This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher blog on May 31, 2016, so links and resources may not be current.
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The Plucky Violin Teacher Book Club May 2016…

For some reason, I thought I had already read Teaching from the Balance Point by Edward Kreitman. It was one of the books I had inherited from my Mom’s stash of Suzuki paraphernalia, and it has been on my shelf for probably six years. Soon after beginning the book earlier this month, I realized what a gem this book is.

I’ve been using the principles from the book all month as I’ve read, and I really feel the difference in my teaching. My teaching has more direction, and is less reactive and haphazard. Here are a couple of the principles that have made a huge difference for me.

One-Point Teaching. I thought I was doing this all along, but I think I was confusing my students with too much information. Before I had trouble ignoring technical issues other than the task at hand. I think this struggle translates into almost every aspect of my life…

Goals vs. Priorities. Kreitman says, “If you want to improve the quality of your students’ playing, you need to create a set of teaching priorities and then be absolutely consistent in sticking to your priorities in your lessons and home practice sessions.” What are your priorities? What are your goals? Your priorities must be in place for your goals to even be possible.

Kreitman’s Priorities:

• Teaching balanced posture of the body, including violin and bow hold.
• Teaching balanced tone production or “tonalization.”
• Teaching perfect intonation.
• Teaching skills for developing artistic musicianship in performance.
• Teaching notes and bowing to new pieces.

These priorities support his goals:

• To help all of the children I work with to become more noble human beings through their positive experiences with music.
• To help parents understand that it is the process, not the product of the educational experience, that is important.
• For me, to enjoy the opportunity to be a central part of the lives of these wonderful human beings, my students, who come to share their accomplishments with me each week.

The rest of the book digs deep into these priorities, and offers many ideas and clues as to how to teach in this way, which he calls, “priority teaching.”

The chapter “Rote vs. Note,” is going to be required reading in my studio, it clears up a lot of the misconceptions around how the child should be learning the new pieces.

There is so much I could say about this amazing book, my copy is now full of notes and highlights. I may never put it away, its new home is right beside my violin in my violin studio.

This book is a must-read for all Suzuki teachers and parents. If Nurtured by Love shares “WHY” we should use the Suzuki Method, Teaching from the Balance Point shares “HOW.”

What are your teaching priorities and goals?  What were your thoughts about Teaching From the Balance Point? Please share in the comments.

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This blog post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher blog on May 23, 2016 so links and resources may not be current.

In the last two blog posts of this series about what parents need to know before putting their kids in Suzuki violin lessons, I discussed the Suzuki Method Philosophy and the Suzuki Method Curriculum. If you missed those, you can check them out here:

Part I: What You Really Need to Know About the Suzuki Method Philosophy

Part II: The Suzuki Method Curriculum: Why Do We Keep Playing the Same Suzuki Review Pieces Over and Over Again???

So how does it all work together then? The Mother-Tongue philosophy, the method books, listening, and review, what do you really need to know about how Suzuki Violin Lessons is going to work for your family?

Parent Involvement

Music lessons are really hard work. For you AND for your kiddo. There will be fun, laughter, joy, and pride in great accomplishments. There will also be tears, arguments, disappointments and frustration. I don’t want to scare you off. Far from it. I want you to be prepared and know what you’re getting yourself into! Just like every other aspect of parenting, it’s not all going to be sunshine and roses.

You will be the Practice Helper at Home.

Let’s get this out in the open. No one always likes to practice.

I’m a professional violinist. I have a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Violin Performance. I studied with world-renowned teachers and went to an elite music school. I don’t always like to practice (and I never did.)

Your child won’t always love it either. And that is ok! Your job as the Suzuki parent will be to facilitate consistent practice, and attempt to make it fun. Play games. Set up a rewards system, (yes, I do mean bribes!)

Do what you gotta do, my friend.

Some days will be hard, some days easier. The more consistent you can be, the fewer fights you will have about it. Make it like brushing your teeth. It’s just something we do. Every day. Even if it is only a few minutes.

You will be the Secretary at Lesson.

In the lessons, you can take a back seat. This is the place for your child to shine. Let them answer their teacher’s questions and practice some independence.

When they are posed with challenges, let them struggle a little bit to figure things out. I know it is hard, but try not to rescue them when they forget the answers or play something incorrectly.

Take notes so you know what to practice at home. If it is helpful to you, most teachers do not mind if you record some video or audio of the lesson.

