Kids are busy. With extra-curriculars, homework, school; but also with their free play and imagination. A kid hardly ever just walks up the stairs. They scale Mount Everest. A kid hardly ever just eats a sandwich. They wonder what a peanut butter factory looks like. A kid hardly ever just brushes their hair in the […]
Will AI Change Music Teaching?
I was obsessed with birds as a kid. I had two pet cockatiels, June and Sydney, that I adored. I watched the movie Polly over and over again. I had a bird book and a pair of binoculars. My dad and I would sit by the window and try to identify the birds that came […]
Is My Child Talented?
(Blog post by Suzuki violin teacher, McKenzie Clawson.) Every so often I have a parent ask me if I think their child is talented. My answer is always a variation on, “I don’t know, and it really doesn’t matter.” What is talent anyway? For many, talent is a skill that comes easily. Well, I’ve never […]
McKenzie’s Institute Reflections
Every year that I take Suzuki Teacher Training I write pages and pages of notes. Though I’d like to review my notes more, it doesn’t really happen. In the last few years, I’ve started ending the course by creating one page of key takeaways. I tuck it into my planner and skim through before I […]
Online Teaching: What’s Working, What’s Not…
It’s been about six weeks since all of my violin teaching has moved online. Like so many others, I have had to learn a lot very quickly. In many ways, it has gone really well. I get to see all of my favorite little violinists every week! They are all making progress. If I had […]
I Wonder What Mistakes I’ll Make…
A couple weeks ago, just a few days after we got the news that school would close for the foreseeable future, I was practicing with my daughter. She had practiced accented bows on open strings and on a scale for several days and it was time to try to add them to Allegretto in Suzuki […]
#musicalkidsinquarantine and Other Resources
Have you seen the videos of quarantined Italians singing from their balconies and windows? I have been so inspired. In times of increased community anxiety, music has always healed hearts and soothed spirits. There is something especially powerful about live music shared with others. It is such a pure, loving gift to those around you. […]
Suzuki Planet Podcast Ep. 12: Martin and Emily, Violinists from Italy
Brecklyn talks to Martin and Emily about their Suzuki community in Italy. Practice Suggestion: Use your review pieces to grow new technique. Listening Suggestion: 30 Before 20: Masterworks by Teenagers
Suzuki for Teen and Adult Beginners
When I started Suzuki teacher training, most of the training was focused on very young beginners. My incredible teacher trainers gave me so much information that was applicable to any age, but it took me some trial and error to tailor it to an older beginner. I really believe that the Suzuki teaching philosophy applies […]
SPP, Ep. 11: Vivian, Violinist from Utah
Brecklyn talks to Vivian about the power of musical friends, her incredible practice streak, and recording lessons. Listening Suggestion: Die 12 Cellisten der Berlin Philharmoniker Practice Suggestion: Use a training clicker.