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.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
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:
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:
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.
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
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.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
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:
7 Suzuki Concepts (from birth & beyond)
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.
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.
Saturday, January 12, 2019
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!
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!
Tuesday, January 01, 2019
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:
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).
Happy New Year! Let's see what we can accomplish in 2019!
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
As the final week of lessons for 2019 comes to a close, here are a few details to keep in mind as we enter the New Year:
LESSONS start back the week of January 14th, 2019.
The first GROUP CLASS of 2019 is Tuesday January 22nd, the week after lessons resume.
The next RECITAL is Sunday March 3rd at 2:00 - this recital features the purchase of raffle tickets and candy grams to support the school and promote this community of musicians.
If you need violins tuned over the Holidays please let me know, I am around.
As always, keep playing so we can pick up where we left off in the New Year!
LESSONS start back the week of January 14th, 2019.
The first GROUP CLASS of 2019 is Tuesday January 22nd, the week after lessons resume.
The next RECITAL is Sunday March 3rd at 2:00 - this recital features the purchase of raffle tickets and candy grams to support the school and promote this community of musicians.
If you need violins tuned over the Holidays please let me know, I am around.
As always, keep playing so we can pick up where we left off in the New Year!
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
On Repetitions
The 10,000 Repetition Challenge is complete and I am reveling in the outcome. Not only did we reach 17,357 repetitions as a group, but the progress that I have seen from individual players has been immense. It all comes down to not necessarily working more, considering those who completed many repetitions concluded it really didn't increase their practice time at all, but it's about working smart - working productively. This is an incredible lesson to learn.
At the last Parent Education Night I showed a video of a girl with her dad who is trying over and over again to jump up on a fairly high stool for her size. She takes what looks like some rough falls but her dad is there guiding her, supporting her and cheering her on. She always gets back up and tries again just as hard. In the last attempt we see, her dad comes over and whispers something we can assume is encouraging and then gives her a kiss and a gentle tap. She takes a breath and then with all her strength makes the jump.
This girl is taking one skill and doing it over and over again until she succeeds. She doesn't know when she will succeed, she doesn't know how many more times she will fall in the process. All she is focusing on is doing her best and whatever she can to land that jump. Over and over again, until she gets it.
What we don't see is the aftermath of this practice. Most likely she will fall quite a few more times if she keeps at it, but will also start to land it more and more times like she did the first time. Success Breeds Success. If we know we have done something once, we have the ability to do it again. If she were to stop practicing now, she can always say to herself she did it, but she won't be able to continue doing it regularly unless she keeps practicing.
This is the power of repetitions and repetitions on the violin are no different. They can be small and specific and maybe not as powerful feeling as a full body jump, but they can be just as fulfilling when accomplished.
Repetitions can be applied to all areas of our life that we want to succeed at. Who knows why being able to jump onto this stool is such an important skill for her to learn? But to her, it is and having dad encouraging her makes it even more meaningful. We all have things that we want to improve at, and only through doing it over and over again can we truly learn about ourselves and about the skills we are trying to achieve.
Even though the challenge is complete, keep up the repetitions and keep working smart and productively!
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