Does it seem like the other teachers get all the good students? Is your studio filled with poor practicers, wishy-washy whiners, no shows, and parents who forget to pay? When I was a new teacher, I envied the more established teachers that I knew. It seemed like, somehow, they got all of the awesome students. […]
Engagement
Making Practice More Peaceful…
Practicing with our children is sometimes difficult. With all the other tasks on my to-do list, it seems like I often have no energy left to deal with delay tactics, tantrums, and other problematic practicing behaviors. Do you ever have thoughts like these? “Why can’t he just come to practice when I ask?” “Why does […]
2018-2019 Plucky Violin Teacher Book Club Schedule…
Hello my friends. I’ve largely been absent from the blog for the last year. I never intended to neglect the blog so long, and I’m so excited to be re-committing to writing and learning more about teaching. If you’re interested, over the last year, I… began teaching Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes became totally overwhelmed […]
5 Violin Teaching Tips, Tricks, and Resources 9/1/2017…
Hello friends, Thank you for all of the very kind, supportive emails over the past week. You are all amazing. Honestly, I felt a little nervous, ashamed, even guilty about telling people about how my studio had changed. I felt selfish letting students go to spend more time with my family, (I also felt guilty […]
Five Violin Teaching Tips, Tricks, and Resources I’m Loving This Week — August 25, 2017
Hello friends! Long time no see! I’ve been taking it easy this summer, recovering from some major teacher burnout. (More on this later, I promise.) I’m so excited to be back on the blog lately, and after two Suzuki institutes this summer (ISSI and ASI), I am feeling more and more dedicated to my work […]
Why I Totally Changed Suzuki Parent Education in My Studio…
And How Automation Keeps Me Sane… In recent years, I have begun to realize how much power I have to create the culture and community in my Suzuki violin studio. Any “issues” or “frustrations” I have had with parents or students, if I look hard enough, I can trace back to my own actions. And, […]
What Is My Role During My Child’s Suzuki Violin Lessons?
The following is an excerpt from the ebook I am writing, The Suzuki Parent’s Starter Guide and it’s a helpful reminder for Suzuki Parents in every stage. In traditional music lessons, the parent often drops the child off for the lesson and picks them up when it is over. In Suzuki violin lessons, the parent attends the […]
2017 Plucky Violin Teacher Book Club Schedule
I can’t believe it is already 2017! I really enjoyed the books we read in 2016, and can’t wait to continue to improve myself and my teaching by reading more great books. It was incredibly difficult to narrow down the selection to just one per month, so if you have other suggestions please include them in […]
Why I’m Grateful I’m a Suzuki Teacher
Because there are so many different music education philosophies and methods out there, and in honor of the holiday I wanted to feature a very special blog post series this week. Here in the United States we are celebrating Thanksgiving, so I asked my friends and colleagues to share their reasons why they are grateful […]
The Parent’s Role During Suzuki Violin Lessons…
How can you best help your child during their Suzuki violin lessons? Do you know what your teacher would like you to do during your child’s Suzuki violin lessons? Are the expectations clear? If you are a teacher, have you explained the importance of the parents’ role during the lesson? Whenever I start to become […]