestra League's Volunteer Council.