Strings Fun & Easy, book 1, piano accompaniment for violin, viola, cello & bass; David Tasgal (DT)

Strings Fun & Easy is a sequence of stimulating original compositions carefully designed to maximize ease and enjoyment of learning the basics of string playing and music reading. Each lesson consists of a single piece (sometimes two) along with commentary for students and parents about the issues contained in the piece. As in the Suzuki format, students are expected to listen repeatedly at home to the included recording of the pieces they will be learning, so that they will become excited about them, understand their musical feeling, and benefit from hearing them played well. Following the Suzuki example, parents are asked to play a key role, and every page includes information to help parents understand the current topic. Unlike Suzuki, SFE does not prioritize Classical music, but instead presents it as one of many types of interesting musical genres. The recordings feature appropriate accompanying ensembles for each genre, rather than just piano. SFE generally strives to not favor one school of pedagogy over another, understanding that most teachers prefer to teach technique their own way. However, photos and ideas are provided for parents regarding points that most teachers are likely to agree on (such as the undesirability of sword-fighting with bows). Since the books are built around original and thus non-familiar music, an appendix in each book contains an assortment of level-appropriate well-known pieces, including holiday songs.