Try not to interrupt the lesson unless you need clarification on something. Dr. Suzuki said, “One teacher in the lesson.” It can be overwhelming and distracting for the student if both the parent AND the teacher are instructing them during the lesson time.

It can be hard to resist correcting or reminding your child during the lesson, especially when you’ve both practiced so hard to learn every little detail in their pieces. You want to make sure your teacher knows you’ve been practicing, but you owe it to yourself and your child to be the listener and supportive audience member during the lesson time.

Group Lessons

In addition to your child’s weekly group lessons, they will likely also have the opportunity to participate in group lessons. Performing with and for other children is highly motivating, and just plain fun. Attendance at group lessons is essential. Everything will be easier if you attend group lessons.

The group lessons provide an opportunity for refining performing skills. With each performance opportunity, children become more accustomed to playing for others and dealing with their performance anxieties. Becoming at ease performing in public is a valuable skill that will help your child their whole life long.

In addition to practicing their performing skills, group lessons provide much needed community and fun to music learning. Children in my studio make friends with their classmates, and enjoy playing games and music together. Not only do we practice our review pieces in fun and engaging ways, we learn music from other genres, like jazz, fiddling, pop, and more!

It’s also incredibly important (and helpful!) for your student to see other children perform and interact with the teacher. A child who is resistant or hesitant may warm right up after realizing that other children are playing their instrument and having fun too!

Delayed Note Reading

Your child doesn’t learn to read the moment he begins talking. That would be so confusing. It’s the
same reason that the Suzuki Method delays note reading.

Playing the violin (or any instrument) is a very complicated physical activity requiring coordination.

The motion of the bow, and the movement of the fingers is quite complex. It’s a lot to think about and remember! Waiting to teach music reading allows your student to become comfortable with the basics without having to worry about the notes and the rhythms on the page at the same time.

You may have heard the Suzuki students don’t learn to read, but that is simply not true. Many very accomplished professional musicians began as Suzuki students and they are obviously proficient music readers.

When the Suzuki Method was first introduced in the United States, some new teachers-in-training misunderstood this delayed note-reading concept, and did wait too long before introducing music reading. That is no longer the case in the vast majority of Suzuki studios.

Rest assured, your child will be reading like a pro later, once some of the basics are mastered.

Early beginning

I want you to take this point with a grain of salt. It may or may not be applicable to you and your child. No matter the age of your child, NOW is a wonderful time to begin music lessons. There are many benefits to beginning musical instruction at any age. You’re never too old (and almost never too young) to twinkle!  If you are wondering your child is the right age, the answer is almost always yes.

Some teachers begin students very young. Depending on the individual child, four-year-olds may be very ready for lessons or a seven-year-old may not be. You know your child. If you have a baby or young toddler, Suzuki Early Childhood Education may be just the thing for you.

What else do new Suzuki Parents Need to Know About the Suzuki Method? Please share your thoughts and tips in the comments!

Alan Duncan says
May 28, 2016 at 10:17 am
Great advice as always! About the practice struggles – I’d also add that “it gets better.” Because it does. One of my daughter’s friends eventually quit violin over practice struggles. When I later chatted with the parent, it was clear that he was tired of dealing with the daily struggle and let the son quit so that his relationship with music wouldn’t be damaged by forcing practice. Unfortunate. In our case it was painful for about a year. But when you get over a few humps, it really gets much better. We never have struggles about doing practice now. (We might have struggles over what goes on *in* the practice – but that’s a different story!)

This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher blog on May 16, 2016 so links and resources may not be current.
 
Occasionally parents in my studio complain that they are sick of the Suzuki pieces. “My child is so sick of their pieces, so we haven’t been doing our review.” More often, I ask for a review piece and the result is a lot of fumbling fingers and memory slips.

Why, when it would be so much easier not to, do we keep playing all of these old Suzuki review pieces?

1. The Suzuki Method is the mother tongue method! When a young child learns new words, they don’t master them and never say them again. They repeat them over and over and become a part of the child’s vocabulary. The Suzuki pieces should be acquired in the same way.

Related Post: What You Really Need to Know About the Suzuki Method Philosophy

2.Repetition is the mother of skill and the key to retention. Did you ever cram for a test? Most of the information I frantically studied in high school and college, I have not retained. On the other hand, I can play (with ease) almost every piece I learned from age six onwards. (Even before I became a teacher.)

