How To Cultivate Strong Violin Technique With Pre-Twinkle Pieces (My 5 Favorites)

Pre-Twinkle pieces are bite-sized exercises for young beginner violin students, and they are a key chapter in my teaching curriculum. Once a violin student has graduated from the box violin to a real violin, it’s time to learn pieces of music. But, for students as young as four or five years old, jumping right into the Twinkle variations is too much to handle. Instead, I start with a handful of reliable “Pre-Twinkle” pieces that allow children to gain endurance for the longer Twinkles. Additionally, these pieces nurture a variety of technical skills for the young violinist and provide children with a sense of accomplishment as they learn these short pieces.

In this post, I share my 5 favorite Pre-Twinkle pieces to teach, the techniques introduced or reinforced in each piece, plus a video demonstration of each one. Read till the end for my entire collection of Pre-Twinkle videos.

Pickle Song
Mrs. Twinkle
Flower Song
Monkey Song (Bunny Song)
Kangaroo Song

Pre-Twinkle Piece #1: “Pickle Song”

The first Pre-Twinkle piece that I teach is Pickle Song. This piece allows children to practice their Twinkle A (“Mississippi Stop-Stop”) rhythm while also developing the technique of string crossing between the A string and the E string.

Even though Pickle Song is as short and simple as a song can be as a first violin piece, there is a lot to consider. Can the child maintain a relaxed bow hold and good posture throughout the piece? Are the string crossings clean? Is the tone quality resonant and free of squeaks?

All things considered, when played well, Pickle Song could be a rewarding first recital piece for a young child.

Pickle Song Lyrics (each line sung to the rhythm of Twinkle Variation A)

Do you want a pickle

On your ice cream sandwich?

Yes I want a pickle

On my ice-cream sandwich.

Pre-Twinkle Piece #2: “Mrs. Twinkle”

If the student needs more time to establish their technique on the open strings, Kathleen Spring’s book “Bunny Ballads” contains several more songs using only open A and E with a combination of different Twinkle variation rhythms and creative lyrics. For example, “Mrs. Twinkle” is a song that gives students another opportunity to practice the Twinkle A rhythm, with cute lyrics.

Pre-Twinkle Piece #3: “Flower Song”

Flower Song is often the first piece I teach that involves the use of the left hand on the violin. Students learn the note “F#” (usually referred to as just “F” at this stage for the sake of simplicity). The addition of this one note requires a lot of technical detail: the left wrist must stay straight, the palm of the hand relaxed, and the thumb in a natural position in relation to the rest of the hand. As a result, the student might also find it challenging to always keep the first finger curved and to land it in the right place each time. Therefore, I use finger tapes at this point to make tuning easier for the parents to practice with the child at home.

Flower Song Lyrics (each line sung to the rhythm of Twinkle Variation A)

See the pretty flowers

Blooming in the garden

See the pretty flowers

Red and green and purple

Pre-Twinkle Piece #4: “Monkey Song” (alternate title: “Bunny Song”)

Monkey Song teaches students to use the first, second and third fingers of the left hand in a scale pattern on the A string. On the way up the scale, I have students keep down the fingers as they are placed so that on the way down the scale the fingers can simply be lifted one at a time. This song reenforces the Twinkle A rhythm and students should continue to focus on all aspects of their technique: bow hold, posture, straight bow, tone quality, and intonation.

Monkey Song Lyrics (each line sung to the rhythm of Twinkle Variation A)

See the little monkey

Climbing up a ladder

Climbing up so high to

Pick a pink banana

See the little monkey

Climbing down a ladder

Climbing way back down to

Eat a pink banana

Alternative lyrics:

See the little bunny

Hopping up a ladder

Hopping up so high to

Get a purple carrot

See the little bunny

Hopping down a ladder

Hopping way back down to

Eat a purple carrot

Pre-Twinkle Piece #5: “Kangaroo Song”

If more time and practice is needed before leaping into Twinkles, “Kangaroo Song” is a great addition to a student’s repertoire. Essentially, it is a variation of Monkey Song with only three short bow strokes on each note of the descending scale, and a cute left-hand pizzicato at the end of the piece. To keep the rhythmic integrity of the piece, students must rest between each of the “hop, hop, hops”. This is a great opportunity to practice ensemble skills, as the student must watch my bow and move (or freeze!) precisely with me.

Kangaroo Song Lyrics (each line sung to the rhythm of Twinkle Variation A)

Kangaroos can hop, hop

Baby, mom, and pop, pop

Hopping to the top, top

Will they ever stop, stop

Hop, hop, hop

Stop!

More Pre-Twinkle Pieces

If your student needs more time to strengthen their basic violin and bow skills, there are plenty more Pre-Twinkle pieces to work on. As a resource for my colleagues, I’ve recorded almost all the Pre-Twinkle pieces that I know. Feel free to use these videos as a teaching reference and incorporate pre-twinkle pieces as needed.

There’s No Rush To Move On From Pre-Twinkles

I reassure parents that there is no rush to graduate from the pre-twinkles. The priority here is for the student to gain a proficiency in their basic violin technique: bow hold, posture, straight bow, good tone quality, intonation, etc. These technical skills are crucial for the success of a student throughout the rest of their violin education. While some students develop these skills naturally, other students may need more time to get comfortable. I’ve made the mistake of allowing parents to rush the process, and unfortunately this leads to big gaps in the students’ technique that will be more difficult to fix as the child gets older.

Have fun with these simple, short songs, pay attention to the details, and allow children to celebrate each new pre-twinkle milestone reached. My students perform these pieces in recitals, showing these foundational pre-twinkle pieces are just as legitimate and important as the longer, more difficult pieces to come.