Transferring to a new Suzuki teacher is not an uncommon occurrence, and it can be a very good thing. There are many reasons why you might be changing teachers. Your teacher retired, you’ve moved to a new area, or it is time for a new perspective. No matter your reason, changing teachers is surprisingly difficult. […]
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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, […]
Suzuki Method Curriculum: Why Do We Keep Playing the Suzuki Review Pieces Over and Over Again???
Occasionally parents in my studio complain that they are sick of the Suzuki pieces. “My child is so sick of their pieces, so we haven’t been doing our review.” More often, I ask for a review piece and the result is a lot of fumbling fingers and memory slips. Why, when it would be so […]
5 Things I’m Loving This Week: Violin Teaching Ideas May 6, 2016
Here’s this week’s round-up of violin teaching ideas! 1. If you want to build and strengthen your studio community, then this tip from composecreate.com is just for you! Having the students write down a compliment for all the students in the recital would be a great way to encourage active listening, and boost morale! 2. […]
Five Great Music Apps For Helping Kids Practice
I love my iPhone and iPad, a little too much you could say. I’m a wee bit addicted, and I just love keeping track of everything in my life on my phone. I track my steps, my food, my goals, my journal, my finances, my to do list, everything on my phone, even my practicing. […]
Help! My Suzuki Teacher Won’t Let Us Go to the Next Piece!
When You Feel Your Progress is Too Slow… How many times have you heard first variation of twinkle this week? I know. For some of you with beginning students, you’ve probably heard your child or the recording of “variation A” hundreds if not thousands of times. It’s enough to make you lose your mind. It’s […]
Go Fish…for Suzuki Review Pieces
A Practice Game for Review Pieces One of my favorite games growing up was “Go Fish.” I still love “Go Fish” actually. So when I woke up in the middle of the night with the beginnings of this idea I was very excited. I could combine my love of “Go Fish” with my love for […]
Studio Recitals: What’s The Point?
Why I still hold Studio Recitals even though they can be a pain in the rump… Every so often I come across a teacher that doesn’t believe in recitals, specifically formal recitals. I understand their reasoning. Formal recitals can be intimidating for students; dressing up, the lights turned dimmer, everyone staring at them. That can […]
Ten Benefits of Listening to the Suzuki Recordings
Is your Suzuki Student Progressing Slowly? More Listening Could be the Answer! Occasionally, I will have a student that progresses through the Suzuki repertoire very quickly. Each piece comes easily, almost effortlessly. Are these students just more talented? Did they practice more than the others? My hypothesis is, while these students did practice consistently, they […]