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 […]
inspiration
September Book Club Review: The Practicing Mind
The Practicing Mind by Thomas Sterner is an excellent book, and a quick read. I listened to it on audible last fall and loved it. The main thesis of the book is that, “Real peace and contentment in our lives come from realizing that life is a process to engage in, a journey down a […]
How to Make Changes to Your Suzuki Studio without Alienating Your Students
Occasionally, I will realize that I have really messed up my violin studio. I’ve not created boundaries around my time. Or I wasn’t clear about my expectations for practice or listening. I’ll come to the conclusion that things need to change. Maybe you’ve felt the same in your own studio. But how do we press […]
Six Life Lessons Children Learn from Playing the Violin…
Guest Post by Deborah Tayloe Everyone’s heard how about the value of learning music. It is supposed to help with school, social skills, and more. You are slugging through daily practice, driving to lessons, working hard. Ultimately, you try to assure yourself, after all this work, your child will eventually learn to play. However, you […]
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 […]
Book Club: Teaching with an Open Heart Review
Teaching with An Open Heart: A Guide to Developing Conscious Musicianship for Suzuki Parents, Teachers, and Students… This book does not disappoint! I loved Teaching from the Balance Point, and Teaching with an Open Heart was the perfect follow-up. In the beginning of the book, Mr. Kreitman outlines reasons that parents give for wanting their […]
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 […]
The First Thing You Need to Do Before Looking For New Violin Students…
When we need to find more students, that need is often accompanied by a feeling of desperation and panic. But it would be a mistake to rush into looking for and accepting students. As music teachers, there are only a limited number of teaching hours in any given week. It is crucial that these hours are […]