Congratulations to everyone who played at the first recital of the school year on Sunday October 21st.
Before everyone played, I talked about the importance of walking on stage with bravery and leaving it being proud of our efforts no matter what happens. Many performers admitted they were nervous but never let it show on stage. There were smiles over silly mistakes and encouragement and support heard from peer to peer. There were so many clean and polished performances and everyone accomplished at least one goal they had in their piece and pushed their abilities to the next level. Everyone should be so proud of their efforts.
Now on to the next...
Here's what you need to know for the rest of 2018!
After a month of inconsistency, Group Classes are consistent every Tuesday from October 30th (wear your Halloween costumes!) - November 27th. We will be preparing for the next recital at these classes in November so don't miss out!
The NEXT RECITAL is Sunday December 2nd at 2:00.
The MANDATORY REHEARSAL for this recital is Tuesday November 27th during Group Class.
The first Parent Ed Event of the school year is on Tuesday November 13th during Group Class.
Students are working away at their repetitions. I'll be posting my observations about this challenge soon as it's been quite an eye opener for many of us, myself included, and if we reach our goal of 10,000, we will have a PIZZA PARTY at the last group class of the year on Tuesday December 11th (which I call our Ceilidh Class!)
So excited to see what we can put together for the next recital - repertoire to be released next week!
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Listen & Observe
"Right now my goals when I go to practice with Margaret is to remember SMALL STEPS, to LEARN WITHOUT PRESSURE, and to continue to LISTEN & OBSERVE as much as possible."
We all understand the importance of listening as Suzuki students and families. Just as every child learns how to speak their mother tongue language through constant repetitions of listening and observing, we can learn the violin in the same way and essentially any skill set.
Not only does listening and observing set us up with the foundation to learn any skill, it also sparks our motivation to learn and create.
I spent the summer going to numerous festivals and seeing all sorts of performers with Margaret. We had an incredible time, but I didn't realize how split my focus must have been between Margaret & the music until I was able to get a night out with some of my students to see Shane Cook perform at Siloam United Church.
I have been feeling completely unmotivated about what different pieces I wanted to teach for the Holiday recital. Every year we do something different like a pop song or movie theme and none of my ideas seemed right. So I started reaching out to students for ideas to try and spark something in me, and a tiny light was lit, but still I wasn't excited by any idea. Then I saw Shane Cook and the group of incredible performers who played with him. The skill level was outstanding, as I knew it would be, and they played many tunes I had heard before as well as a lot of new repertoire all with ease. These are true musicians, dedicating their life to becoming as good at their trade as they can, all the while learning from each other in the process, supporting their efforts and their successes, and essentially having fun doing what they do.
I came home from the show and got to work. And it all of a sudden came to me. I was inspired and excited.
But I was also disappointed in how few students took advantage of this FREE show I was offering. What an incredible opportunity to be motivated and inspired to get to work and to work hard - my next mission is to get more of you out to shows!
Just as the musicians on stage were openly learning from one another and supporting each other in their work, I think we all need to be aware of our own continuing education. Whether we are just starting out or having been coming to lessons for years, there is always more to learn. I think it is essential to make the effort to observe those in our trade, to learn from and respect our elders and essentially anyone with more experience than ourselves, and to not assume that we know all or that we are doing all we can do.
Getting out into the world, out of our heads and our lives can push us to be the best we can be.
In the Suzuki world, this can start with:
Learning never stops, nor should it. Life would be pretty boring if we kept doing things exactly the same. When we find motivation to learn and when we are inspired to do more, incredible things can happen.
We all understand the importance of listening as Suzuki students and families. Just as every child learns how to speak their mother tongue language through constant repetitions of listening and observing, we can learn the violin in the same way and essentially any skill set.
Not only does listening and observing set us up with the foundation to learn any skill, it also sparks our motivation to learn and create.
I spent the summer going to numerous festivals and seeing all sorts of performers with Margaret. We had an incredible time, but I didn't realize how split my focus must have been between Margaret & the music until I was able to get a night out with some of my students to see Shane Cook perform at Siloam United Church.