3. The ability to perform old familiar pieces at a moment’s notice really boosts a child’s confidence.  What can shake a child’s confidence is returning to a piece a month later to find that they are unable to play the piece they worked so hard to perfect.

4. The choice of music included in the Suzuki literature is strategic. Each piece builds on the ones that came before, preparing students for difficulties ahead. The skills learned and polished in these pieces need consistent repetition so that they become natural and easy. If we want our students play Mozart Concerto with ease, they must consistently review the skills they learn in each of the pieces leading up to it.

5. The shared repertoire contributes to the feeling of community among Suzuki students around the world. We can gather together and all play the same pieces. It is truly powerful to see hundreds of young children on stage playing together. Moved after hearing a group of Suzuki students play, Pablo Casals, the famous cellist, remarked, “Perhaps it is music that will save the world.” Keeping up the standard repertoire makes activities like these possible, and opens up more opportunities for collaboration with other students.

Still, I understand the pain that students and parents feel. Sometimes I get sick of some of the Suzuki pieces too. I, and a lot of other Suzuki teachers, supplement the Suzuki literature with repertoire from other sources to keep things fresh. If your teacher does not do this, maybe you could nicely ask your teacher if they are willing to try something different in addition to the Suzuki literature. Some fiddle tunes and other contrasting pieces can really liven things up!

You can also be creative in practicing the review pieces. Maybe some silliness would make these review pieces less of a drag? Standing on the couch, playing with the bow upside down, whatever silly thing you can think of to add some novelty to the practice session.

​How do you make the Suzuki review pieces more fun? Please share your ideas in the comments!

This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher blog on May 13, 2016 so links and resources may not be current.

Before we get into the Five Violin Teaching Ideas I’m Loving This Week, I wanted to share a reader question with you because I would love to get your input!  Here it is:

“I struggle to get my “newly” twinkle to practice. We are getting so much better as I was getting so many tears for about one whole year (approximately). At this point, when he actually has beautiful posture and well positioned hands, it is a little bit easier. Group lessons are also a big help, but they are every two weeks – and we do need to skip some occasionally. I thought being a violinist myself helps, but am not sure anymore. I taught so many kids (pretty well, I would have hoped), but since I started my own child, I doubt my skills :-). I should also mention that he will be turning 5 soon.”

Any of you teach your own children?  I don’t have any experience here, so please share your tips in the comments!

Okay, without further ado…

Five Violin Teaching Ideas I am LOVING This Week…

1. I am so lucky that Utah has such a thriving Suzuki community, we’re actually the largest chapter in the SAA!  My local group is planning a big Star Wars themed play-in for October, and my students are sooo pumped.  (There’s going to be glow sticks, characters from the movies will visit, so yeah, it’s going to be pretty awesome.)  But what my students are the most excited about are the supplemental pieces we will be playing from the Star Wars movies.  We are going to play “The Imperial March,” and the “Star Wars Theme” from The Very Best of John Williams For Strings: Violin.

2. I’ve never used google adwords to advertise my violin studio, but this blog post has opened my mind to the possibility!  One of the huge pros of using google adwords is that you only pay if someone clicks on your ad, and the ad is only shown to people searching for your keywords (like violin lessons Kaysville Utah, or violin teacher in Davis County).  The people that see your ad are actually interested in violin lessons.  That’s huge.  For more advertising tips, I recommend this book: The Handbook of Marketing Strategies for Music Teachers: 88 Free and Low-Cost Ways to Book Your Studio Full by Bree Lewis-Fennel.

3. Heather Figi of Music for Young Violinists is offering a new free music download.  The Spring/Summer Sampler Pack has some great resources including a fiddle twinkle, Boil ’em Cabbages Down Solos, and my personal favorite: Backwards Mystery Pieces!  Have your students practice their sight-reading while they try to decipher what well-known piece they are playing…backwards.

4. You may remember Alison from her hilarious guest post about practicing with three-year-olds a while back.  Well, a lot of you wanted more about working with young ones and this blog post on Alison’s blog is spot-on!

5. I am a weeper.  It’s true, I cry a lot.  (Especially when I’m pregnant.  Which I’m not, this isn’t an announcement!)  So if you don’t tear up in this Ted Talk, I won’t feel bad. Although it’s directed mainly at public school educators, the message is the same. Every kid needs a champion, and who better than a Suzuki teacher that they see every week for years? My favorite quote from the video: “Minus eighteen sucks all the life out of you, plus two said I ain’t all bad!”


