Suzuki Violin School, Vol 2: Violin Part

The Suzuki Violin Book is one of the best options out there if you’re learning violin—whether on your own or with a teacher. My violin teacher actually recommended it to me, and I can see why! The book is easy to follow, has helpful tips, and includes a great selection of songs to practice. I definitely recommend it to anyone starting their violin journey.

Great

I hope this review helps some other students, young or older. My seven year old daughter has been studying Suzuki violin since she was five years old, and we are big fans of the method. Our teacher is very knowledgeable about the Suzuki method, and we have had a number of discussions with her about the differences between the various books. Apparently, the first book is more dense and requires more time to get through than the other volumes, including this one (Volume 2). I think a student's best bet is to take his or her time and really master Volume 1, and then speed up once in Volume 2. You can short change yourself down the road by rushing through Volume 1. Overall, the books are clearly written and helpful in our lessons and practice. However, they shouldn't be used in isolation. We have learned over the last few years that community is an important part of Suzuki. It is very valuable to play violin with other students and to be exposed to various teachers and workshops. Good luck!

Good

My violin teacher uses the Suzuki method of teaching, so upon her request, I picked this up. Now I have completed this book, and thoroughly enjoyed the pieces (some of which are recognizable classics) and more demanding technique this book offers. The pieces vary in style, tempo, rhythms, and bowings enough to make you feel much more comfortable with the violin. I also found practice suggestions in this book to be both helpful in general and relevant to the actual music in the book. Some of the exercises include specific bowings, positions, a few string crossing exercises, scales, tricky fingerings, and much more. Although I believe it really depends on the teacher and not necessarily this book, I notice significant improvement in skill level on the violin upon starting this book to its completion and my violin teacher says the same thing. As such, I highly recommend this book.

Good

This book and the method are great. My son really enjoys playing violin and I appreciate hearing actual music. ;) The only negative here that I noticed were references to listening to a CD - perhaps this is supposed to be a separate purchase (and of course one can find great videos on YouTube), but it would've been nice to have it included right in with the book.

Exactly what our daughter needed to advance her skills in violin lessons.