Parent Ed Night Fall 2019 Recap

Thank you Suzuki Parents for a great discussion last night! You submitted some important questions and as a whole had some informative answers. Thank you for your continued support in Amy's Violin School and in your child's music education. Your involvement is key to your child's success and is what makes this such an amazing Suzuki Music Community.

Here is a recap of what we spoke about last along with a few other ideas we maybe didn't get to. Use these as reference when needed and also seek out advise from your teacher and other parents when practice struggles inevitably happen.

1. How can I make practicing an advanced technique (or any technique) exciting for my child?

• not everything we work on should be exciting. It is important to let kids struggle and even fail. Technique takes time and we all want immediate results which is what can make the process of learning technique frustrating.
• repetition/progress charts are great as tangible evidence of our work over a period of time. From this, we realize what it takes to see growth and how much effort it takes.
• videoing our practice can also keep us motivated. Even though we sometimes can't see the differences we make week to week, keeping a video record can give us a true perspective of our progress.

2. It's easy to stay motivated to practice during studio challenges. How can I keep this going once the challenges are done?

• set up your own family challenge, something specific that your child needs to work on
• discuss these with your teacher so they can support your child's efforts towards a certain goal
• studio challenges are designed to inspire students to look at their practice in a different way. Not every child is motivated by each challenge. Some are really motivated. Pick and choose what you think will work for your family based on what we have tried in the studio.

3. How do I encourage my child to not rush through practice & how long should a student practice?

(these questions were not together when we discussed them, but I think go hand in hand. If practice is being done correctly, rushing shouldn't be much of an issue).

• there are many reasons a student might rush practice such as: it's fun to play fast, they are not sure what to practice or how to practice it, they are distracted, they want to get to their next activity for the day, etc.
• the main way to eliminate rushing is being clear on exactly what to practice and how to practice it. This normally then determines how long practice will be.
• if a student is still playing pieces or practice spots too fast, try setting a metronome or setting a timer saying that practice will be done after so many minutes but only if practiced slowly and accurately. 
• THE LONG ANSWER to how long a student should practice: Picture two students are the same age, playing the same piece and both practice for 30 minutes. The first student does run through after run through for 30 minutes while the other student takes out just the tricky parts and repeats them over and over again until they sound better. Which student am I going to be happy with their efforts when they come to lesson? 
• Run throughs are fun, but they aren't necessarily practice - they are just playing. When we have the discipline to tackle specifically the problem spots of the piece and do them over and over again, we are practicing productively. A lot of times, we are getting a lot more accomplished in a shorter amount of time as well because small repetition spots take a lot less time to play, even a bunch of times, then playing through our entire piece. It's the quality of the practice that is important and not the quantity.
• THE SHORT ANSWER to how long a student should practice: a very young beginner can start with 1 minute of focused practice. This is a success. If you can repeat this success and make it a habit and consistent, then you can grow from that. Students in Book 1&2 should be practicing around 30 minutes, Books 3&4 30-60 minutes and Books 5+ 60 minutes or more. This is still age dependent and practice sessions may need to be split up throughout the day to get everything done.

4. What should my parent role be in my teenagers musical life? How can I still be involved and yet respect their independence?

• Inquire, ask questions (and try asking them in different ways), show up, be available, and have one on one moments regular with them doing something you both enjoy.
• Even if you do all the things above, your teenager still might groan, tell you to stop nagging them, to leave them alone, say they don't want you there, etc. They have that right and they have the right to make mistakes and to fail.
• By always showing an interest and by showing up, no matter how much they push you away, they know that you will be there when they need you. When they are struggling they will know that they can come to you, not necessarily to fix their problems for them, but to support them in their struggles and to offer them guidance and support. This will carry this on into their adult life where one day they truly realize just how amazing you have always been!

5. When should we listen to the Suzuki recordings?

• daily - build a routine and a habit out of it, always turning it on at the same time or during the same activity.
• in the background, in the car, during meals, play, homework, bedtime, etc.

6. What are some ways to make practicing more convenient?

• setting a schedule that works for the student and the family and then commit to it.
• invest in a violin stand so that the violin is always out are ready to be played
• knowing exactly what you are going to play and practice can make picking it up and getting it done a lot simpler than sorting through practice charts and sheet music
• HAVE A PLAN AND COMMIT! 

7. Some weeks of practice go great and other weeks it goes horrible. Despite keeping things consistent, why can practice productivity fluctuate so much?

• because we are human. Our moods change, we get sick, we plateau, we just don't feel like it, the weather changes, we change! It's not always going to be easy and we need to learn how to ride the waves of progress in everything we do, not just violin practice.
• we develop strength, discipline and learn a lot more about ourselves when we can push through those times that our progress slows. 

