This instructional plan will introduce the foundational skills required for shifting and vibrato, including left-hand independence, proper instrument support, fingerboard navigation, and pre-vibrato motions.  It will offer the teacher step-by-step exercises to teach these skills in a heterogeneous orchestra setting.

This instructional plan serves as a resource to provide the instructor with a plan to instruct beginning string players of violin, viola, cello, and double bass (hereafter referred to as “bass”) in proper instrument posture and left-hand position. 

Virginia Roots is a video series for middle and high school music that focuses on the role of Appalachian Music and is designed to help teachers incorporate traditional music and art forms into the curriculum.

Episode 2: This video breaks down the classic old time tune, "Cripple Creek" into the individual instrumental parts and brings them all together for a live performance featuring the Biscuit Eaters, a family band comprised of the Wilkerson family. Viewers are introduced the A/B/A/B structure common in many Appalachian tunes and demonstrates the roles of the fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, and upright bass.