Anna Hugadóttir

 

 

ARFURINN (HERITAGE) is a collection of flexible arrangements of Icelandic folksongs for young stringplayers.

 

The project combines three interests of the author, Icelandic folk music heritage, creative music teaching and string instrument pedagogy.   

The project has been long in the making. It is based on the author´s 15 years of teaching experience and various influences experienced in Iceland and abroad.

 

The main contributing factors to the arrangements are the Kodály method and related methods in instrumental teaching, Icelandic and Nordic folk music arrangements and interviews with fellow string teachers who have been most generous in sharing their experiences.

 

All the arrangements have an identical structure: The melody is supported by three accompanying voices at different levels of difficulty that are suitable for beginners up to students that have completed the elementary level of "grunnpróf" according to the Icelandic Curriculum of Music Teaching.  

 

All voices are written for violin, cello and double bass. Each student is assigned a voice that suits them, and thus the arrangements can be used with a diverse group of students.  

 

All arrangements, including additional material, teaching instructions and audio files are available free of charge on the author´s home page; www.annahuga.is.

 

The purpose of this project is to promote the preservation and dissemination of Icelandic musical heritage, improve the supply of study material for young string players and introduce students and teachers to the infinite possibilities Icelandic folk music has to offer.