Start off the school year right. Keep students thinking about correct left hand position and emphasize the importance of keeping that wrist straight. Here’s a tip from Orchestra Director Angela Ammerman:

Have students envision a fresh, brown, still in the shell, egg. Explain to them that the egg is always in their left hand and if they squash it, it will drop down their arm and into their lap. This will help students think about their wrist and keep them from pressing it up toward the neck of the violin or viola. This especially works well with elementary and middle school students.

Do you have a unique way of explaining a specific technique in your classroom? Post it on the orchestra forum. 

MENC Member Angela Ammerman is an orchestra director at Swansboro High School in Swansboro, NC.

-- Nicole Springer, September 3, 2008, MENC: The National Association for Music Education