Twinkles Around the World

“Everything I needed to learn about playing the violin, I learned in the Twinkles.” 

It’s no mistake that the Twinkles are a fundamental Suzuki anthem that students and teachers often return back to. The Twinkle Variations allow you to learn the coordination of string crossings, finger sets and lifts, and bow motion before learning Twinkle Theme. After years of teaching, I had a light bulb moment: if we moved the Twinkles around to different strings and finger starts, it allows students to get familiar with a new territory playing a known song. It also helps a student stay focused when practicing known songs and not playing in “autopilot,” which is not safe or helpful with any activity in life! Thus began the journey of “Twinkles Around the World” which then expanded on to the folk songs and early Book 1 songs.

Here’s how the process works for violin students, but the concept can be applied to other instruments as well. After learning May Song, the Twinkles get moved to the D string so a student has an opportunity to get familiar with bow connection and motion on the D string and finger placement and sound before learning Long, Long Ago. After Perpetual Motion, the Twinkles move to the G string so a student has the opportunity to get familiar with the techniques mentioned earlier before learning Allegretto. The next move is to the D string 3rd finger and the A string 3rd finger to prepare a student for the new finger pattern of low 2nd finger on the A and E strings introduced in Etude, and also to introduce 4th finger placement. From there, the students learn a new Twinkle pattern or variation with the bow to prepare them for the hooked bows in the Minuets.

After implementing this idea, I found that a lot of my students had more confidence in learning new songs and new techniques, such as new finger patterns or bow patterns. I also introduced the idea of moving the folk songs around to different strings and then, when possible, playing a section or entire song all on one string. This helps the 4th finger practice and gain flexibility.

The Twinkles and early folk songs are moved around to different finger starts and eventually into 3rd position as students progress, to help them prepare for the Vivaldi concerto movements. Pretty soon, students can play the Twinkles all on one string, in whatever position they chose, and from every string and finger pattern…hence the name, “Twinkles Around the World.”

This strategy also benefits my cello and piano students. I followed the same principle with the cello students, moving the Twinkles to a new string or finger start in advance of a song that introduced that particular technique. With the piano students, the Twinkles moved to G before Clair de Lune, then to D, and A, to allow a student to get familiar with including the black keys and work on hand placement and position to accommodate the inclusion of those keys before learning songs that utilized the black keys.

If you have students struggling with a new song, whether a new finger pattern, new hand position, new string, or new bow motion, then please try this strategy to help them move into new territory with confidence that they’re learning it correctly. Or, if you notice a student becoming bored with playing or practicing known songs, introduce the idea of moving them around to different strings or finger starts to help them stay connected and focused while practicing.