8. Why should I recommend the Suzuki method over other traditional methods of learning the violin?

• the Suzuki method educates the whole child, not just their musical abilities.
• through listening and review, students develop an incredible ear for music. This makes playing the violin or any instrument they choose a very natural process. Because a student is able to play by ear, they develop a vast repertoire of pieces that they can play off the top of their head because they don't need to rely on sheet music. This is an incredibly free and fun way to play. 
• the skills learned through developing practice skills on the violin can be transfered to developing any skill because of how practice spots are broken down into small manageable pieces. 
• The Suzuki method, from birth, gives children the skills they will need and use in preschool, elementary, high school and essentially life.

Lightening the Load & Changing My Mindset - Some Thoughts Before Parent Ed Night!

I've had certain expectations since before my daughter was born as to how my life would be with a child. And although many things have exceeded my expectations, some things remain unseen.

The expectation that had been weighing on me is that I would soar through early pre-twinkle lessons on the violin with my daughter (she teased me by giving me a glimpse of readiness at 18 months - what I've since realized was it was me who wasn't ready).

What I began to place the blame on was the fact that just as all the kids I've worked with in my life have been different and unique, so is my daughter. My daughter is also too wise and knows that I am a parent who is a violin teacher and not just a parent who is teaching her the violin. And there is also some genetics in there in which I hated when my own mother tried to teach me anything (she would use her "teacher voice" instead of her mom voice and I couldn't stand it! -  and now I probably do the same!).

It was far too easy to find something blame, and it was too easy to place the blame on my own daughter and I knew this wasn't right. But knowing this didn't lighten the load, it just created more frustration. Even when I realized the only person truly to blame was myself, knowing this was really just an excuse because the reasons don't really matter. What does matter is that my daughter loves music. Her face lights up when she hears me play and any time she hears the violin she asks if it is me. She is interested in so many different instruments, sings at the top of her lungs and is so creative in coming up with new ways to sing songs. She loves watching others play their instruments and always wants to be a part of lessons, group classes and recitals.

I try to remind myself daily that just because my daughter may not be taking the steps I expect her to or know she is fully capable of, does not mean that she is not taking the right steps for her. We can encourage and help anyone to take steps in a certain direction, but ultimately that individual will decide when and if they will actually take those steps and it may be in a completely different direction than what we thought.

It was only when I stopped MY EXPECTATIONS of my daughter and let her approach the violin naturally and in her own way that we both started to enjoy the process of practice more. Combining the role of Suzuki Teacher and Mother has been harder than I thought and I forget to tell myself sometimes the things I would tell my Suzuki Parents if they were in a similar situation. Not only did my daughter need to be ready to start practice everyday, but I needed to be ready for that commitment. That also meant committing to a lot of days that would not go as planned and knowing that this was okay.

Once I changed MY MINDSET on practicing with my daughter and realized that it's not going to look like how I work with other kids in lesson, we started to be able to practice everyday. Keep in mind some of these days are literally only 1 minute of practice and some days we don't even touch the violin, but we practice something from our music book together and we try to enjoy every minute. The time commitment we have made to one another has been incredible, especially on the few days when she asks and reminds me it is time to practice!

Our expectations of our kids are just that, our expectations. OUR expectations of OUR kids in OUR lives. But our kids have their own lives from the minute they are born and grow to have their own expectations. Expectations of us, themselves and of the world around them. We can grow to rely on expectations too much and they begin to define who we are or who we think we should be. If we can stop focusing so much on the end result and more on the day to day and the journey and the everyday choices we make, I think we will all end up some place greater than our original expectations of the future.

Getting Back into Shape - Announcements to Start the Year Off

I've been out of shape mentally and physically throughout the summer - this pregnancy is taking it's toll on me and although I am grateful everyday for the chance to have a 2nd baby, I look forward to the day when my body is once again MINE!

I am so glad to be getting back to work and routine and putting my mind on something else. For those getting back to work or school, this time of year is all about creating new habits or getting back to old habits - for both parents and kids! We'll be working on this over the next few weeks.

My family has multiple charts and calendars around our house delegating practice and exercise routines. This way we are all on the same page and accountable to one another in what we want to accomplish each day. If it's not planned out, nothing ever happens!

If you have not looked at the REVISED Calendar of Events I sent out with the news of my pregnancy, you can request a PDF by sending me an email or you can access all dates HERE at any time.

I have also been enjoying using Instagram the past couple years and will be posting updates on lessons, practice, important dates and the pregnancy. You can follow me @amysviolinschool.

Announcements:

1. We are undergoing some kitchen renovations so please be prepared to park on the street when you arrive for lessons if the driveway is full of trucks.

