What I Love About Group Class

Even though there is NO GROUP CLASS this week (class will resume on Dec. 8th and 15th) I am constantly reminded, especially from our Holiday Recital which featured duets and ensembles, of the importance of group class and the chance to play together.

As we head into the holiday season make plans to play music for family or to get your family and friends involved in singing carols or clapping or jingling along to violin tunes. You all work so hard year round studying music. This is a wonderful time of year to share your music with the people who mean the most to you and to start some musical traditions.

So many students have been figuring out Christmas Carols by ear on their violins. If there is a song you like and want to play on your violin, challenge yourself to try and figure it out or tell me about it in lesson and we can work on it together. We can play anything we want on our violins! There is always a way.

Congratulations to everyone on their performances at the Holiday Recital! I had a wonderful afternoon with everyone! I am so grateful for all the families who let me be a small part of their lives and allow me to do what I love, for my family who attended, my wonderful husband and our jolly Santa!

10 Things I Love About Group Class:
1. Everyone has a voice. Everyone has a chance to be heard and to share their opinions without judgement.

2. Even though most of us only see each other once a week, we play together as one, working toward a common goal.

3. Parental Involvement - whether in the audience or on the stage; your constant support means everything. You are all incredible!

4. Teenage Leadership - the power they have in positively influencing and motivating those who look up to them.

5. Mistakes are allowed. Keep working, keep learning.

6. We are respectful of everyone's position in the class. There is no competition. Our journey is our own and no one else's.

7. Listening - to see little ones who are known to have trouble sitting still, sit through advanced repertoire with ease, quietly listening or strumming their violins to the piece.

8. Play it, even if you don't know it - to see beginners make the decision to play along with a song they don't know in delight or to sit the next song out and listen. Yes, five year old's do choose to listen (well in group class anyway!)

9. Creativity - because mistakes are allowed, there is freedom to try new things without fear. Maybe it's that new harmony part you've been working on or a new technique. Magical things can happen through a simple suggestion (ex. our pizzicato rendition of twinkle with beautiful harmonies a few weeks ago was amazing. So many simple ideas are pondered in class and are brought to lesson to discuss and discover).

10. Group class helps us deal with the world - whether it's a distraction from our hectic work or school lives or an inner fear that we haven't been able to identify yet. Group class challenges us to do more and to be more then we think we are capable of. Facing the vulnerability of joining group class can be a challenge in it's self, but once we do, we are faced with an entirely different way to learn. A way for all ages and levels to learn together and from one another: The Suzuki way.

Holiday Recital - Sunday November 29th

We've made it to the Holiday Recital this Sunday November 29th, at 2:00 at Siloam United Church. Here's what you need to know!

ARRIVAL - No Later than 1:45 for Everyone! You may arrive as early as
1:30.

If you are playing in the O Christmas Tree Ensemble - ARRIVAL TIME is 1:30.

If you are playing in an ensemble where you need sheet music, please make sure to bring your own music!

Dress Code - whatever you would like, as long as you can play comfortably!

NO Reception at the end, but an appearance by a special Holiday Guest!

Family Portrait Sessions from Priya Mchardie

Just another reminder that Priya Mchardie is offering Family Portrait Sessions with $25 going towards Amy's Violin School fund, which benefits all of you!

Get those Christmas cards ready or get some professional photos of your kids with their instruments! Priya makes the process simple and fun! Check out her contact info below.

Contact her today at 519-697-7577 or priya.mchardie@gmail.com.

Check out her website HERE!

Mixed Ages Group Class - Heavy on Book 1 & 2

A new family coming to group class may not notice the division of repertoire present, but those who have been through many of the Suzuki books will.

(Approx.) 50% of class represents pieces in Book 1 or 2, 

25% represents pieces in Books 3 and up, 

another 25% represents other activities like listening, theory, composers, ensembles, etc. 

Why run a class so Book 1 & 2 heavy when there are those of all level present?

#1 Reason
Group Class is about coming together as a community to share in a common interest or a common goal. We play because we love to play and we work together to prepare for recitals and performances. This act in itself, regardless of the repertoire being played is an immeasurable experience and opportunity: To learn and observe from those of all ages and to see what they are capable of and what they struggle with. It is never enough to just learn from those the same age and level as us.