Thanks for reading, everybody! I appreciate you taking the time to comment and share your thoughts (especially answering the reader question at the top of this post!)

This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher blog on May 10, 2016 so links and resources may not be current.

If you’ve had any exposure to the music education world, chances are you’ve heard something about the Suzuki Method. This method, pioneered by Shinichi Suzuki, has been both deified and vilified. Perhaps you read the article by Mark O’Connor a few years ago calling the man and the whole method a fraud. Perhaps you’ve heard that Suzuki kids play like robots or never learn to read music.

The first of these accusations is simply untrue, and the others paint a very narrow picture of the facts. First, the whole Mark O’ Connor thing is just too silly to talk about. O’Connor has his own method to promote, and his accusations are truly unfounded.  You can read about that here.

As far as robotic playing goes, I can show you just as many traditionally taught students who play like robots. Regardless of the method chosen, there are varying qualities of teachers and varying levels of student engagement.

When the Suzuki method was first introduced in the United States, many teachers misunderstood Dr. Suzuki’s intentions regarding music-reading, and introduced it much later than he had intended. In most Suzuki studios, this is now a non-issue.

Many very successful professional musicians began as Suzuki students, and clearly they play very expressively and read music with ease and proficiency.

If that is what the Suzuki Method is not, then what is it exactly?The Suzuki method is more than just the pieces included in the Suzuki Violin Books. Edward Kreitman, author of Teaching From the Balance Point, breaks down the Suzuki method into three main areas: philosophy, curriculum, and technical concepts.

In this first post of this blog post series, I want to talk about the Suzuki Method Philosophy.The Suzuki Philosophy rests on the idea that talent is not inborn, that every child can learn. The Suzuki Method, sometimes called The Mother Tongue Method, is based on Dr. Suzuki’s discovery that children could learn music quickly and well at young ages by using the same techniques they used as they first began to talk.

After all, children grow up speaking the language of their parents with relative ease, with the greater part of this education occurring before they begin formal schooling.

Children are immersed in an environment where they are constantly listening to others speak. So it should be with their musical education. Suzuki students need to be immersed in a musical learning environment, listening to their Suzuki music and other high quality recordings every day.

“Man is the Child of his Environment.”
–Shinichi Suzuki

Listening is a vital component to learning a musical instrument. Listening provides an aural framework for good intonation, helps with memory, and teaches the child the heights that they can reach on their instrument. Listening to great musicians is inspiring and motivating.

Related: Ten Benefits of Listening to the Suzuki Recordings

When a child is learning to speak, their every attempt is praised and encouraged. If subtle corrections do need to be made, they follow heartfelt praise and love.
Learning to play an instrument is incredibly difficult and complex. In our eagerness to help our students improve, we must not forget that the best thing we can do to encourage this improvement is to praise what children are already doing well.

“Success breeds success.”
–Shinichi Suzuki

If children believe they are doing well, they will continue to try. If they believe they are failing, they will quickly become discouraged and quit.

When a child is in an environment that supports and encourages learning and growth, that child will thrive. The opposite is also true. Because parents are the biggest influencers on a child’s environment, parent involvement is an incredibly important aspect of the Suzuki Method.

“It is in our power to educate all the children of the world to become a little better as people, a little happier.”
–Shinichi Suzuki

Of course, much more could be said about the philosophy behind the Suzuki method.  I highly recommend reading, Nurtured By Love by Dr. Suzuki, I’ve also created a free study guide to go with the book.  To be successful in your Suzuki journey with your child, you truly only need to remember that your child learns best in a positive, supportive, and musically-immersive environment.

How do you create this kind of environment in your home?  Please share your ideas in the comments!

This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher blog on May 6, 2016, so links and resources may not be current.

Here’s this week’s round-up of violin teaching ideas!

1. If you want to build and strengthen your studio community, then this tip from composecreate.com is just for you!  Having the students write down a compliment for all the students in the recital would be a great way to encourage active listening, and boost morale!

2. My students often get bored with their review pieces.  Sometimes you gotta just change things up!  This is a great tip for adding some fun to practicing review pieces.  Check out Twinkle in the Garage here…

3.  This practice challenge idea is perfect for spring and it is so creative.  I guess it’s also a like a little science experiment too.  Win-win!  Can your students beat the bean?