2. FIDDLE CLASS will be starting Tuesday September 17th after Group Class and you can find the registration HERE.

3. This week in lesson you will find out about our NEW 100 Day Challenge - this is all about getting in your practice days! But not to worry - if for some reason you can't get in a day or two, you have the opportunity to earn makeup/extra points as well as try and beat your fellow violinists on a race to 100 days!

Celtic Shift Show this Saturday June 8th

We've reached the final week of regular lessons! After this week I will be on summer schedule. As always, I will be around through the summer to answer any questions or tuning of instruments that is needed. Just let me know!

If you haven't already seen my post on Instagram - Celtic Shift and I will be playing at Moose Lodge this Saturday June 8th. There will be many guest performances including students from the Winter 2019 Fiddle Class!

I have a few spots remaining for summer lessons if you haven't already picked your times or if you would like to come for more lessons - please inquire.

Also, registration for 2019-2020 Violin Lessons is due the end of June - please get these in ASAP so I can confirm everyone's preferred lesson times. Thank you!

Slow but Steady

Regardless of if we are practicing the violin, piano or dance, building our endurance for a sport or a new skill at work, we all experience times when it feels like our progress has plateaued.

It is so easy to loose our motivation and start believing that we are doing something wrong or that we just can't do it.

But our potential is UNLIMITED and the only thing standing in our way is US!

I see students once a week for a private lesson, so I get a true glimpse as to how a student sounded last week as compared to the current week. If they practiced everyday, I can almost always hear improvement even if the student can't. Sometimes the progress can go slow enough that the student doesn't notice. When practice starts to dwindle however and motivation is lost because of a lack of progress, things come to a grinding halt.

Slow but steady wins the race - and wins at life.

Not only should we practice patience and allow ourselves some time to grow and develop a new skill, but we can exercise our creativity and try to approach the problem at hand in a different way. When we do this, not only do we create motivation to persevere, but a lot of times we find answers that were not presenting themselves initially and we encourage the progress that we are lacking.

Here are some suggestions of ways to shake things up when you need time to train your muscles for a new skill and to get back to progress, no matter how small:

Pre-twinklers:

• repetition charts to colour/sticker
• collecting beads/pennies/marbles in a jar for repetitions
• paper chains for repetitions
• bead counters
• put a puzzle together one repetition = 1 puzzle piece at a time
• cherrios for repetitions (make a necklace/bracelet for an after practice snack!)
• simple prizes/incentives for big repetition goals (100+)
• read a page in a book for each repetition
• make up stories/imagery that go along with the skill being developed

Kids:

• many of the same as above, adjusted for their interests and what specifically motivates them
• be a detective and discover multiple ways of practicing one spot
• using electronics to independently tackle practice spots
• play with the recording or multiple recordings
• work on the skill at hand by using review pieces
• split practice into 2-3 smaller sessions
• practice at a different time of day
• practice in a different room

Teenagers/Adults:

• many of the same as above, adjusted for their interests and what specifically motivates them
• personal incentives and goal setting
• learning from others (online videos, going to workshops/recitals, etc.)
• recording practice and watching it back
• seeking help, advice, support from teachers and peers
• teaching others

Always speak to your teacher about practice concerns and strategies. The possibilities of how to practice in order to see progress are endless! It's about finding out what works specifically for you. Choose not to stand still but to keep moving forward toward where you want to go. Get to work!

WISHING!

I love finding this video each year to share as it represents exactly what the Suzuki method is in teaching children so young about music and the violin. Take a look and consider the following concepts while watching:

1. Parental Involvement

2. Positive Modeling

3. Encouragement

4. A Rich Learning Environment

5. Musicality



Even though the little ones may be silly and loose their focus often, what an accomplishment everyday is in what we ask of them and expect from them! As we prepare this vocal song along with many other pieces for the Year End Recital, remember to enjoy this process and every journey with your child(ren). It's these moments of being present that truly make our lives matter as parents and as human beings.

Ready for Spring

I've been getting ready for Spring and around here that means planning for the Year End Recital and the Winter Fiddle Class Show!

Here's what you need to know:

Final Reminder that Lessons resume NEXT WEEK on March 25th, and the next Group Class is Tuesday March 26th.

The remaining Group Classes are as follows:

March 26th

April 2nd  - Show & Tell

April 9th - Partial Rehearsal

April 16th - Mandatory Rehearsal

April 30th - Mandatory Rehearsal

Year End Recital is Sunday May 5th at 2:00 

at Siloam United Church.

Please check your closets for your Amy's Violin School T-shirts as they are the dress code for this recital along with black bottoms. Need a shirt or a new size? You can find the t-shirts in lesson for $15.

