The World's FASTEST (and most INACCURATE) VIOLINIST!

This humorous video also has very important information for young musicians. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvsvaCU6i1M

Yo-Yo Ma Interview with Andrew Marr, 9/9/17

"Music is ultimately a service we invented to connect people"                                                                              -- Yo-Yo Ma

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06kq4w2

Musikal Journeys: The Story of Marina Obukovsky

"If you work hard, I know you can achieve anything."

Below is an interview with the wonderful Suzuki piano teacher trainer, Marina Obukovsky, who teaches at the School for Strings in NYC.  I had the opportunity to work with many of her students when I coached chamber music at SFS, and I saw the amazing combination of seriousness, warmth, and dedication that she gave to her students and families, and the results of that in her students' lovely playing.   Now, I'm thrilled that two of the teachers she's trained  are teaching at the Music Conservatory of Westchester, where we are building a Suzuki piano program.  

Please enjoy this interview with her:

Musikal Journeys: The Story of Marina Obukovsky

The literal meaning

"How would you like to play a Twinkle to warm up?"

"I'm going to show you how a frog plays the violin!!!"

 

Group Class: Reviewing Older pieces, and Ensemble Playing

Group classes are important for so many reasons!  

Lately, I have been inspired to help my group classes strive to play as an ensemble.  My hope is for them to feel the importance of playing the same way--putting the good of whole as most important for that brief moment of each week.  I want them to move their bows together precisely, as a "school of fish", and to hear subtle phrasing and change dynamics together.  When everyone really listens and watches, and tries to match what is going on around them, magical music making can happen!  

I've also recently rediscovered (again) how much goodness there is that can be squeezed out of the Twinkle Variations.  They are set up perfectly to work on bow articulations, and precision of rhythm.  Of course this was Dr. Suzuki's idea!  But, even my late book 1 through Book 3 students are improving so much by revisiting them in group class.  

Here is an article from Parents as Partners Online (2012) by Jennifer Burton.  It has wonderful explanations for why group class and reviewing are so good for your child.

Click here:

The Importance of Group Classes, by Jennifer Burton

101 Ways to differentiate a scale, by Lisa Burrell

This is especially interesting for those of you who attended Lisa Burrell's Feldenkrais Workshop at Music Conservatory of Westchester on March 13.  Lisa is a close friend of mine, and a wonderful colleague from whom I gain so much inspiration.  We have the liveliest of discussions about pedagogy and movement!   Those of you who've studied with me may see some traces of these ideas in my teaching, although certainly not exactly the same.  

Please read over the list and try some of these ideas at home.  It doesn't have to only be in scales, either.  You could try them in a piece or in a small section of a piece.  

Please click here:

101 Ways to Differentiate a Scale

Article: Bribes vs. incentives

Often parents tell me that they feel guilty for the "bribing" they do to accomplish daily practice.  Sometimes they are concerned that their child is not self-motivated to do their practice. 
My explanation has always been that as a parent, you do things with your child that are rewards (dessert, toys, watching videos, fun activities, etc.) so it makes sense to get your work done first and do the reward after.  I'm afraid that sometimes seems over simplified.  Here is a short article about the difference between bribing and using incentives and rewards.  I like this explanation.

Click here:

Article: Bribes vs. Incentives and Rewards

Charts

Using a practice chart can be very helpful in setting goals, measuring progress, and aiding in motivation.  

I recommend making a chart and setting up a reward system.  A small reward for 5 days of practice, a medium reward for 10 days, and a big reward for 30 days of practice.  The rewards can be tailored to your family, and should be something that you and your child enjoy.  It can be as simple as spending time together doing something fun, like baking or a bike ride or doing a puzzle together, or a trip to a favorite place as the grand finale.  Choose things that you like to do together and really play up how excited you are about reaching the goal together.  

I sometimes use charts in lessons when doing repetitions.   Each time the child completes a repetition or small task, I draw something in the box, or the child draws something, depending on what they prefer and how long it takes   Yesterday I was in a lesson with a student who is polishing Gossec Gavotte for a recital that is very soon.  I wanted to do a bunch of repetitions of "the tricky spot" with her, without creating stress about that spot.  So we made a chart with 12 boxes.  I would draw whichever animal she asked for.   She was very interested in my drawings, and didn't seem worried at all about repeating it so many times.  (Also, it was quite cute, because when I commented on a few of my drawings looking odd, she was very quick to tell me how good they were.  It gave her a chance to offer me support when I expressed insecurity or uncertainty about my drawing skills.  I think this is a nice way to show that we all have a variety of skills in different areas, and that even though I'm a little nervous about drawing, it doesn't stop me from trying.  Hopefully that message will get across to her in a subtle way.  And I appreciated her sweet comments.)