4.  I was so inspired by this post from Teach Piano Today that I adapted their idea and created a Mother’s Day Composition Activity for my violin students.  If you’ve wanted to start doing some composition with your violin students this might be a good place to start.  The activity is best for beginning to intermediate readers, but if your student is not reading yet, you could do the activity on the first page with them and make an audio recording for their mom.  You can read my post about it here and download the printable activity.

5.  This video is pretty old, but it is so great.  It’s a funny one to share with your students.  Igudesman and Joo have so many great classical music-comedy videos, but this one is one of my favorites.  It won’t be quite as hilarious if they don’t know the song, “I Will Survive,” but it’s still pretty funny because of how ridiculous these guys are.

What are your favorite blog posts or online resources for violin teaching ideas? Please share in the comments!

This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher blog on April 29, 2016 so links and resources may not be current.

Three Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Before Beginning Suzuki Violin Lessons…

As parents we want to give our children every opportunity. We provide them with the best learning environment we can and make sure they are fed and dressed, (most of the time…) We want them to be well-rounded, active, and successful adults. This often means providing enrichment opportunities beyond school like sports, dance, art, and, my favorite, music!

You may have heard that the Suzuki method is a fantastic way for children to learn a musical instrument. But how do you know when to begin? Is it time to begin Suzuki violin lessons with my child? If you are toying with the idea of putting your child in Suzuki violin lessons, or other music lessons, consider these questions:

1. Is the Suzuki Method a good fit for me and my family?I am a firm believer in the Suzuki Method. I think it is the ideal method for children to learn a musical instrument. That being said, it does require a SIGNIFICANT parent commitment. If you are not willing to attend all lessons and practice with your child, it won’t really be very effective. Honestly though, any musical instruction is going to require effort on the parents’ part. Kids rarely practice without a little prodding and encouragement. 

If you want to learn more about this method, I recommend  checking out the Suzuki Association of the Americas and reading Nurtured by Love by Shinichi Suzuki. Here’s the link a study guide I created to go along with Nurtured by Love, the book is short so it’s a pretty quick read.

2. Is your child ready for Suzuki Violin Lessons?You know your child best. Are they emotionally, physically, and mentally prepared for a twenty to thirty minute lesson? Are they mature enough to hold their instrument carefully (with/without supervision)? Can they follow simple directions?

Many teachers accept children as young as two, be prepared to be exceptionally patient with slow progress with this little beginners. In my studio, I love starting with five-year-olds. That’s just my personal preference, though.

Depending on the child, a four-year-old can be very ready for lessons or a seven-year-old may not be. You know your child.  As a general rule, between four and eight year’s old is a wonderful time for beginning violin lessons.

3. Why do you want your child to learn the violin?(Or any musical instrument, for that matter.) Is it to feel the pride of developing a skill and to learn the value of hard work? To give them a lifelong creative outlet? To appreciate beautiful music? Learn problem-solving skills? Improve mathematical and critical thinking? The possibilities are endless!

There will be many stumbling blocks on you and your child’s musical journey, so connecting to your “why” is a vital step. Without a strong reason for your efforts, you will both quit at the first sign of trouble. Don’t let this happen!

Do a little soul-searching and answer the question for yourself, “Why do I want my child to take music lessons?” Then cling to that answer when things get rough. It is also a great idea to share this reason with your teacher, so that they can tailor their approach to your unique goals and aspirations.

Dr. Suzuki, the man behind the Suzuki Method, truly believed that every child can learn. With your encouragement, patience, and love, your child can begin the lifelong journey of love, music, and accomplishment. It is one of the greatest gifts that you can give your children.

If you are interested in learning more about the Suzuki Method, please visit the Suzuki Association of the Americas Website.  Here you can find a treasure trove of helpful information, and find Suzuki teachers in your area. If you are in other parts of the world, just google the “Suzuki association” and your area.  I also highly recommend this podcast for Suzuki teachers and parents from veteran Suzuki violin teacher, Paula Bird.

​What other factors are important to consider before beginning Suzuki violin lessons?

This post was originally posted on the Plucky Violin Teacher blog on April 22, 2016, so links and resources might not be current.

Five Helpful Resources for Suzuki Violin Teachers…

1. Coloring is all the rage these days, ride the trend by offering sharing this resource of 62 Music Themed Coloring Pages with your students.

2. There are some really great practice charts on this site, including a super cute pdf explaining the form of twinkle using a sandwich. I’ve used that analogy with my students and I’m so excited to add this great visual!

3. I love these glitter wands for beginning bow holds. Little ones will hold these wands for so long while they watch all the glitter fall to the bottom!

