Essential Elements for Strings
Hal Leonard's Essential Elements for Strings just got an update! It has been meticulously re-designed to improve the student learning experience and lighten the teacher's load. While the new updates are exciting, you will find that it is the same great method, but with new music and more online resources.
Don't toss those old editions! The new Essential Elements books are compatible with EE 2000 and newer editions!
Teachers will love the added resources meant to address common friction points experienced with each instrument. Students will love online access to today's pop songs arranged for their instruments and level of playing.
What's Been Added?
- 150+ professionally recorded videos online with veteran teachers
- 50 total new copyrighted pop songs available online across all levels
- 3 new song replacements
Click to Jump to a Section Below
Five Stars for Essential Elements for Strings from Robert Gillespie
"Essential Elements for Strings is the gold standard for teaching strings. Long the most widely used string method series in the country, Essential Elements features sequential, step-by-step string instruction based upon the most efficient and effective, research-based string pedagogy. Essential Elements is a complete curriculum, designed for beginners to advanced players in a way that is both student and teacher friendly. Ever expanding and updating online with the latest music and resources through Essential Elements Interactive, Essential Elements for Strings truly IS the 5-star string method series."
Pamela Tellejohn Hayes, Essential Elements for Strings Co-Author
"Essential Elements is an amazing method book series that has stood the test of time. The core values incorporate proven learning theories that have been established by valid research. New concepts are introduced one at a time, and then are thoroughly reinforced in the exercises that follow them. This sequence helps students develop better basic skills such as hand position, tone, and intonation. As an author, and a teacher of this series, I can personally attest to its success with any age of student. Essential Elements has been the most popular string method series for over 25 years. While preserving the proven pedagogy, there are now added features including more instructional videos, links to popular music, and many online features. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it did!"
Charles Laux, Director of Orchestras at Lassiter High School in the Cobb County School District
"Essential Elements has been the tried and true string method for decades with its sound pedagogy and sequence of topics. The recent update is exciting, particularly with all the additional digital content that will be helpful for students and teachers."
David Eccles, Orchestra Program Director at The Lovett School
"The features in Essential Elements Interactive, like SoundCheck and All Music, allow me to seamlessly integrate this trusted pedagogy with my 4th-grade beginners and high school all-state players alike. As an experienced educator, I rely on the Essential Elements materials to create custom units and assignments tailored to all of my students and ensembles. The scope and sequence of the Essential Elements for Strings books empower educators at any experience level to craft effective, meaningful lessons for diverse learning styles. Additionally, the built-in audio and video recording features facilitate an efficient routine of student self-reflection and teacher feedback. The self-grading feature of SoundCheck motivates my students to independently correct rhythmic and pitch inconsistencies, sparking curiosity and encouraging them to explore more effective finger pattern choices."
Use previous Essential Elements editions with the new version for a smooth classroom transition. The new edition has the same song and page numbers.
What's New:
- New color photos
- Proper posture photos with young musicians
- Proper hand positions clearly shown
Cello Book 1, Page 3
Double Bass Book 1, Page 2
Hover over a number to see what's new
Viola Book 1 (Current Edition)
Viola Book 1 (New Edition)
We are pleased to introduce a few new selections to replace songs with a troubled past. Students will love these fun new songs.
Hundreds of new videos have been added to the online library across all instruments. These videos are recorded by real life teachers who have used Essential Elements for years with their students. These videos are instrument-specific and address various friction points that can creep up, especially in group instruction settings.
All videos will be available to stream online through the purchase of each method book.
Recent, popular Bonus Songs will be available online on Essential Elements Interactive that are pedagogically appropriate for what the student has learned at various points in the books. Students will be able to play familiar parts of the most recent pop songs from artists like Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and more! All are played in comfortable keys and with notes and rhythms they have already learned.
- Pedagogically appropriate
- Play familiar parts of the most recent songs, bowings and fingerings included
- Comfortable keys
- Notes and rhythms students have already learned
drivers license
by Olivia Rodrigo
Good Luck, Babe!
by Chappell Roan
I Ain't Worried(from Top Gun Maverick)
by OneRepublic
What Was I Made For?(from Barbie)
by Billie Eilish
Student Books
Student Books
Student Books
- Enhanced Starting System
- Optimum reinforced learning
- Pacing
- Theory, History, Cross-Curriculum and Creativity
- Performance Spotlights
- Accurate illustrations help develop proper playing position
- Listening Skills for each new note for accurate intonation
- Subdivision introduced from the beginning
- Assessment for immediate evaluation of students' skills
- Large, clear Fingering Charts
- Special page devoted solely to mixing Finger Patterns
- Solo with piano accompaniment for each instrument
- Access to Bonus Songs
- Instrument-specific instructional videos
- Book 1 review section
- EE features continued and expanded
- New keys
- New rhythms and meters
- Performance Spotlights
- Finger patterns
- Sequential or flexible format
- Large, clear fingering charts
- Mixed meter
- Comprehensive scale and arpeggio pages
- Double stops
- Shifting introduced through harmonics
- Violin and viola extended third fingers and cello extensions introduced and reinforced
- Access to Bonus Songs
- Instrument-specific instructional videos
- Higher Positions and Shifting
- Keys and Scales
- Bowings, Rhythms and Vibrato
- Advanced positions
- Violin and viola shifting sequences
- Essential Elements features continued and expanded
- 7 major keys
- 5 minor keys
- Introduction of vibrato, spiccato, enharmonics and chromatics
- Treble clef for viola; tenor clef for cello and bass
- Cello and bass thumb positions
- Jazz lines for bass
- bonus songs
The new video lessons and Bonus Songs arrangements will be available online at essentialelementsinteractive.com
- Can my students still use the older Essential Elements version? Yes, the new Essential Elements books are compatible with older versions, including EE2000 and newer. The new editions have the same song and page numbers.
- Why is Hal Leonard updating the Essential Elements series? As Hal Leonard continues to expand its offerings to digital platforms, it became imperative to update much of the imagery, video lessons, and the ever-expanding pop repertoire that can only be found with us! Students can play the current top pop music with their Essential Elements purchase and learn from the best method book on the market beyond their physical books.
- How can I access the new online videos and pop arrangements? The new video lessons and Bonus Songs arrangements will be available online at essentialelementsinteractive.com.
- Will I have to pay for a new subscription to access the new content? How often? No. All Essential Elements online resources will be available at no additional cost to Essential Elements method book customers.