I have been feeling completely unmotivated about what different pieces I wanted to teach for the Holiday recital. Every year we do something different like a pop song or movie theme and none of my ideas seemed right. So I started reaching out to students for ideas to try and spark something in me, and a tiny light was lit, but still I wasn't excited by any idea. Then I saw Shane Cook and the group of incredible performers who played with him. The skill level was outstanding, as I knew it would be, and they played many tunes I had heard before as well as a lot of new repertoire all with ease. These are true musicians, dedicating their life to becoming as good at their trade as they can, all the while learning from each other in the process, supporting their efforts and their successes, and essentially having fun doing what they do.
I came home from the show and got to work. And it all of a sudden came to me. I was inspired and excited.
But I was also disappointed in how few students took advantage of this FREE show I was offering. What an incredible opportunity to be motivated and inspired to get to work and to work hard - my next mission is to get more of you out to shows!
Just as the musicians on stage were openly learning from one another and supporting each other in their work, I think we all need to be aware of our own continuing education. Whether we are just starting out or having been coming to lessons for years, there is always more to learn. I think it is essential to make the effort to observe those in our trade, to learn from and respect our elders and essentially anyone with more experience than ourselves, and to not assume that we know all or that we are doing all we can do.
Getting out into the world, out of our heads and our lives can push us to be the best we can be.
In the Suzuki world, this can start with:
- observing lessons, coming to lesson a few minutes early or a few minutes late to see other lessons.
- Coming to group class and recitals.
- Listening to the Suzuki music at home as well as lots of other music of your liking.
- Search around Youtube or Spotify for lots of artist you never knew existed.
- Attend local shows around the city.
- Ask questions and learn from those in your given field, those with more experience and those you admire.
Learning never stops, nor should it. Life would be pretty boring if we kept doing things exactly the same. When we find motivation to learn and when we are inspired to do more, incredible things can happen.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Recital: Sunday October 21st at 2:00 at Siloam United Church
MANDATORY Rehearsal is this Tuesday October 16th at 5:00.
Failure to attend this rehearsal means not being able to play in the recital.
ARRIVAL TIME is no later than 1:45,
but you may arrive as early as 1:30.
Dress code is whatever you would like as long as it is comfortable to play in.
There is a RECEPTION at this recital. I like to have a variety so please consider bringing fruit, veggies, cheese/crackers, baked goods, etc. Whatever works best for you. I will provide water for everyone.
Looking forward to seeing all of you on the 21st!
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Learn Without Pressure
"Right now my goals when I go to practice with Margaret is to remember SMALL STEPS, to LEARN WITHOUT PRESSURE, and to continue to LISTEN & OBSERVE as much as possible."
When starting practice with young kids, sometimes there will be days when only the minimum gets done. There has to be focus for any learning to take place and children are not always able to give us focus when we ask it of them. Focus is a learned skill. So in order to teach them focus and a work ethic, we must be consistent in our daily routine, but stop the practice when the focus is lost. There can be games and strategies to try and regain focus, but sometimes, it is just lost, which means the practice is done.
This can get frustrating as practice can sometimes only be a few minutes even though you may have had some really good practices that lasted 10, 15 or even 20 minutes in the past. If we let our frustrations or disappointments show, children feel this. If they feel this, it will probably lead them to not want to practice.
Consider how you teach your kids in other areas of their life. When does forcing them to eat their vegetables or to go to bed when you say or not colouring on the walls really work when you put pressure on them. But when we model eating our vegetables or encourage bedtime by reading books with their favourite characters, or we support them in their beautiful drawings on paper, all of a sudden we get a different result. When we analyze our reactions, we get different reactions in return.
When we focus less on the product (setting an allotted time for practice), and more on the process (how we are actually practicing), children begin to learn far more than just the skills needed to play the violin. A focused 5 minute practice is going to be so much more beneficial to everyone than a 20 minute unfocused all over the place practice where you are not really sure what was accomplished by the end of it.
On the other hand, we should never be stuck at only 5 minutes of practice. If that is the case, then we are most likely missing another key component which is allowing the motivation to play fade. This could be as simple as making sure the practice spots are small enough as well as making sure to attend every group class, lesson and recital and to listen regularly to the CD. Ideally the practice time should grow as skills are added on and focus is acquired.
