Prerequisites

• Play with good posture and playing position.

• Use all four fingers of the left hand (including fourth finger) equally effectively.

• Demonstrate developing vibrato skills.

• Play in tune in first and third positions (violin and viola), first through fourth position (cello), and half through fourth position (bass).

• Have some familiarity with higher positions.

• Play in tune in major and minor keys through three sharps and three flats.

• Produce a good tone in a variety of dynamic ranges and tempo.

• Comfortably employ a variety of bow strokes including:

                        détaché

                        martelé

                        spiccato

                        portato

                        slurs

                        hooked bowing

• Play passages that include running sixteenth notes at a tempo of at least 112 beats per minute.

• Accurately Interpret common rhythms found in simple and compound meters.

• Demonstrate respect for themselves, their peers, their conductor, and the music-making process.