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 […]
Memorize
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 […]
Ten Benefits of Listening to the Suzuki Recordings
Is your Suzuki Student Progressing Slowly? More Listening Could be the Answer! Occasionally, I will have a student that progresses through the Suzuki repertoire very quickly. Each piece comes easily, almost effortlessly. Are these students just more talented? Did they practice more than the others? My hypothesis is, while these students did practice consistently, they […]
How to Use Memrise to Complete the Summer Theory Challenge!!!
A Step by Step Guide to Using Memrise As many of you know, I am currently obsessed with the Memrise app. If you want to see just how crazy, you can check out this post. Some of my students (and their parents) were wondering exactly how to use Memrise to complete their Summer Theory Challenge. […]
How to Teach your Teenage Students Music Theory
Music Theory for Teens that isn’t “cutesy” I don’t know about you, but I struggle to teach music theory. I often feel as if I don’t have the time in lessons, and the things I do teach quickly fall on deaf ears. In addition, I hesitate to buy expensive music theory books, or ask my […]
How I’m Keeping My Students Motivated this Summer
Who’s ready for the SUMMER THEORY CHALLENGE?? I don’t know about you, but I really struggle to keep my students’ interest in the summer time. They show up to lesson with their hair wet, faces flushed, straight from swimming lessons, and they are eager for the lesson to end so they can go play with […]
Memorize New Pieces in 3 Easy Steps
Fool-proof memorization for all! Our memories can be one of the most frustrating and unreliable of our music-making tools. Memory lapses in performance, or even memory catastrophes, are incredibly common. I know we have all heard the dreaded never-ending Martini Gavotte, or worse, Fiocco Allegro! As a young student, I was blessed with a fairly […]