Parent Ed Event Recap - January 30th

Thank you so much to the group of parents who made it out to last nights Parent Ed Event. My public speaking skills are a continued work in progress as I always feel my plans and rehearsals of my talks seem more profound than how they come across in the moment. Regardless, I really appreciate you all taking the time to listen to the things I have to say and share, and sharing some of your own thoughts and ideas. That's really what these events are all about. To those of you unable to attend last nights event as well as those who did, here is a recap of what we talked about.

First, we watched this video from SECE Teacher in Toronto Lenni Jabour. Everything that we are trying to establish in the Small Steps Music Class for children 0-3 are the same concepts we are encouraging in the violin studio (just on a different cuteness level!)



I am so excited to be running a full Small Steps music class for Parents, Babies and Toddlers Thursdays at 10:30 at my place. If you know of any new babies or toddlers, please tell the moms and dads about this great opportunity - for more information CLICK HERE!

Keep your eyes peeled for Group Class dates as they will be somewhat sporadic over the next two months because of Family Day, March Break and Easter. I don't like having this inconsistency, but looking ahead, next years schedule seems to level out a bit. Please don't head out to Group Class before confirming that there is a class!

The use of electronics in the lesson is rising. Using voice memos has become a great tool to send home exactly how a practice chunk should be played eliminating things lost in translation. The use of tuner and metronome apps are also going to be needed as we head into our upcoming challenges of working on intonation and tempo. Get organized and create a music folder on your devices that hold all your practice essentials. If you haven't already, check out the cool features of the app Anytune.

Everyone received the AVS Fund annual report (please ask me for a copy if needed). I am asking for donations (musical or non) to this years fundraising at the March 4th Recital. If there is something convenient that you could contribute, whether it's a donation from work (gift cards?), a musical trinket, or a fun kid item you have laying around. We've had some beautiful homemade musical art contributed in the past or even an older student donating babysitting hours or practice time for younger students. I would love to hear of any ideas you might have to enhance this years raffle.

January 23rd - First Group Class of 2018!

We have made it to the first group class of 2018!

There is a lot in store for today's class with games that include posture check in's, listening for mistakes and knowing what the practice spots are in our Suzuki pieces.

Upcoming events include:

An early PARENT ED Event NEXT WEEK on January 30th. 

Fiddle Class Registration is also available and due February 3rd.

Our next Recital is Sunday March 4th at 2:00.

We have a couple challenges at class which include the following:

What does INTONATION mean?

Do you know all the bowings to Two Grenadiers?

We will be focusing on these over the next few weeks.

I'm also checking in with everyone and their LISTENING HABITS. There is such a change in how we listen to music. From records, to tapes, to CD's, to everything being digital. How do you listen to music and how do you make it convenient to listen to music everyday?

I have been working on getting into a listening routine with Maggie which has consisted on making sure our music is available on multiple devices and organized into playlists. Then it's picking consistent times of the day that certain listening will get done. We have our classical Suzuki music that we listen to daily (normally at lunch time), our baby class music that we listen to in the car as it helps when we are feeling fussy, and then new music that we try out in the evenings to see if we like it.

SPOTIFY RECOMMENDATION: 
If you use Spotify, this weeks recommendation is to check out Liz Carroll's album Lake Effect. Maggie was dancing around to this last night... too cute!

That's all the updates for this week. Happy Practicing!

The Next Generation Leahy

Our first AVS Fund performance opportunity was a success!

(AND on a side note - PLEASE REMEMBER there is NO GROUP CLASS TOMORROW Jan. 16th)

On Wednesday December 13th, a few students joined me to see The Next Generation Leahy perform at the London Music Hall. I think everyone who attended left with motivation and a sense of possibility. Children learn so much from one another and it is such a unique opportunity for young children to see other young children perform on such a grand scale. It also goes to show really what living and breathing music daily can do to our abilities. The few minutes we set aside in our lives for music is just the start. Under different circumstances and different lifestyles, the object of daily practice turns into something spectacular. Get inspired to practice and watch below some of what we saw back in December!

 

I am on the look out for other great opportunities to send students too. Let me know if you come across anything in the area. In the meantime, keep listening to the music you love and invest some time in checking out some incredible youtube artists (such as Lindsey Sterling, The Piano Guys, Bailey Pelkman) to keep your motivation going through this dreadful cold.

A New Year Begins...

This little monster is ready to run!

The kids are back at school... sort of... I'm assuming many were left at home today. We've lost the dreadful cold but the snow has been constant. The magic of snow always dwindles as the holidays come to a close and the next few months just seem to drag on. It's hard to pull ourselves through this time of year but filling the day with things we enjoy and love is the best we can do to get through.

For me, this starts with music. We are going to be talking lots about listening as we get back into lessons. However you listen to music, get it playing throughout your entire house. Listen to what you know and love and listen to something entirely different. Listen while you work, while the kids play, while you have your meals and when you just need to sit and relax for a couple minutes.

Next, plan some fun things to do in the week. Especially if you have little ones, even on the worst weather days, getting out for just a few minutes can make all the difference. It's important to have things to look forward to in a week, for ourselves and for kids.

With that in mind, lessons will be up and running again next week so I look forward to seeing everyone back at their lessons starting January 15th and Group Class on January 23rd.

Registration is also available for 

Small Steps Music Class & Fiddle Class!

Small Steps Music Class is back for two Winter/Spring Sessions running Thursdays at 10:30.
For more information CLICK HERE and to register CLICK HERE!

Winter Fiddle Class will start back on Saturday February 3rd from 1:00-2:00.
CLICK HERE for class dates and to register.

