Cello Lesson Number 11

Yesterday, September 4, 2026, I had my eleventh cello lesson with Ana Ospina at New School of Music.

Practice Session Notes

It was two weeks since my last lesson because I spent six days in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

From Suzuki Cello School Volume 1, I practiced the following:

• “Twinkle” bowing exercises
• “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations”
• “French Folk Song”
• “Lightly Row”
• “Song of the Wind”
• “Go Tell Aunt Rhody”
• “O Come, Little Children”
• “May Song” (daily practice)
• “Allegro”
• “Perpetual Motion” (pizzicato and bowing)

From Blue Book of Tunes:

• “Songs & Dances”
• “Touchdown in D”

From Practical Method for Violincello by Schröder, I practiced:

• Exercise 16 (notes on the A, D, and G strings)

I practiced C, G, and D major scales while watching a tuner. I played notes and scales along with drones. I practiced the D major arpeggio, especially since it starts “May Song.”

Lesson Notes

I had the lesson time wrong and showed up two hours early. I practiced for a half hour and then walked around Cambridge while Ana was teaching another student.

I had practiced “May Song” the most since my last lesson. I played “May Song” a few times with corrections by Ana. Ana had me practice playing measures 5–7 softly (piano).

Ana had me play through “Allegro” a couple of times, demonstrating how to play the different note types, with a ritardando and piano.

We looked at some exercises from Blue Book of Tunes that I will work on before my next lesson.

I am still stretching my pinky on the A string when I play the D in my lessons. I need to swing my left elbow forward when playing on the C string. Ana taught me how to do bow pushups (flexing my fingers up and down while bowing long notes).

It was a good lesson.

Assignments

Practice bow pushups and playing softly.

Blue Book of Tunes:

• “Slow Slithers,” softly; play the melody and the harmony
• “See Saw,” softly; learn both the melody and harmony

Suzuki Cello School Volume 1:

• Don’t spend much more time on “May Song”
• Begin learning “Allegro,” following all markings (tenuto, staccato, ritardando, fermata, etc.)