Off to Minneapolis

I'm off to Minneapolis tomorrow until Monday. Please feel free to continue to send me any e-mails, including signing up for summer lessons and practice questions. 

I also wanted to tell you all that because of the incredible turnout at the past two silent auctions, the money raised is covering the majority of this trip. This is because of all of you and your continued support and generosity. Thank you all so much for the contributions that continue to make the Thames Valley Suzuki School an incredible growing community. I hope to bring back some unique violin trinkets from the many exhibits that will be at the conference. If there is anything specific you may be looking for your child, please let me know and I'll see what I can find. Thank you again.

One other big announcement is please notice my name change on the registration forms.
My new name is Amy Barten. 
Please make the 12 monthly postdated cheques out to this name.

I also have a new e-mail on the registration; amybarten5@gmail.com. 
Please make this change in your contacts list. I will have both e-mails open for a while, but get into the habit now of the new address so there won't be any confusion when I do close the account.

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend. One year ago yesterday (May 19th), Steve and I got married on just as sunny and warm a day. I am truly convinced that the older we get, the faster time flies. Each year that passes seems to get shorter and shorter. It is so easy to get caught up in the stresses of the day and forget all the moments that really truly matter and all the people in our lives that make every hard day worth getting through. I prescribe that on the next sunny day we have, to take your family and enjoy some time outside just being together. Leave the electronics at home and enjoy everyone just as they are. These moments are the ones that will stick with us and will make our relationships stronger.

See everyone in a week!

Summer Lesson Schedule

Registration is ready this week! All registration is due June 1st. 

The 12 cheques must be made out to Amy Barten.

The $50 registration fee must be made out to Thames Valley Suzuki School.

Everyone gets two summer lessons included in their tuition. All other summer lessons are $25 per half hour, or if you sign up for three or more, they are only $18 per half hour.

Here are the dates and times available for summer lessons. There will be a sign-up sheet in lesson. Feel free to send me an e-mail with requests.

Summer Schedule

Wednesday June 18th 9:00-11:30, 3:00-7:00

Thursday June 26th 2:00-7:00

Thursday July 10th 2:00-7:00

Wednesday July 16th 9:00-11:30, 3:00-7:00

Thursday July 24th 9:00-11:30, 3:00-7:00

Wednesday August 6th 9:00-11:30, 3:00-7:00

Thursday August 14th 9:00-11:30, 3:00-7:00

Wednesday August 20th 9:00-11:30, 3:00-7:00

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Super Moms! 

You are all such incredible models, especially when times are tough. 

Never give up and always keep trying. As long as you try, you are giving your children the best childhood possible. 

Enjoy the day with your families as they appreciate all that you do even if they don't always say it or seem to show it enough. 

You are never alone. You are always loved. 

Are you ready for the year end recital?

1) Listening: As in any performance situation, listening to everyone perform shows respect and is a skill we want even the youngest to develop. Whether sitting in the pews or waiting to play on stage, with parent or without, everyone is expected to use their best listening ears.

2) Dress: The dress code for this recital is red TVSS t-shirt and black bottoms.

3) Preparedness: Please review the recital set list that was posted a couple weeks ago to make sure your child knows all the pieces they will be playing, and what the first piece is they will be playing (the most advanced to twinkle). Also be singing the Japanese song Wishing at home. Enjoy the process of trying to figure out the Japanese words best you can.


I thought this video was great; maybe some of you can relate to the boy who just can't stand still! There are a few other videos of Wishing on youtube, however I thought this one demonstrates some great Suzuki parenting and support!

4) Arrival: Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the recital start. Any later and there is a sense of urgency upon entering the church, and we want everyone relaxed, focused, and to have enough time to get tuned and find their spot in the pews. Late arrivals not only make everyone else tense but is disrespectful to everyone who planned to arrive on time and now have to accommodate the late comers. Don't let this be you.

5) Departure: Attendance throughout the entire recital is mandatory. Not only do we not want you to miss anything, but please show respect to your teachers and fellow class mates to support the work they have done to get this performance ready and to socialize with friends who you may not see all summer during the reception! Little ones who need a time out, please feel free to take them outside the recital area, but always come back in. A child who thinks they can fuss and then gets to leave the recital, will always fuss and never learn to wait and listen.

6) Opportunity: As discussed in group class, wonderful photographer and mother Priya McHardie will have a booth available at the recital to sign-up to get some musical photos done of your kids. A portion of the money she earns she has graciously offered to put towards or Minneapolis trip this May. Priya was the photographer on my wedding day last May, and is wonderful working with kids and really caters to what you are looking for. Thank you Priya for your support of the Thames Valley Suzuki School!

