Western’s music department is trying a new approach to involve the community with strings.

As of Oct. 10, Professional-in-Residence Anna Cromwell is instructing 3- to 5-year-olds from the community to play violin.

“We like to say, only practice on the days that you eat,” Cromwell told the guardians of the two students in her first class.

She and Sharon Woodward, program director of continuing education for extended learning and outreach, hatched the idea to capitalize on Cromwell’s training in the Suzuki Method, an instruction method developed by Shinichi Suzuki.

“Suzuki thought teaching children to learn music teaches them to become better human beings because of the patience it takes, the concentration and the discipline,” Cromwell said.

The method teaches that children learn by ear, and if they’re able to learn complex languages, they’re capable of learning to play music if they’re surrounded by it.

“They’re incredibly patient,” Cromwell said. “It’s not the kids who lose patience. It’s the parents.”

International student adviser Derick Strode worried about the kids’ ability to maintain daily practice after he enrolled his nephew, 4-year-old Cameron Neighbor, in the class.

Strode said he’s worried that he won’t be able to assure that the appropriate lessons are being practiced daily from week to week, since he isn’t the boy’s parent.

The beginning lessons focus on finger position and poise, for which the students use a cardboard violin.

“It is important to treat the cardboard violin with respect because soon it will change to a real violin,” Strode said.

He said Neighbor practiced every day for the first week, and he and the other students in the class proved as much by their performance at the second meeting.

After the first week, Strode convinced Neighbor’s mother, Michelle Strode, to attend the weekly class. Even so, she’s uncertain if she will always have time to enforce the daily practices.

“Right now, (Cromwell) just asks for 10 minutes a day, but as he progresses, I’m sure she will expect more,” Michelle Strode said. “We have a pretty busy schedule. I’m not sure at this time how much time it’ll require, but I’ll practice with him as much I need to.”

Derick and Michelle Strode agree that, so far, Neighbor enjoys learning an instrument and visiting campus. He also, according to his uncle, shows an aptitude for strings.

“He really likes this song called ‘Wagon Wheel’ by the Old Crow Medicine Show,” Derick Strode said. “He’s always had a love of fiddle music, so we thought we’d give it a try and see if he likes it.”

Reach Holly Brown at news@chherald.com.