Here is the (tentative) repertoire we will be playing at the Year End Recital:

Twinkle Theme

Lollipop

Song of the Wind

Long Long Ago

Minuet 3

Hunter's Chorus

Waltz

Minuet 3 with Minor

Seitz #1

Perpetual Motion

Wishing

Also featuring:
Winter 2019 Fiddle Class
Small Steps Class
Skip to My Lou Round
Pretwinkles - Mississippi Hotdog
Advanced Ensemble - Shallow

Students are responsible for playing all of the pieces that they know along with any assigned harmony parts and additional ensembles. Please start practicing your repertoire NOW! Everyone will perform Wishing together - more details soon.

Parent Ed Recap

Thanks for a great Parent Ed Night this past week!

Here's a recap of what we talked about:

FUNdraising! 

Our March Recital includes a chance to support Amy's Violin School through purchasing raffle tickets & candy grams. Everything is officially ready to go this week in lesson so please check out this year's raffle prizes and think about who you would like to send a candy gram to in group class (class lists are available). Tickets are $1 each or 6/$5.

All money raised goes towards:

• lowering/covering the cost of extra events
• covering accompanist fees for all students 
• purchasing instruments and materials for group and fiddle classes
• having musical prizes to inspire hard work

7 Suzuki Concepts (from birth & beyond)

Every Child Can Learn

Environment Nurtures Growth

Ability Develops Early

Children Learn from One Another

Success Breeds Success

Parent Involvement is Essential

Encouragement is Critical

These are great daily reminders for not just how we can teach children music and the violin, but how children and those of all ages learn anything well.

Readiness

I am constantly challenged (in a good way!) by my youngest students and their parents.

Every child is different and every child learns in his/her own way and in their own time. This means that every single lesson, with every beginner child, can be completely different. The product and intention is the same, but how it is executed has everything to do with the child and parent dynamic.

Over the years I've searched for a magic formula for both myself and parents that will bring success to every lesson and practice. But when dealing with children so young, the missing ingredient is sometimes readiness. If the stage has been set and the parent is encouraging, modelling and observing, if they are playing the recording and establishing daily practice at home, all we can do is keep encouraging and wait for the child to be ready.

This is the Suzuki method and this is parenting.

We teach our babies to walk and talk not by nagging them about it or demanding they practice right now OR ELSE! We constantly encourage and praise and love them whether they make 10 steps across the room or just one. We wait for our children to say mama or dada for the first time. We have no control over when they will be ready to do these skills. All we do have control over is the environment we set for them and the amount of encouragement, praise and support we give them.

Although I remind my parents of young ones this as much as I can, I very easily forget to remind myself of this in my own life. I get discouraged easily when things do not play out how I imagine them to go and it becomes all to easy to say that practice or whatever activity just isn't going to happen today because it isn't happening how was is intended to. Sometimes it's not just about is the child ready for practice, but is the PARENT. 

When we can be realistic about our expectations as parents, rather than just giving up and feeling guilty that the day didn't go as planned, we can be strategic and set the best example for our kids, and the best mentality for ourselves. When I find I get off track, I stop and remember these two strategies:

1. Improvise and start with the absolute minimum - just because it's not what I planned, doesn't mean nothing can get done. It's better to do even the smallest amount rather than nothing at all.

2. Don't be so hard on myself - at the end of the day, if a practice session was missed, I CHOOSE to not beat myself up about it, and to just get back into routine tomorrow.

I think these two strategies are important whether we are parents of a 2 year old or parents of a teenager. They are even important whether we are an individual adult or teenager (with parental guidance) setting our own personal goals in violin or in life.

With that in mind, let's get ready for 2019 Violin Lessons! Looking forward to seeing you all next week and setting some goals for the NEW YEAR!

What Did You Accomplish in 2018?

I am constantly trying to find a balance between being in the present and working towards the future and this year I have pulled my life apart and developed a new understanding of what I have, who I am, what I've been through and where I'm headed.

Just like when we were talking about motivation in class, when there are things in my life I know I have to do and should do especially if it involves others, that is the motivation itself and it gets done. When it comes to finding motivation to do something just for me, that is something else entirely. As much as my two year old little monster has motivated me initially to make some changes, I am finding commitment and an inner motivation to keep going with personal challenges.

As I look back on the year, here are some of the things I am so grateful to have been present for:

• Seeing Margaret be a One Year Old
• Went to Newfoundland and climbed Gros Morne Mountain
• Performed incredible shows with the Fiddle Class and Celtic Shift
• Ran 2 half marathons
• Completed a 16km Tough Mudder Obstacle Course
• Started REALLY practicing violin, piano and step again with new strategies and goals in mind (this has been a game changer - check out some clips of what I've been working on on Instagram).

Look back at YOUR year, last month, or even the last week or day. Are you making time to do all the things that mean something to you? It is always possible and it is importantly possible. What small changes can you make to do something you've always wanted to do but put at the bottom of the list? When we better ourselves, we better the lives of our children.

Happy New Year! Let's see what we can accomplish in 2019!