All class registration links can always be found in the right column on the website.

A Reflection on 2017

Thank you all for a wonderful Holiday Recital. Things ran so smoothly despite the number of different groups performing and the new things we tried to do. Our Ceilidh group class was so much fun playing our favourite songs and visiting with one another. Such a great way to end 2017.

How old are you Maggie?

Looking back on where I was and who I was last year at this time, my life has changed in more ways than it has stayed the same. Although this change has been incredible it has also been a challenge, both physically and mentally.

I see Margaret approach huge milestones on a weekly basis. As adults, our milestones of growth stretch out over years and decades. As I approach one of these milestones in just over a month, I've been reflecting a lot and setting goals for the future. This has been daunting.

Just as I tell my students that learning never stops, that even though we have done something one way for so long does not mean that we stop growing or stop learning. We can always learn to do things better, to practice more proficiently and to listen more intently. This is continuing education, a lifetime of learning and something I want to give focus to in 2018.

Before I take a break for the Holidays, I'm starting my plans for the New Year and making lists of new things I want to try and improve at. It can be all too easy to get lost in the everyday busyness and forget to really notice if what we are filling are days with are really the things that make us happy. Making the decision to do something different even if just for 5 or 10 minutes a day can make all the difference in the world and positively influence every area of our lives. The strong bent thumb challenge has reminded me of the importance of the "one point lesson" and that simplicity is key for making these changes possible.

As we approach the holidays, stop to see the young ones in awe of this time of year. Get out into the cold for an adventure and relax with the people who mean the most to you. Share your music with family and friends and keep the holidays simple.

I look forward to seeing everyone back in 2018 starting private lessons on January 15th and group class on January 23rd.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Recital: Sunday December 3rd at 2:00

Important Recital Information

Arrival Time - no later than 1:45

Dress Code - comfortable, festive, etc.
All friends & family welcome!

This is a fun yet difficult recital to arrange and perform in. There is a different energy from the performers when we play together rather than individually, not to mention that little bit of magic from this time of year. I have seen students take on leadership roles preparing for this recital, fine tune duet parts, learn brand new pieces, work on tricky practice spots and take care to play together with their peers. I look forward to seeing how these ensembles unfold.

New for this recital is the "A Star Wars Sleigh Ride" ensemble. Two great tunes mashed into one. Everyone learned the Star Wars theme in MINUTES!

The Small Steps Music Class will sing their compositions at this recital. You'll see kids from 5 months to 3 years old on stage showing off their skills!

Although there is no fiddle class for this recital, Alison and I are excited to feature a fiddle set of some of our favourite tunes. Hopefully we'll inspire some students to get the class up and running again in the new year!

Keep playing, keep practicing and keeping finding those SBT's and big bows to the frog! See you all on Sunday.

Fall Parent Ed Night 2017 Recap

Last Tuesday was our Parent Ed Night. Thank you to all the parents for your ideas and for chatting with me about Amy's Violin School and all things practice related. For those of you unable to attend, here is what we talked about:

The NEW Credit/Debit Payments seem to be going smoothly. Although this is still technically a trial run for me, I am enjoying the convenience as well. We will see how it all works out by the end of the school year. 

Make note in your calendar of the TWO WEEKS MARCH BREAK that I am taking this year. There will be NO Lessons from March 12th-24th. This week is made up for at the end of the school year (June 4th - 9th),

It's almost been a year!

Even though I have a no makeup policy for lessons, I still like to try to make up any missed student lessons if I am able. I have been feeling very inflexible lately and have not been able to make up lessons as I have in the past. Bear with me as I work through this transitional stage of working while having an almost 1 year old.

I'm looking for a great performance opportunity that all the students could go to! I'm keeping my eyes pealed for something unique. If you see that a great band or performer is playing in the city, please let me know. 

On to the Parent Ed Quiz:

How often should practice happen?
- we all unanimously said EVERYDAY/DAILY

What should the duration of practice be?
- although we agreed that this can depend on the child and the age of the child, it's more important to focus not so much on the duration of the practice, but the quality of the practice. If practice is focused and specific and done in small steps, you can accomplish a lot more in a shorter amount of time.

Why is review so important to developing our skills?
- establishes the foundation for developing new skills. Through developing this thorough mastery of pieces, we can find a different level of joy in playing pieces well. This in turn builds confidence and understanding and cements those basic skills.

How do you encourage repetitions to young children and/or teenagers/adults?
- make the repetitions small and specific. From counting fingers and beads, filling in charts, collecting stickers, the creative possibilities are endless for young children. Sometimes just the fact that they can hear themselves improving is enough to keep them repeating. For teenagers and adults however, we can start to loose the joy of repetitions. Even when we know how to do them and why we need to do them, it can be hard to actually implement them. Setting goals and small rewards for ourselves can go a long way. When we have something that we are working towards it forces us to look at the task and not just put it on our list of things we will get to, but to make a plan and execute it. Plus, there's nothing wrong with having a warm cup of coffee or a baked treat (something small that you enjoy) to reward ourselves for a job well done.

Why is listening so important to learning the violin?
- to develop our ears, pitch, to understand the repertoire and to understand the instrument.

What skills blossom through attending group class?
- performing, confidence, friendship, motivation, respect, leadership, teamwork, ensemble, listening, patience.

Fill in the Blank Quotes:

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Every Child Can Learn.

Environment Nurtures Growth.

Parental Involvement is Critical.

You should only practice on the days you eat.

Character first, ability second.

Knowledge is not skill. Knowledge plus 10,000 times is skill.

The fate of a child is in the hands of his parents.

Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens. If children hear find music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.