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.