1 mins
Hatching healthy habits
A frog replica for easy bow hold training
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When you’re teaching 30 students at a time, something as time-consuming yet important as a bow hold can get lost in the shuffle,’ says Nathan Waller, an American public school orchestra teacher, founder of Arcofrog and developer of the Tadpole – replicas of violin, cello and double bass bow frogs. These feature engraved ‘landmarks’ to show students where to place their fingers. ‘I was thinking: how can I guarantee that students are practising proper bow holds at home when they’re away from their teacher?
‘My process is to hand out the Tadpoles, explain where the fingers go on the landmarks and do some bowing exercises,’ he continues. ‘The student then sets down the Tadpole, picks up their bow and puts their fingers in the same place as the landmarks. It’s really that simple.’ Every ‘landmark’ has a different texture so that students remember each finger placement with a unique position. The 145mm-long Tadpoles are made of a non-toxic resin, moulded into shape.
The students are then encouraged to practise at home with the Tadpole just once a day, concentrating on where their fingers are placed. With this method, Waller says it should only take about three in-class lessons for the student to learn their bow hold, or fix a bad one. ‘If I notice in class that a student’s bow hold is wrong, I don’t need to stop the whole class to fix it. I just give them a Tadpole and they’re good to go again.’
Tadpoles are available for individual or bulk orders. ‘Classroom sets can be re-used every year, or students can own their Tadpole and keep it in their case for future reminders,’ says Waller. ‘My goal is to create a foolproof system for schools, specifically those that are underfunded or understaffed. All these kids deserve a high-quality music education.’
Arcofrog Tadpoles $25–$27 email nathan@arcofrog.com web www.arcofrog.com