Visit Priya's Website to see some of her work here.

7) Gratitude: Thank you to all the parents and students for another wonderful year. From incredible Play Challenge participation, to horrible sicknesses, the start of Fiddle Class and our Focus on Review month, everyone has worked hard and grown so much over the course of the year. I wish everyone luck as they finish off the school year, I look forward to hearing about everyone's summer plans, and cannot wait to continue learning with everyone in the Fall (my favourite time of year!)

The Art of Rehearsals

What you get at these last few group classes before the recital is what rehearsals are all about. A lot of waiting, changed minds, moving around, and times where it seems like not much is happening, but the work being done is what will make all the difference on the recital day.

Despite the musical things that may have been lacking at rehearsal because of technical and visual decisions, so many non-musical skills are being developed during this time; patience, respect, discipline, self-control, endurance... These skills are so important and the development of them these days is hard to come by in such a fast paced world.

It can be common with children at such young ages to loose their patience and a lot of "be quiet"'s will be said. However, I thought everyone has been listening, waiting quietly, and mostly paying attention through all of the rehearsals. This is very impressive.

I will be inquiring with everyone shortly about make-up lessons. Technically the week after the year end recital is a no lesson week. However, since I will be in Minneapolis for a few days I will be using that week to make up the lessons I will have to cancel. 

Also, if you were part of the Wednesday or Saturday lessons that I cancelled in January for illness, these will be made up at the end of the year on Wednesday June 4th and Saturday June 7th. Then we are on Summer Schedule! Check out the dates posted on the Calendar to start planning you summer.

Registration for Summer, Fiddle and September will be ready the middle of May!

I hope everyone had a nice and sunny Easter Weekend!

Focus on Review Month

One of the incredible things about learning through the Suzuki method in which other methods do not offer, is the ability to play any piece at the drop of a hat. Suzuki students when trained correctly are able to play any review piece at any time, without music and without preparation.

Welcome to our Focus on Review Month!

This past week everyone was put to an on the spot performance of a random review piece. We spoke about musical elements such as tone, notes, intonation, bowings, articulation, dynamics and musicality. Isn't it incredible the amount of things happening when we play a piece of music? And we haven't even mentioned posture! As musicians, we become incredible multi-taskers by paying attention to so many things at once.

During the next two weeks, everyone's job is to focus on their assigned review book that they chose in lesson, and be able to perform any of those pieces with clarity and confidence and by demonstrating the musical elements discussed on the evaluation form (there may just be an Easter treat at the end for everyone's hard work!)

"Listening until we can remember is not enough. We must listen until we cannot forget." - Shinichi Suzuki

Let's also include... 

"Playing until we can remember is not enough. We must play until we cannot forget."

Please continue to play and listen to all of your pieces. Let's strive to thoroughly master everything we learn so that we may never forget. Then our hard work has truly paid off. No matter what path you choose in life, you will always have the ability to play the violin, have numerous pieces you can play well and it will be a joy you will carry with you your entire life.

Recital Set List

Here is the set list as discussed at group of the pieces we will be playing at the year end recital on Sunday May 4th at 3:00. 

Please be sure to give these some focus during your regular practice time so that everyone is playing their best come recital day.

Advanced

Suzuki's Prelude & Berceuse/Carpenter's Song

Book 3

Gavotte in D+

Gavotte in G-

Book 2

Gavotte from Mignon

Hunter's Chorus

Book 1

Minuet 2

Etude

Andantino

Long Long Ago

Song of the Wind

Lightly Row

Ti Ti Sh Ti

Twinkle Theme

Wishing (song in Japanese) - please review these words

I will have copies available in lesson for those who need it.

We will be discussing over the next few weeks who might be playing duet parts during the recital. Stay tuned and keep playing!

Also, please try on your red t-shirts from last year as this will be the dress code for the recital.

The Saturday Fiddle Club group will also be doing a performance to showcase what has been learned in class! 

Didn't get a chance to participate in the Fiddle Club? 

Interested in a summer camp? 

Check your calendars for July 7th-12th 2014.

Attend a week long camp (1.5-2hrs in the morning) for the chance to immerse yourself in traditional fiddle music and dance as well as learn more about music theory, rhythm, sight reading, time and key signatures, and hopefully the chance to perform within the community!

Registration available soon!