#2 Reason
So imagine we are playing Jenga. You know, the game where you have a tower of blocks all stacked on top of one another and you have to pull a block from the bottom and place it on top. For every block you pull out and place on top, this represents every new piece we learn and every review piece we LOOSE! What is the result? Eventually the whole tower will crumble and we'll have to restart from scratch.

However, what if instead of taking blocks out from the bottom, we maintain that strong foundation and we create new blocks for the top to build our tower of skills. We'd eventually get a lot higher with no risk of the tower crumbling. Along the way, maybe we'll add in some supports at the bottom. We could use Book 1 pieces to practice advanced techniques like vibrato, sautille, shifting or maybe that pesky bow hold that we can never get just right. Maybe we learn the harmony parts that accompany the Book 1 & 2 pieces. Our foundation gets stronger and stronger and our tower of skills gets taller and taller.

Growing up with the Suzuki lifestyle I understood the importance of review and I see it's impact everyday with my students from the ones who do review everyday and the one's who struggle with it. My recent realization of the true power that the early Suzuki Books can hold came from my venture into self teaching the Suzuki piano repertoire. I breezed through the early pieces I had heard on a daily basis from growing up in a house with a Suzuki piano teacher. Then around Book 5, I got stuck. All progress stopped. It didn't seem to matter how much I worked on a practice spot, it was always choppy and slow and stuck. All motivation to keep playing these new pieces stopped along with it. So I went back to what I knew I could do. I spent hours playing through the early repertoire, enjoying the ease of these pieces, adding in pedal and dynamics and playing as much of it by memory as I could. It felt great.

One day I reluctantly went back to those Book 5 pieces, expecting to be frustrated and disappointed all over again. But it was like MAGIC! Spots that felt impossible before, now I could actually do! Yes, it was still a challenge and it still is, these pieces are hard! But all of a sudden, there was comfort and a deeper understanding of the instrument that I didn't have before. Progress was back.

This is the Suzuki way. This is the Suzuki lifestyle. We cannot expect progress until we analyze the quality of the product. But when we take a step back from our natural instincts and look at things in a Suzuki light, incredible things can happen. Suzuki Books 1 & 2 are the root of this magic. So whether you are a beginner, have been playing the violin for 20 plus years or a Suzuki parent who has been listening to the repertoire for that same amount of time; feel security and comfort in the repetition of these pieces. We are never too old or young to review but we can definitely forget their power if we get caught up in what's new.

Suzuki Conference, Saturday November 7th, 2015

By now you should all have received your e-mail confirmation for registration on Saturday November 7th. Here is an overview of what you need to know that day:

LOCATION: John George Althouse Building (Western University), 1137 Western Road. 

PARKING: Two parking lots are located behind the building. Entrance gates will be raised for the day, and there will be no charge to park.

REGISTRATION: Registration tables will be set up at the entrance to the Althouse Building.

REGISTRATION TIMES: 
Orchestras 1, 2, and 3 takes place from 8:30-9:15 am, with the first orchestra rehearsal beginning promptly at 9:30 am. 
All other participants takes place from 9:15 – 9:45 am. with the first class starting promptly at 10:00 am.

Each participant will receive his/her own personal timetable upon registration. Lunch will be served in the Blackboard Café (Room 1142) at the time specified on the timetable. The performance of Vox Metropolis will take place in the Auditorium at 1:00 pm, and the Gala Concert will begin at 4:00 pm, also in the Auditorium.

Reminder to all Orchestra members! Please be sure to bring your all-black concert clothing, your labelled music stand, and your own orchestra music.

Our Silent Auction will be in progress throughout the day in the gymnasium at Althouse. A wonderful array of items will be on display in the gym awaiting your bid; however, you don’t have to wait until November 7^th as the following link will allow you to start bidding now! http://fcte2015.eflea.ca/

Please also remember to visit our vendors’ tables while you are in the gym: Long & McQuade, The Sound Post, and Matthew Schmidt (violin maker and restorer). A Canteen will also be available throughout the day in the gym, with juice and snacks for sale.