Field Guide to String Education: Intonation

Field Guide to String Education: Intonation is written for the music teacher who has the privilege of teaching strings. Dr. Matthew H. Spieker is an experienced classroom educator who offers insight and advice that works.
A genuine field guide is a small handbook that can fit in a pocket and be used as a quick reference to help someone identify plants and animals in nature. They are compact, easy to use, informative, and they make the experience of nature more enjoyable. In this same spirit, I hope you find these field guides as useful to help you teach stringed instruments to kids. They are written to provide you with brief, power-packed bits of information you can apply quickly to your classroom. It is my wish these field guides will transform your teaching.
One of the most challenging performance aspects of stringed instruments is playing in tune. It's crazy that the instruments don't have frets! But this seemingly design flaw doesn't mean the fingerboard has no organization, or there are no guideposts about where to put fingers. And, believe it or not, young musicians can learn to, and do, play in tune. The evidence is overwhelming. Simply watch some YouTube videos, and you will find youth orchestras that play with amazing intonation. Of course, some do not. So, the question remains: How do you get kids to play in tune?
This field guide is about intonation. It begins with a chapter on teaching students how to tune their own instruments. The discussion then turns to hand frames (finger patterns), which is the basis for understanding which finger is needed to play specific notes. After that, many teaching tips are offered to help you teach kids to know where the right spot is on the instrument to be in tune. Ensemble tuning ideas are next, followed by general teaching tips about intonation.
My String Coach
In the early 2000s, a group of students called me "coach." At first it annoyed me a little, as I never saw myself as a coach. But they liked it, and there are far worse things they could call me. Then it occurred to me that coaching is a major part of my role as a music educator.
Tom Landry was one of the all-time best coaches in the NFL. He led the Dallas Cowboys to 20 consecutive winning seasons, 13 division titles, 5 NFC titles, and 2 Super Bowl wins. He once was asked about his secret to coaching. He said, "Make them [the players] do what they don't want to do, so that they will become what they want to be."
I have learned that much of what I do in the classroom is to make students do important things that they aren't happy about, so that when they perform on stage, they can feel that amazing sense of accomplishment. Teaching is difficult. It can be a grind and feel thankless, but it's also tremendously rewarding and important. If I can help teachers make the journey a bit easier, then I feel like I am contributing positively to the profession.
My String Coach (MSC) is dedicated to helping teachers in the profession of string education. This is accomplished through three aspects:
String Education Field Guides
MSC Youth Editions
MSC Teaching Materials

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