Below is a chart that I myself am currently filling.  It's not a practice chart, but something I am keeping track of for myself health-wise.  I find it very helpful to see my progress, and I do find it rewarding to fill each box.  I spend a moment congratulating myself for another day accomplished toward my goal.  Plus, I am working on my skill at drawing dogs, which needs some work, but I enjoy it!  

Article: Want to 'train your brain'? Forget apps, learn a musical instrument

"Music reaches parts of the brain that other things can't."
--Catherine Loveday, University of Westminster

Please read the article here:

Want to 'train your brain'? Forget apps, learn a musical instrument

The happy-learner

Today I saw my happy-learner 6 year old student.  She is in kindergarten.  She can play up through Long, Long Ago in book 1. I asked her what she'd like to start with and she said "Schradieck". On Friday I'd sent her a recording of the first 3 lines of the first page, and she had learned them. She was getting a little confused with how many repetitions of C# D on the second line, so I explained how to think in groups of four, and she listened and said, "so six times, then." I told her that she thinks in patterns, which is something that I really relate to.

Her recital piece is going to be O Come Little Children. But today she played Long Long Ago and May Song so well that I said (without leading) "The plan is for you to play O Come Little Children on the recital. How do you feel about that?" She thought a bit and said "That sounds just right!"

I asked to make a video. I explained that I like to send videos to my mom to show my grandmother. I explained that my grandma is 100. She said "Is she alive?" "Will she be 101, then?" I also said that older people sometimes get forgetful. She said "can she hear?" She was very happy to send a video to my grandma.

They're going to Paris on spring break. I said that sounded like so much fun and I would like to go to Paris. She said "I want you to come with us! You could come with us!"

I asked if the violin was going with them. She said "I want to take the violin!" Her mom said no, so I tried to make it a little lighter. "If you took the violin, you could play it under the Eiffel Tower. Maybe people would give you money for playing."

We then started to play through O Come Little Children, and she got the giggles so hard that I had to hold her violin so she could wipe her eyes.


I made the the video after that, and in the video she is still smiling the whole way through O Come Little Children because she's thinking about playing the violin under the Eiffel Tower, and that people would be giving her money.

8 TRUTHS ABOUT LEARNING AN INSTRUMENT THAT ALL PARENTS SHOULD KNOW, from Christine Goodner's blog The Suzuki Triangle

It seems to me that March and November are the hardest months of the school year for inspiration, and the time that parents and students and teachers all need a boost.  Hang in there, it's almost spring!  

Here is an article from a fantastic blog by another Suzuki teacher.  You should follow her blog, as it's got some great information on it!

8 TRUTHS ABOUT LEARNING AN INSTRUMENT THAT ALL PARENTS SHOULD KNOW

http://www.suzukitriangle.com/learning-an-instrument/

13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do

Please read this article (click on hyperlink):

Forbes Article: 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do

This article is certainly an important reminder about ways you can help your child that may not feel easy.  As a teacher, I certainly have seen my share of these behaviors from parents and children, and when these types of behaviors become habitual, they often lead to quitting the instrument, and even bigger problems later in life. 

Coming back from vacation, and the fruits of happy practicing

Yesterday, I saw several students after they'd had a full week off from school.  Three of them were exhausted and having trouble adjusting back to their school schedule.  (Make that four tired people who were having trouble coming back to school, if you add me to the mix!)

But one 6 year old student came into the room smiling and said "I missed you!!!"  Then she had a fantastic lesson.  She sight read some As and Bs from the I Know a Fox book. Then she warmed up on a couple of Twinkles.  First I played along on the melody with her, then I played the harmony, and then at her request I played the piano part.  In a similar manner, we went through Lightly Row, Song of the Wind, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, O Come Little Children, and May Song.  We discussed dynamics, staccato and legato, the details of the bow hand position, tone production, and she played her arpeggios for me.  All smiling. All in 45 minutes.   As the lesson was ending, she said "I love the violin!!"

It was obvious that she had practiced a lot during the past two weeks.  After all, this is a student who only could play Twinkle and Lightly Row a month ago. 

