I spent my few quiet moments in February curled up with my baby reading To Learn with Love: A Companion for Suzuki Parents by William and Constance Starr. Here are a few moments from the book that stood out to me, as a Suzuki teacher and parent, and why. “ALL CHILDREN MATURE AT DIFFERENT RATES,” […]
suzuki violin
Suzuki Practicing and Example…
Parental involvement is a vital part of the Suzuki method and philosophy, and the major reason why it works. Without the help of devoted parents, our children would not be able to progress and thrive as young musicians. Suzuki parents are doing the tough work of getting their children to lessons and group lessons, practicing […]
How to Rescue a Quickly-Deteriorating Practice Session with Your Suzuki Student
Practicing with my son has taken a turn for the worse of late. There’s been more frustration and sharp words from me. There’s been more stalling and whining from him. Tough times. I’ve let my general level of stress and my unrealistic expectations change the way I interact with my kids. And I want to […]
Pre-Twinkle Group Class Essentials…
After moving recently, I have had the pleasure of starting a studio from scratch for the third (and hopefully last) time. In the past, I have always had mostly transfer students. But this time, 90% of my students are brand new to the violin. It has been so much fun to set up all these […]
Plucky Violin Teacher Book Club Review: How Children Succeed
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 […]
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 […]