One of the most exciting changes in the new RCM
Violin Series is the focus on a greater diversity of styles and composers. The 2021 edition features around 50 percent new material compared to the 2013 edition and includes pieces commissioned for the series by The RoyalConservatory. Duets were also introduced to promote musicianship, ensemble growth, and a love of music-making in younger students.
The
Violin Series and
Violin Syllabus, 2021 Edition include 95 percent of the pieces in the “Suggested Supplementary Repertoire for Suzuki Violin School Volumes 6, 7 & 8” repertoire list, by Allen Lieb, which features Tone pieces, Kreisler pieces, Concertos and Sonatas, Bach, “Show” pieces, and Modern pieces.
Violin Series, 2021 Edition: Repertoire books provide free access to The RCM Online Community, where students can find video performances and audio accompaniment recordings for each selection. Students can listen to and watch leading soloists, concertmasters of major orchestras, and other award- winning violinists and pianists perform the pieces in their book as inspiration. They can also perform along with the piano-only track during practice and for recital and exam preparation.
The technical requirements, etudes and repertoire of the
Violin Series, 2021 Edition mirror the pedagogical development of hand-frames found in the Suzuki repertoire, therefore providing supplementary works with diverse experiences that will enhance student learning with exposure to a range of meters, tempos, styles, and eras.
New to this edition is the inclusion of sight-reading examples in the
Technique, Etudes, and Musicianship books to support an accumulation of skills in reading rhythm and melody. Examples first provide finger patterns that mark the foundation of open-string recognition to tetra-scales in D and A major, then move on to one- and two-octave fingerboard mappings. Emphasis is placed on these separate activities that stem from aural familiarity of keys while new visual skills are acquired.
For both repertoire and etudes, new works were commissioned and arrangements customized to meet particular objectives not found in existing pieces. This resulted in an exciting culmination of modern materials within the
Violin Series, 2021 Edition and a wonderful complement to the step-by-step approach of the Suzuki Method.
“As a Suzuki teacher, I find that using The Royal Conservatory exam materials and system in conjunction with the Suzuki teaching philosophy, strengthens my students’ abilities and enriches their exposure to a greater variety of musical styles and periods.”
Susan Gagnon, Suzuki Association of the Americas Teacher Trainer and RCM examiner
Here are some examples of how the materials of the
Violin Series, 2021 Edition and
Violin Syllabus, 2021 Edition can support group class and studio exploration:
Embrace and Trace in Support of Sound Pedagogy...Detaché to Spiccato!
The following table shows the Suzuki titles that are listed in the
Violin Syllabus, 2021 Edition:
Suzuki Repertoire and the RCM Violin Syllabus, 2021 Edition.
