With his “Violin Case”, Michael Dartsch offers an ideal supplement to every violin method and teaching situation. Organized according to themes, it has lots and lots of material: songs and pieces for playing on open strings, for stopping the string with individual fingers, for taking the different steps in fingering, for rhythm, notation, improvisation, and exercises in poise, posture and motion. Dartsch, an experienced conservatory teacher, has developed a compelling concept that is underscored by some interesting information he provides on the violin as well as by original texts to the songs. This allows the players to sing along with the melody. The pieces are almost always in two parts, which stimulates joint music-making. Along with comments intended for the teacher, the “Violin Case” contains a song index arranged according to specific occasions, a text for the parents and a CD with tuning notes, a selection of play-along pieces and some stylistically enriching insights into violin literature. The “Violin Case” is thus wonderfully suited for general teaching purposes as an alternative to a violin method. Volume 1 has been awarded the German Music Edition Prize 2005.weiterlesen