We talked about her practice habits.  I mentioned that I have another first year student who is practicing up to an hour a day.  This student's mom said that her daughter doesn't practice for long stretches--she just does a little at a time, but keeps going back to it over and over.  I told her that I think this is a great way to practice.  I used to practice this way when I was a kid.  I'd do one longer period before school or immediately after school, and then I would play for 5 minutes in between subjects when I did my homework. It's good for your brain to keep repeating things but spread out many times throughout the day.

Her mother has told me that her daughter wants to play the violin all the time.  It's obvious that she loves it, but I can't help wonder, which came first, loving the violin, or practicing regularly?  Most of the children I meet are interested and like the violin when they start lessons.  So, what builds that love as they go forward?  I am certain that regular practicing helps keep them motivated and loving it more than irregular and sporadic practicing.

Stepping Stone: an old story

Years ago, I let a student go from my studio. It had been a difficult situation from the beginning. At first, I was the teacher for viola as a secondary instrument, and they continued violin as the main instrument with a famous teacher--I'm not sure that the teacher even knew about me, although the mother promised full disclosure to that teacher. He auditioned for New York Youth Symphony and got in, and became more serious about viola, gradually dropping lessons on violin, and asking for all the extra lessons I could fit into my schedule.

I initially found the student a bit challenging to teach, because he was so repertoire focused, and didn't really do the technical exercises I assigned that much. I chalked that up to youthful excitement, and kept trying to push him to focus on more technique, and on digging into the details of his pieces. But he wasn't taking the time to really learn how viola was different--vibrato too fast, slightly out of tune (didn't know geography and new spacing of viola), and needed work on more flexible and heavy bow arm.

All of a sudden, a crazy whirlwind of making videos for summer programs started. Questions and tons of emails and extra meetings with the mom alone--all to discuss the best strategy to make a recording that would get him into the most competitive summer programs in the country. They sought black and white answers to grey situations, quoting other teachers as saying things that were more definite (they liked that a lot!). Probably 30 different recordings were made, in at least 6-7 venues, and on three different recording devices. Mom coached him to smile the entire time he was playing during the videos. The end result were recordings that were slightly out of tune and not very musical--the result of making so many, not being happy with them, and finally going to a professional studio and doing them all in one three hour block, falling over from exhaustion and stress.

After the recordings were done, I managed to get about 3-4 weeks set up of only technical studies and solo Bach (his favorite and strength). He made more improvement in that time than in the whole fall semester. Vibrato started to improve, bow arm started to really pull a sound, and intonation greatly changed from slow Schradieck work, and his understanding and self-awareness started developing finally. His practice habits were changing, too. I asked the mom if she heard all of this wonderful improvement. She said "No, I can't really tell. I'm not musical."

At this point, talk of Juilliard Pre-college and needing to get in that spring (just months away) started. It finally became apparent that there was an ultimatum from the dad. The student needed to show that he was competitive with other kids his age (14 years old) in order to keep playing. "If he couldn't get into pre-college right now, how would he ever be able to get into conservatory later?!"  (This is a kid who practices 3-4 hours a day, and got into NYYS as a 14 year old.) A barrage of questions about how to navigate the politics of it all was repeatedly thrown at me. They asked if I would be okay with them meeting some of the Juilliard pre-college faculty and taking lessons. I said that was fine, and next time I saw them they'd already taken lessons with three people. I'd made recommendations on who I thought he'd work well with, and instead they asked for lessons from anyone they could reach. I was forced to answer questions in front of the student like "We should take any extra lessons from anyone that could be helpful to us, right, Suzanne? More lessons are better, right, Suzanne?"  (Of course, the faculty would not like this "shopping around" style of doing things.  They want students who are dedicated to working with them, and them alone.)

It became more and more glaringly apparent that they were seeing me as a stepping stone to get to Juilliard pre-college. They of course didn't see it that way--the desperation was thick in the air! They were always very polite and outwardly respectful, but so concerned with this goal that they would do anything to make it work. I'm guessing that once they'd achieved something that was a big enough achievement for the father, everyone settled down.

