I really enjoyed reading How Children Succeed by Paul Tough. I had my highlighter and marked up the whole book. There were so many interesting ideas and I was struck by the connections I found to the Suzuki philosophy and writings of Dr. Suzuki. “What matters most in a child’s development, they say, is not […]
For Suzuki Parents
How to Stop Nagging Your Suzuki Students During Practice…
I don’t know about you, but it seems like I say the same things over and over and over with my child in practice, and with my students in lesson. For example: “Watch your bow.” “Eyes on your bow.” “Watch your bow.” “Bow on the highway.” “Watch your bow!” “Would you pease, please, please watch […]
When Your Suzuki Student Doesn’t Meet Your Expectations…
I was disappointed this morning. My son had his first lesson after the holiday break. We worked hard all through the holidays. We even practiced for fifteen days straight through Christmas Eve and New Year’s. I thought he’d made great progress. I was excited for his teacher to see how much we’d gotten done. It […]
Happiness is Not the Goal
Practicing a musical instrument with your child is difficult on its own. There is a lot to remember–assignments from your teacher, technical points, and more. You have to manage your time. You have to summon all your energy and creativity to make it fun and engaging for your child. You have to keep any other […]
How to Keep Your Cool When Practicing with Your Child
Like most parents, I began Suzuki violin lessons with my child imagining all the fun we’d have together. I was excited to see him learn new things and make progress towards a goal. I was also looking forward to spending meaningful one-on-one time with my son while we practiced. I knew it was going to […]
Plucky Violin Teacher’s Best Blog Posts from 2018
One of my favorite ways to ring in the new year is to reflect on everything I’ve accomplished in the previous. Like most, there’s so much I didn’t do that I wanted to. Disappointments, failures, mistakes. It’s easy for me to get bogged down by thinking of the goals I didn’t reach, or commitments I […]
Your Perfect Child…
I’m taking a maternity leave right now, soaking up cuddles with my six week old baby (plus plenty of bonus cuddles from my three and five year olds.) Despite the sleepless nights, there really is something magical about having a new baby in the house. I’m forced to slow down. We’re not leaving the house […]
Why I’m a Suzuki Parent…
Blog Post by McKenzie Clawson There are as many styles of parenting as there are parents. The style I’ve been trying to cultivate is loving and positive, allowing lots of time for free, creative, childlike play. I’m also a Suzuki parent. For many, the words “Suzuki parent” are nearly synonymous with the stereotype of a […]
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 […]