See this post for a definition of elements and their extenders. These are a collection of extenders I’ve picked up from many brilliant Suzuki teachers over the years.

Each line is an extension of the ‘It,’ which is the element: piece, game, exercise, etude, etc.

REPETITIONS
1. Do it X number of times: parent counts aloud while student does
2. Do it X number of times: parent/student drops an object (penny/marble/pebble) in a cup
3. Do it X number of times: parent/student slides beads over on an abacus
4. Do it X number of times: parent/teacher does something silly (face, sound, pose) between each one
5. Do it X number of times: parent/teacher draws part of a picture each repetition, student attempts to guess what the picture is
6. Do it X number of times: parent/teacher spells out one letter of the student’s name for each repetition

CORRECTLY
7. Do it X number of times CORRECTLY: parent slides object over to the student side if correct, or over towards an inanimate object if incorrect
8. Do it X number of times CORRECTLY: student chooses whether it counts or not, parent keeps count
9. Do it X number of times CORRECTLY in a row: teacher/parent chooses low number and keeps count for student. Be careful with this one, can lead to crying. Ask for it only if you are confident the student can do it, and they have a nice reserve of grit.

AT RANDOM
10. Random number of times: roll the dice
11. Random number of times: student picks from a deck of cards (either stack the deck to only have numbers, or the teacher does a rep if student pulls a face card)
12. Random number of times: teacher asks student how many times they think they should practice it for it to feel easy (this is a very revealing question)
13. Random rep: in the middle of another activity, or at a transition, ask the student to do one random repetition of an earlier element practiced

CHALLENGE
14. While standing on one foot
15. While sticking tongue out
16. With eyes closed
17. With lights off
18. With ear muffs on
19. With earphones playing something different
20. While answering questions/having a conversation
21. While laying on the floor
22. While following the leader: parent/teacher moves around the room, squats, turns around in circles, points scroll in all different directions
23. While following the student in front of you: arrange students into a line, each student looking into the back of another. Each student follows only what the student in front of them does
24. While stomping the beat
25. While stomping the off beat
26. While stomping 2 and 4

MENTAL
27. Without an instrument, playing only in the mind
28. Without an instrument, air bowing and fingering
29. Without a bow, only fingering the instrument and air bowing
30. Without the fingers, only bowing the instrument and air fingering
31. Lay down, ‘play the tape’ of an ideal performance of the element in your mind
32. ‘Play the tape’ while playing
33. ‘Play the tape’ a few measures ahead in the mind while physically playing normally
34. Play the form out of order (ex. Instead of AABB play BBAA or ABAB)
35. Drop certain notes (open string, certain pitches in every octave, certain fingers in all positions)

FOCUS
36. Watch (the bow, fingers, strings, scroll, leader, audience)
37. Feel (the ground, feet on the floor, bend in knees, swaying of body, breathing, center of gravity, tall sternum, instrument contacting the neck, fingertips on the bow, fingertips on the fingerboard, bow contacting the string, tip of the bow, heavy head, any vibration anywhere)
38. Listen (pitch of the instrument, sound quality of the instrument, ambient sounds in the room, pitch of other instruments, sound quality of other instruments, melody/harmony/bass line of other instruments)
39. Sound like one violin
40. ‘Join’ the intention in the room
41. Who is… ?
42. Move from the center of the body

FUN
43. Do with a costume on
44. Put another hat on for every repetition (see how high you can go)
45. Record yourself, watch, record yourself watch, record yourself, watch all three recordings, discuss the changes in each
46. Violin Doctor: student corrects the parent/teacher version
47. Student plays while parent/teacher distracts student (walking around, snapping, playing another piece)
48. Intentionally make mistakes or do it the ‘wrong’ way
49. Go on a parade, do the thing all over the room performing for random objects
50. Play for a family member (sibling, parent, relative, pet)