I decided to stop teaching them. I didn't want to go along for any more of that stressful ride. And the extra time it took to soothe the mom--and all for a student that wouldn't actually be my student!! I gave them some ideas/names on how to proceed to get ready for the auditions. In only 9 months of working with someone, I would only have scratched the surface of helping the student improve. I told them repeatedly that it made more sense to work with me for two years so that we'd have time to get to know each other, I could have fixed problems, and have helped them prepare rep really well, with a sense of self awareness on the student's part. But they wouldn't even consider it. They said they respected me, but words are words. They respected me to a certain point. I felt badly, because I knew that the mother didn't understand. She didn't think she did anything wrong, and she said she didn't see this coming--despite my frustration and repeated explanations of why this wasn't good for the student.

I know that this idea of losing good students to pre-college programs is par for the course, living in NYC. Losing a student I've had for several years--or even that I've taught since the beginning--is one thing. But I really don't want to get the reputation of being that person to whom people go to get coached for less than a year in order to prepare for the pre-college audition.

I found out later that this student got into the Curtis Summerfest that year, using one of the recordings for which I'd helped him prepare.  Bittersweet.

A sensitive topic

Something that I'd like to delve into a bit on my blog is a way to communicate with parents about things from the teacher's perspective.  Not only about how much we invest in our students, and how much we're trying to do what is best for the students, but also about the unique qualities of each teacher, and how our feelings play into the parent-teacher-student triangle.  As I've started to think more and more about the parent-teacher-student triangle project I'm working on, this very topic is the one that has caused a bit of writer's block.  Because we teachers care a lot--I care a lot--and my caring permeates my thoughts on the parent-teacher-student triangle.  Honestly, it makes my writing biased in a certain way, and I want to be as fair-minded and balanced as possible as I offer my thoughts on the Suzuki triangle.

The teacher's ego is a delicate subject, and one that is tricky to address.  I certainly have had more than one family leave my studio on less than pleasant terms.  I'm certain this is because of my own sensitivity.  I think that this very sensitivity is at the core of what makes me a good teacher, but it also makes it hurt even more when a parent doesn't trust me, assumes that I'm not a good enough teacher for their child, or pushes me to do things that aren't respectful of me and/or not what is best for their child (yes, those two things often go hand in hand).

As I continue working on all the relationships in the parent-teacher-student triangle (I have pages of brainstorming notes already!), I will post another story about a difficult relationship with a parent and student from a couple of years ago.  It is one about a parent who was feeling desperate and pressured, and therefore looking for ways to make things work for her child.  Certainly, something we can all sympathize with.  But it was at the expense of the teacher--me—and not in the best interest of her child’s learning.   If you're interested, please read the next post.

A story about a very young student, from 2015

Still thinking about my first encounter with a new student and his dad. Little boy is not even 3.5 years old. Dad is big, friendly, outgoing guy.

I walked up to my group class, and there was a tiny kid crying and struggling to get out of his dad's reach as his dad was trying to pick him up. The boy was so small, that I figured he was the little brother of one of the kids in my class. Turns out that he is one of the students in my class. First thing his dad says: "I just think he's too little. He doesn't want to come in." I said that they should just watch from the window, and if he wanted to come in part way through the class, that was ok.

About 10 minutes into the class, they came in and he sat on his dad's lap. He watched everything we did. At the end of the class, as the other kids packed up their violins, he took a slow jog around the room, smiling at everyone and watching them with their cases.

Then it was time for his 15 minute private lesson. Again, his dad was thinking they shouldn't even try. I said we could just go up to the studio and talk and see how he did. So, leaving the door open, because he wasn't immediately sure that he wanted to come in, we had a little lesson.

It took about 30 seconds for him to come all the way in and sit next to me. His dad kept saying "he's so shy, maybe this is too much for him right now."

I let him pluck the strings on the violin. As he plucked each one once, I said "elephants, ants, dirt, ground" to remind him of the song we'd learned in group class. He smiled and giggled, and then started over with E again. He plucked three steady Es, and waited while I sang "stepping on the" and plucked three steady As, and waited again. We did the whole song just perfectly. He giggled and toddled around the room a bit.

His dad was gobsmacked. With no encouragement, he just played the song. What a sponge!

And we ended the lesson with the little boy having a little conversation with me. His dad had to interpret most of it for me, because much of it was nearly unintelligible. I have to laugh, because his dad said that it was amazing that the little boy was speaking in his clear speech--usually he mumbles when he's around someone new. haha!

I just love how much expectation the father had for the lessons to not work. And yet, the little boy, given the chance, showed us both that he is ready!

