Pizzicato for Beginners

What do you do if you have beginning string kids who haven’t learned to play many notes yet? Away in a Manger is a perfect option for your holiday performance. Beginning students pizzicato two open strings and first finger only. I suggest having them set their bows carefully in front of their feet so they can have their right hand free to pluck the string. I make a poster with the open string names and finger number one, and have a parent or older student point to each note as it is to be played. The kids love playing their pizzicato harmony part while other students play the melody or sing the words.