Teacher Appreciation week is the first full week of May, but since I think celebrating teachers for only a week is ridiculous, we’re devoting the whole month of May to teachers. (Yeah, yeah, and because I totally missed the first week of May somehow. I’m way behind on EVERYTHING this month.) I always knew that […]
Engagement
More Practice Routines!
Today’s post is by my sister and fellow Suzuki violin teacher, McKenzie Clawson. Mckenzie: 7:20 Breakfast is wrapping up. I remind the nine year old violinist that it’s her turn to practice first and she has ten minutes until we start. There is eye-rolling and general chagrin. We chat for a few minutes and then […]
What Your Suzuki Violin Students Need to Be Successful…
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. […]
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 […]