Article: Ten Reasons to Let Your Kid Major in Music

Yes!  As a few of my high school students have approached and are approaching graduation and college, I've been doing quite a bit of pondering about whether it is smart for me to encourage them to follow their dreams and go into music.  I know that the life of a musician is tough, but I also know that musicians are thoughtful, intelligent, and creative people.  Whether my students end up with a career in music or not, a degree in music will cultivate this sensitivity and introspection that I see lacking in our culture more and more. 

This Forbes article clearly makes an argument for why a degree in music is as good at preparing a student for the real world as any other: 

Ten Reasons to Let Your Kid Major in Music

Pictures of students from 2011

easy vs. hard

As many of you know, much of Suzuki teaching is set up to be fun and feel easy.  The idea is that the student won't become frustrated, and they won't even realize that they've learned a difficult skill.  The idea of playfulness has always appealed to me (however the idea of games has always repelled me--more on that in another blog post).  The idea is that when learning is fun, the child will enjoy it and it will feel easy.

That said, it's always been my instinct that it's good to challenge students with something tricky or "fancy" that is just a bit harder than what is the actual task.  That can be as simple as standing on one foot while practicing a piece, or a warm up for independent fingers that I give a cute name (fingertwisters or waterslides), asking a child to plan out (with my help) all finger preparations for the first six notes of Minuet 2, or as challenging as a Sevcik style trilling exercise on doublestops.  I often take very difficult professional level exercises and warm ups and make just a few notes of them into mini-exercises for my young students.  I believe that doing these very small challenges with my students stretches them and gives them better skills so that their actual repertoire feels easier.

I just read this article about practicing and the effects of always keeping it easy, compared to adding additional challenges and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.  It really resonated with me, especially regarding this issue of how easy to make a young student's lesson.

Article from https://bulletproofmusician.com, the website of Noa Kageyama:

Why it's probably not a good sign if practicing starts to feel easy

Incidentally, I went to Oberlin at the same time as Noa and his wife, and their daughter was in one of my Suzuki Pre-Twinkle classes several years ago!

When the duck quacks

Today I saw one of my young students.  He's five and a half, and has a relatively late lesson, and he's very tired after a long day at school.  The hardest lessons are when he falls asleep in the car on the way.  Some of these lessons end up being okay, but some begin with tears.  He's usually willing to do things for me, but it's difficult for him to do his very best.  I even have a video of him playing a Twinkle with tears streaming down his face.  The fact that he'll play anything when he's that tired is amazing to me.  I will admit that he usually is fairly happy by the end of the lesson.  I feel quite grateful for that.

He came in this evening rubbing his eyes, and was obviously just up from sleeping.  But he chose to take the first lesson before his older sibling.  He willingly played several Twinkles, and worked on refining the rhythms of them.  By the end of the Twinkles, he was smiling.  When I was a little silly with him, he giggled and said "Don't be silly, Miss Suzanne!" because he was trying to not get too silly so that he could keep playing.

Then we worked on his prep spot of Lightly Row.  He experimented with me on ways to not bump the A string when changing to the E.  He was interested and engaged.  I was able to introduce a new concept, and he was very proud of doing it.

All of a sudden my "duck quacked".  (I always set an alarm on my phone to signal the end of lessons so that I don't have to watch the clock.  My students are used to the duck, and know what it means.)  I said in a mock angry tone "SHH! Duck--be quiet!"  My student, still in playing position said "Turn that duck off--let's have a longer lesson!"

Later, he told his mom "I had a great lesson today!  I think I'll do that again."

To celebrate the good lesson she took him to the "snack-spitting machine".

Article on developing imagination in older students

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2018/02/01/how-to-help-older-kids-develop-a-sense-of-imagination/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180204

Viola?!

I have a violin student who started lessons in August.  She is just 7 years old this month, and had been asking for violin lessons for a long time (I think her mom said two years) before she started.  I'm sure she is my most enthusiastic student, and that says a lot because I am very lucky to have a studio full of mostly happy and dedicated students at the moment.  I wish there were a way to capture the delight on her face when she gets to learn something new, but photos and videos wouldn't even do her justice.

This week she practiced a significant amount, and recorded it in her practice log.  It ranged from 30 minutes to 54 minutes.  (And 54 minutes of Twinkle and Lightly Row is really something!) This is a girl after my own heart.  When I was young, I had to record the exact number of minutes I practiced--even doing 20 extra seconds to make it so I could round up to the next minute.  I told her that I was like that (and apologized to her mom, because this kind of tendency can make a person a little nutty, and I'm pretty sure I drove my mom crazy!), and she replied talking fast and barely taking time to breathe,"I just kept playing and playing.  I didn't want to stop.  I love the violin so much--I want to play it for my entire life!  But I also want to play the viola."