A parents modelling, encouragement, support and involvement is key not just for when kids are lacking focus or motivation, but in everything they do. And of course we know this, but knowledge is not skill (I confessed this in my last post!). Work with your teacher to make sure you are approaching practice how you mean to approach it. When we learn to put what we know into constant play, it gives children the comfort, reassurance and confidence they need to achieve anything.
Suzuki Violin Lessons are about developing the PROCESS FIRST (a child's character) and the PRODUCT SECOND (their ability). When we learn without pressure in this way, incredible things can happen.
When starting practice with young kids, sometimes there will be days when only the minimum gets done. There has to be focus for any learning to take place and children are not always able to give us focus when we ask it of them. Focus is a learned skill. So in order to teach them focus and a work ethic, we must be consistent in our daily routine, but stop the practice when the focus is lost. There can be games and strategies to try and regain focus, but sometimes, it is just lost, which means the practice is done.
This can get frustrating as practice can sometimes only be a few minutes even though you may have had some really good practices that lasted 10, 15 or even 20 minutes in the past. If we let our frustrations or disappointments show, children feel this. If they feel this, it will probably lead them to not want to practice.
Consider how you teach your kids in other areas of their life. When does forcing them to eat their vegetables or to go to bed when you say or not colouring on the walls really work when you put pressure on them. But when we model eating our vegetables or encourage bedtime by reading books with their favourite characters, or we support them in their beautiful drawings on paper, all of a sudden we get a different result. When we analyze our reactions, we get different reactions in return.
When we focus less on the product (setting an allotted time for practice), and more on the process (how we are actually practicing), children begin to learn far more than just the skills needed to play the violin. A focused 5 minute practice is going to be so much more beneficial to everyone than a 20 minute unfocused all over the place practice where you are not really sure what was accomplished by the end of it.
On the other hand, we should never be stuck at only 5 minutes of practice. If that is the case, then we are most likely missing another key component which is allowing the motivation to play fade. This could be as simple as making sure the practice spots are small enough as well as making sure to attend every group class, lesson and recital and to listen regularly to the CD. Ideally the practice time should grow as skills are added on and focus is acquired.
A parents modelling, encouragement, support and involvement is key not just for when kids are lacking focus or motivation, but in everything they do. And of course we know this, but knowledge is not skill (I confessed this in my last post!). Work with your teacher to make sure you are approaching practice how you mean to approach it. When we learn to put what we know into constant play, it gives children the comfort, reassurance and confidence they need to achieve anything.
Suzuki Violin Lessons are about developing the PROCESS FIRST (a child's character) and the PRODUCT SECOND (their ability). When we learn without pressure in this way, incredible things can happen.
Wednesday, October 03, 2018
On Teaching a 21 Month Old
Margaret and I started daily practice the beginning of September. You can check out some of what we've been doing on my INSTAGRAM@amysviolinschool .
It's amazing how quickly you forget what you teach on a daily basis when you suddenly have to do it yourself with your own child.
I was surprised by how my instinctual reactions where not what I meant for them to be.
I was surprised by how hard it was to remember to practice for a few minutes daily at the allotted time. (on numerous occasions I forgot and squeezed it in right before bed. Yikes!)
I was surprised by my need to pressure her to do the things she had done well the previous day but didn't want to do today.
I am constantly surprised by the things she knows purely through observation and listening (even though I know better).
I am constantly surprised by her motivation to play when other students arrive at the house for lesson (even though I know better).
As a Suzuki teacher, I do not practice with my child perfectly. I have already made mistakes. The great thing about our kids is that they are resilient and very forgiving. So we keep trying. We keep doing our best and we do what we can do. Perfection is not the goal. It is the journey that we take together.
Right now my goals when I go to practice with Margaret is to remember SMALL STEPS, to LEARN WITHOUT PRESSURE, and to continue to LISTEN & OBSERVE as much as possible.
If you are just starting out with lessons or maybe even just struggling getting back into the practice routine, try analyzing what you are doing. Most likely if you are taking small steps, you are relieving pressure and if you are making a point to listen and observe, you will be motivating yourself to do more small steps. It's a loop to success.
