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 the comments!
January:
Life Lens: Seeing Your Children in Color by Michele Monahan Horner. (Christine Goodner published a interview with the author on her blog if you want to learn more!)
February:
Building Violin Skills by Edmund Sprunger. Mr. Sprunger will be speaking at the Suzuki Association of Utah’s Parent Convention in February and I wanted to make sure I read his book before he comes. Yes. I will be having him sign it! (I’m so excited, can you tell?)
March:
The New Rules of Posture by Mary Bond. This book was highly recommended to me by my Postural Alignment for Musicians professor while at IU. I really loved it, and found it to be incredibly helpful in my playing.
April:
The Musician’s Way by Gerald Klickstein. A must-read. The best how-to-guide to practicing I’ve ever read. It’s excellent.
May:
Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel.
Here’s part of the description: Many common study habits and practice routines turn out to be counterproductive. Underlining and highlighting, rereading, cramming, and single-minded repetition of new skills create the illusion of mastery, but gains fade quickly. More complex and durable learning come from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has set in, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. Speaking most urgently to students, teachers, trainers, and athletes, Make It Stick will appeal to all those interested in the challenge of lifelong learning and self-improvement.
June:
The Practice Revolution: Getting Great Results from the Six Days Between Lessons by Philip Johnston. We read one of Mr. Johnson’s other books The Dynamic Music Studio last year, and it absolutely blew my mind. I knew we needed more! This book looks incredibly promising!
July:
Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching by Ivan Galamian. Because we all need a refresher sometimes!
August:
Teaching with an Open Heart by Edward Kreitman. We read Teaching from the Balance Point in 2016, and we couldn’t get enough! More Edward Kreitman!
September:
The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life — Master Any Skill or Challenge by Learning to Love the Process by Thomas M. Sterner. I listened to this on Audible a few months ago, and realized there was just so much helpful actionable information that I needed to read a physical copy, and share it with all of you!
October:
Beyond the Music Lesson: Habits of Successful Suzuki Families by Christine Goodner. I bought this book in June, but haven’t quite finished it yet. I’m loving it, let’s read it together!
November:
Ability Development from Age Zero by Shinichi Suzuki and Mary Louise Nagata. Would you believe I’ve never read this book? It’s embarrassing to admit.
December:
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. My Dad recently read this and said it was powerful, he compared it to Mindset by Carol Dweck. (Which we also read last year!)
Looking at this list makes me so excited. It’s going to be a great year. If you have a suggestion for next year, please share in the comments! Don’t forget to join the Plucky Violin Teacher Book Club Facebook Group to participate in discussion.
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