I looked at her mom.

"Does she know I am a violist?"

I said to my student "Do you know what a viola is?  Most people around here aren't so familiar with it.  How do you know?"

My student said "I heard it on the radio, and I thought 'Hey that's not a violin. And that's not a cello, it must be a viola.'"

She seemed to be waiting to know if that was something she could do, to play both violin and viola.  I told her that was certainly possible. 

What a gem!  This is one of those lessons to remember for all time.  I have to save it for a rainy day.
My mother says that some people are just born happy.  So it seems!  I wish I could bottle her enthusiasm. 

How to describe sound

I like to think of sound as a column that is moving and traveling through space (not unlike the movement of No-Face or Koanashi from the film "Spirited Away" by Miyazaki, although not uniformly so sinister).  It can be opaque or translucent, any variety of colors, or changing color.  It moves and spins, faster and slower, wider and narrower, and can be sharp at the edges or fuzzy.  This is mostly just how I imagine what one is doing with the bow and vibrato to change the sound, but this image makes it feel so magical.  To me, this is much more useful than thinking simply of dynamics;  degrees of louder and softer simply don't describe the full wonder of what one can create with a string instrument. 

It is often difficult to find the appropriate words to describe what you hear, especially when listening to sound and comparing instruments.

Yesterday, when trying out violins with my thoughtful 13 year old student again (same one who labeled a previous violin as sounding like Shakira), he asked for a piece of paper to draw what he was hearing from two violins, because words were failing him.

He drew two houses and two columns.

Violin A had a small house with small windows.  All four sides had lines that described the sound going into the house, except for a few tiny windows on one corner on the back of the house which he said had sound traveling out of the house.  The column was to describe the sound of Violin A.  It was solid and completely filled in.  He said that there was only a bit of movement at the very end, for which he drew a few zig-zagged lines near the end of the column.

Violin B had a much larger house with picture windows on all four sides.  He drew lines going out the windows to represent the sound flowing outward.  Then he drew a bunch of tiny circular windows that he said had sound traveling into the house.  The column for Violin B was wider and somewhat translucent (difficult to draw with a pencil), and he drew sweeping lines back and forth around the column, followed by tighter smaller lines, and then more sweeping lines.  This was to represent the more ringing and open sound, and the more variety of sounds, and way that you could change sounds quickly with that violin.


Had I ever shared my imagery to describe sound with this student?  I don't remember doing so, although it's quite possible I did at some point.  It certainly wasn't recently, and he said he didn't remember the Miyazaki reference.  But he nodded vigorously as I described what I imagine sound to be like.   It was exciting to see him thinking and creating and expressing what he heard in his own way.

Suzuki Triangle

Here is a graphic to show the flow of energy in the Suzuki Triangle.  I'm realizing that my project will be even bigger than I imagined.  What a complex relationship this Parent-Teacher-Student Triangle represents!

The "hoppiest" of negotiations

"I'll trade you five frog hops for a line of Lightly Row."

Not something I thought I'd be saying in violin lessons.  Luckily for me, one very tired little kindergartner loves frog hopping right now.  She's very good at it, starting from the very floor and actually able to stretch out and gain air time just like a leaping frog.

This has been our currency for the month of January.  I don't know how long it will last, but I'm grateful it's working for now.  She needs to move, and thinks it's fun, and I get her to play the violin by trading notes for hops. And I am envious of her movement.  I might just see if I can still do a frog hop--but in the privacy of my own living room, of course.

That "mistake" thing

Yesterday I was working with a perfectionistic six year old.  She is trying very hard, and it results in her being tight physically.  We were working on relaxing muscles, and imagery of stretchy "mitten strings" to get her bow arm to pull straighter.  She was doing better but whenever she made a mistake, she would wince and freeze, tighten up, and have to restart the piece. 

I said "I have something to tell you about mistakes.  It's a secret.  You know what happens if you make a mistake?  Nothing.  Sometimes no one else will even notice.  I think it's the only place you can litter.  Just drop the note and go on.  You can't do that with trash, but you can with a note because it just disappears." 