On the other hand, if you are just playing through piece after piece and not isolating anything, most likely you are feeling overwhelmed because every practice is the same and not going anywhere. Progress comes from isolating the small steps and practicing them over and over and this is also where the fun of practice is established because we feel accomplishment and want to accomplish more.
It's also important to remember to go at the speed of the child (or whatever age the student is, adults included), this is part of the no pressure as we all learn at different speeds. We can develop these high hopes especially in starting them so young, that if they can just do a little bit everyday, they will be soaring through Book 1 by the time they are 3. It might be a possibility, but it's not worth having deadlines or expectations on a 2 year old. They have always taken their time, from smiling to sitting to crawling, walking and talking, and will continue to learn things in their own time. All we can do is model and encourage and support.
I continue to support my daughter when she practices her twinkle variations (even though she still won't say Ti Ti Sh Ti correctly and refuses to say Mississippi Mississippi because Mississippi Hotdog is better).
I encourage her every time she practices a bow, even if it's when I'm trying to get us out the door, or when she picks up her violin with the worst posture and sweetly plays and sings twinkle little star.
As a perfectionist, I have to remind myself that she does not need to do every detail perfectly. As long as she is enjoying the process, enjoying learning, and finding joy in music, that is what matters and that is what keeps me going and her. As long as I continue to model, I know she will one day add that last Ti to Ti Ti Sh Ti (oh please I hope so!).
Being a Suzuki music teacher I thought daily practice with her would be the simplest thing in the world.
It's amazing how quickly you forget what you teach on a daily basis when you suddenly have to do it yourself with your own child.
I was surprised by how my instinctual reactions where not what I meant for them to be.
I was surprised by how hard it was to remember to practice for a few minutes daily at the allotted time. (on numerous occasions I forgot and squeezed it in right before bed. Yikes!)
I was surprised by my need to pressure her to do the things she had done well the previous day but didn't want to do today.
I am constantly surprised by the things she knows purely through observation and listening (even though I know better).
I am constantly surprised by her motivation to play when other students arrive at the house for lesson (even though I know better).
As a Suzuki teacher, I do not practice with my child perfectly. I have already made mistakes. The great thing about our kids is that they are resilient and very forgiving. So we keep trying. We keep doing our best and we do what we can do. Perfection is not the goal. It is the journey that we take together.
Right now my goals when I go to practice with Margaret is to remember SMALL STEPS, to LEARN WITHOUT PRESSURE, and to continue to LISTEN & OBSERVE as much as possible.
If you are just starting out with lessons or maybe even just struggling getting back into the practice routine, try analyzing what you are doing. Most likely if you are taking small steps, you are relieving pressure and if you are making a point to listen and observe, you will be motivating yourself to do more small steps. It's a loop to success.
On the other hand, if you are just playing through piece after piece and not isolating anything, most likely you are feeling overwhelmed because every practice is the same and not going anywhere. Progress comes from isolating the small steps and practicing them over and over and this is also where the fun of practice is established because we feel accomplishment and want to accomplish more.
It's also important to remember to go at the speed of the child (or whatever age the student is, adults included), this is part of the no pressure as we all learn at different speeds. We can develop these high hopes especially in starting them so young, that if they can just do a little bit everyday, they will be soaring through Book 1 by the time they are 3. It might be a possibility, but it's not worth having deadlines or expectations on a 2 year old. They have always taken their time, from smiling to sitting to crawling, walking and talking, and will continue to learn things in their own time. All we can do is model and encourage and support.
I continue to support my daughter when she practices her twinkle variations (even though she still won't say Ti Ti Sh Ti correctly and refuses to say Mississippi Mississippi because Mississippi Hotdog is better).
I encourage her every time she practices a bow, even if it's when I'm trying to get us out the door, or when she picks up her violin with the worst posture and sweetly plays and sings twinkle little star.
As a perfectionist, I have to remind myself that she does not need to do every detail perfectly. As long as she is enjoying the process, enjoying learning, and finding joy in music, that is what matters and that is what keeps me going and her. As long as I continue to model, I know she will one day add that last Ti to Ti Ti Sh Ti (oh please I hope so!).
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