She wrinkled her nose and said, "I've heard of this 'mistake" thing before.  At school.  And they also said it was a secret!"  She then went on to tell me that there were a bunch of kids playing string instruments and the person who was playing piano with them made a mistake, but no one even noticed. 

The Value of the Suzuki Group Lesson: An email exchange

Many years ago, I had an email exchange with a parent who was confused and frustrated by the purpose of her daughter's Pre-Twinkle violin class. I have to say that I can understand much of her frustration. Group class does not always seem like a straight path to a goal! After receiving my response to why group class is important, she was very appreciative and changed her mind about it. She said that my email was so helpful to her, and when I asked, she said I could share it with other parents. Below are the two emails, with names changed for privacy. I hope that you might find them useful! I am grateful to this mother for challenging me and as a result helping many other parents along the way.

Subject: the value of Suzuki group lesson

Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:13:59 -0500

Hi Ms. Suzanne,

I am glad that you brought up the topic in our class this week.  In fact, I had written some thoughts,
ready to email to Mr. Jones for advice.  These thoughts has nothing to do with you.  You are doing
your best and have been very nice, respectful and polite to all of us.  

As I mentioned to you, our "problem", if I can call it that, is Jenny listens and follows everything you
and I say.  Period.  She may take a minute longer, but she doesn't deviate.  Let's just say that what
happens in a classroom full of 4-5 year-old is not the best environment for her to learn.  In fact, it
hinders her ability to advance her technical skills.  While waiting for the other kids to simply listen
and follow, she's being tempted to follow her peers into mischief and must control her desire to be
a 4 year old.  But she loves to come to class, more so than her private lesson.  She told me she
doesn't like "playing" by herself.  But she is on her own in the group class.  Ironic, isn't it?  Because
she doesn't "play" when the other kids don't behave or catch up.  This is not to say she's not
learning in the group class.  She's having fun and that's important too.  And I agree that the group
lesson is a good setting to start learning to be sociable.

But there are other environment where maturity is factored in for one to practice social skills.  One
that doesn't get in the way of learning an instrument.  I am of the mind set that at the end of the day,
what I want Jenny to get out of learning the violin is the commitment and discipline it takes to master
a skill and apply that to her life.  I don't need a bunch of kids to boost her ego, thinking she's better
than them when she's already an only child.  That is what is in her mind now.  It is enforced every
time we meet in the group class.  So I talk to her about what she can improve and do better,
essentially downplaying her accomplishment which is really not fair to her.

I did not grow up in this country so I will never understand why some of the parents are there in our
class to begin with.  They may be serious about having their children learn to play violin but not in a
way that's obvious to me.  And you said ours is the best, which gives me the chill every time I think
about it.  With this in mind, I doubt I would feel needed or supported by the Suzuki families.  In fact,
I feel the opposite.

You mentioned that this is a phase and eventually, these children will catch up, in a year or two.  
Well, not at Jenny's cost I am afraid.  She couldn't support her new, larger violin with her chin last
week.  We were told to stop playing and start from the beginning.  It took one day.  We just
"graduated" from using the 1-2-3 finger for twinkle and she's practicing to put 3 down right after E.  
She played the run-pony rhythm while being taught to use the new fingering.  I am not saying she's
better than the other kids.  There is nothing better about it.  She simply practiced.  Anyone who
does what she does will have the same result.

I hope you don't mind my being direct and I apologize if I am too frank.  It is not a criticism on anyone
or the program.  But it is important and I am giving it the attention the matter deserves.  As I said, we
take this seriously.

Thank you.

Jane

Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:20:50 +0000

To

Subject: RE: the value of Suzuki group lesson

Dear Jane,

I have been thinking about your email a lot.  I'm sorry that I didn't have more time to
speak to you after class last week.

I understand your frustration with some of the extra activity from some of the other kids
in the class.  This is something that I am working on addressing each week.

I'd like to say that I brought up the topic of the value of group class last week for the
specific reason of emphasizing reviewing and repetition.  I think that Jenny does a
beautiful job of following instructions, as do several other kids in the class.  I think that
the few kids who do act up a little are mostly just happy and excited to be there, which
is something that I do not want to remove entirely.  Learning to follow instructions as a
group is another VERY important part of group class--this also includes learning how to
follow instructions even with the added distraction of other kids.  

I am sure that Jenny is doing very well in her private lessons.  Most of the kids are now
using fingers with Twinkle.  I want you to know that even with the most advanced class
of all time, I wouldn't be using fingers in the Pre-Twinkle class yet.  Even just a week ago,
one of the little girls in another class dropped her violin and snapped the scroll off.  This
was not due to her inability to hold the violin, or to her being rowdy or misbehaving; she
simply had more things to look at, glanced up at me, and let her head off the violin.  
This is why we spend SO much time practicing just holding it.  We will continue to do
the rest position song and the up like a rocket song for the rest of this year.  It is much
like a ballet class:  just as you do pliesin every single class, we practice the ABCs of violin
in every group class.  It has to do with muscle memory, and learning to focus while in the
presence of other kids.  It is more difficultin a violin class because you have the added
challenge of giving each child an expensive instrument for which they must learn to be
responsible. I also think that a large part of group class is simply building physical
stamina.  

I think that it is safe to say that the learning curve will steepen as far as group class is
concerned.  This year is all about holding the instrument and getting a good bow stroke,
and learning to play at the exact same time.  This is a larger task than you may imagine!  
Even in the Pre-Twinkle class we are laying the foundation for chamber music and
orchestral playing--learning to watch and follow and feel the rhythm together.  This is
most definitely a group experience, and one that can't be learned at home alone.  
Next year will most definitely be filled with lots of Twinkle, as well as other book 1 pieces.  
There is always something more to be learned from playing Twinkle with other people.  
As one of my bosses says, he can tell everything he needs to know about a professional
violinist's playing just by hearing them play Twinkle.  The Suzuki method is most
definitely about review and repetition.  Jenny, as well as the other children, can learn
a lot from continuing to work on I like chocolate ice cream.  

I think that Ms. Smith is a wonderful teacher and is doing a great job with Jenny.  I
think that continuing in group class is essential to a young violinist's progress.  It is so
hard to keep a child motivated if they are only playing by themselves.  I think this is
the best thing about string instruments!  We can play with other kids in group class,
and then later in quartets and orchestra.  It's so much fun!  Jenny will most certainly
benefit from staying in group class.  Please do your best to remain positive about it.  
She most certainly can tell when you aren't happy.  I promise you that she is benefiting
greatly by being in class.  Sometimes it is hard to look forward to a year or two in the
future, but I think that Jenny will flourish and enjoy herself more if you keep her in the
group.  

Hope this helps--look forward to seeing you on Tuesday,

Suzanne

Balancing the Suzuki Triangle

The Parent-Teacher-Student Triangle is a way to describe the ever evolving relationship
that is at the center of Suzuki philosophy.  It is this triangle that often stumped me as a
young teacher, and now often brings the most richness and meaning to my teaching.  
That said, it is a delicate balancing act to keep each side of the triangle healthy and
functioning in an optimal way that is useful to each individual personality.  

In my opinion, this concept is so integral to the enterprise of being a teacher, or being a
student, or giving parental support.  Throughout my Suzuki training, and again through
many years of educating parents, I have found that the Suzuki Triangle is often simply
discussed as an abstraction.  The individual sides are not explored as fully as I desire,
leaving me unsatisfied.  As my first project for this blog, it is my intention to begin to flesh
out this image, and to explore each side in more detail.  

Being a visual person, I love the image of the triangle.  In my mind, I imagine that each
one has its own color, size, and vibrancy.  Much like I visualize sound, I can picture that it
might be transparent, opaque, solid, glowing, fuzzy, with sharp edges, or any number of
individual qualities. This triangle is flowing, breathing, growing, evolving, adapting.  Each
person brings a different energy to it, and like a variation of spice in a recipe, it makes a
particular and personalized triangle that is unlike any other triangle.  This magical triangle
can only be made by the one-of-a-kind human beings that stand at its points.  

Please stay tuned...

Parents often ask how long it will take to finish Twinkle, or to "get through" book 1.  Here is a helpful graph to explain the effects of daily practice, and how different amounts of dedication produce different results: 

Helpful Hints for Suzuki Parents

Yesterday I was trying violins with a 13 year old student.  The sound of the three instruments were quite different:  one dark and rich, one bright and brilliant, and "This one sounds like Shakira if Shakira were a violin!" 

Welcome to my blog!

I am excited to begin creating a new blog where I will share my thoughts on teaching Suzuki violin and viola.  For many years now, I have been collecting anecdotes from my teaching that are meaningful to me, and also to others, based on the reactions I've had from colleagues and parents. 

I will also share links to articles and recordings.  

I hope that you will find it meaningful and enjoy!