4. The April Book Club Book is Making Money Teaching Music, and while it is not the best music teaching business book I’ve ever read, I’m still learning a lot. It was written in 1992 so some of the information is a little bit dated, and there isn’t much about the internet at all. I laughed out loud at this quote, “If you’re young, spandex is a no-no; if you think you’re young, spandex is a definite no-no.” I may have snorted, ok, I did.

5. We made a similar game set up in my studio a few months ago using masking tape, and my students loved it! Check it out here…

This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher blog on April 20, 2016, so links and resources may not be current.

Making Your Health A Priority Can Save You Money and Time!

A few weeks ago, I came down with a terrible cold.  I started feeling a little crummy on a Thursday evening, and it got worse and worse.  I was coughing uncontrollably, had lost my voice, and felt like I had been hit by a truck.  It was awful.  To make a bad situation worse, my toddler, preschooler, and my husband all got it too.  We were a mess.  Did I mention we were getting ready to move at the same time?  Yeah.  Not good.

One of the worst things about it though, is that if you are a private violin teacher like myself you don’t get paid sick days!  I ended up canceling a whole week and a half of lessons.  That’s a lot of time and money.  There’s no way to find an extra twenty hours to do make up lessons.  A little cold put a real dent in our finances.

As music teachers, our greatest music teaching business asset is not our instrument, teaching space, or tech gadgets.  It is our health!  Our physical health allows us to actually do our job so we can get paid, but not only that, it’s the difference between uninspired teaching and energetic and engaged teaching.

It’s not so easy to be fun and exciting when you are exhausted and have no energy.

How can we protect our most important music teaching asset?

1.  Make sleep sacred.  This one is tough when you have small children interrupting your slumber, but that doesn’t make you totally powerless!  Go to bed early, sleep in a little if you had a rough night.  Take a nap!  A twenty minute nap can do wonders!  Takeaway:  What is your bedtime?  Pick a time, and STICK TO IT.  Netflix can wait.

2.  Stay hydrated.  This is especially important for musicians!  We have to keep our joints and ligaments properly lubricated.

3.  Eat healthfully.  Eat for energy and nutrients.  Fill yourself up with foods that truly nourish your body.  Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc.  Stay away from processed foods that give you quick high, only to leave you crashing in the middle of your afternoon lessons.

4.  Exercise.  If you want to have a good day and a good attitude, exercise.  Exercise to brighten your mood, raise your endorphins and give you energy!  Beginning the day with moderate exercise can help you power through a long teaching schedule.  Not to mention, playing a musical instrument is an athletic endeavor, you need to strengthen your muscles to be able to withstand long periods of playing and teaching.

None of these are a surprise, I know, but in tandem they can protect you from minor illnesses (which we see a LOT of working with small children.)  Teaching music in a fun and engaging way requires lots of excitement and energy from the teacher, and we have to get that energy somewhere!  Treat your body like the gift it is, and it will serve you well.

In today’s world, where so many children are now obese and facing preventable diseases like type II diabetes, modeling good health is an important step we can take to help those we serve.  Don’t hide your healthy habits, let your students see you caring for yourselves, and who knows?  They may be inspired to do the same!

​How do you make your health a priority and cultivate healthy habits?  Please share your tips in the comments!

This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher Blog on April 15, 2016 so links and resources may not be current.

The review recital last week was so much fun.  Everyone had a good time playing old favorites, and I thought it really energized review in my students’ practice sessions.  I love using review to practice and perfect technique points.  How do you use review in your studio?

Though the review recital was great, it was also only twenty five minutes long!  My shortest recital ever!  Because everyone was playing review, the pieces were a little shorter than they might have been, and eight students (including almost all of my advanced students) were unable to attend!

Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice short and sweet recital, but twenty five minutes might be a little bit too short!

One very sweet moment during my teaching this week was when I found out that one of my students wants to be a violin teacher when she grows up too.  She’s been tutoring another young violinist in her school orchestra, and she’s just loving it.  She will be an excellent teacher, I’m sure!

Resources for Suzuki Violin Teachers: Five Things I’m Loving This Week
1. I loved this tip from Paula Bird about helping students remember the order of the sections in Martini Gavotte.  Woof, Martini Gavotte can be ROUGH.  Speaking of, anyone have any tips for me to help a young student remember when to play m. 7-8  vs. m. 15-16 in Gavotte from Mignon? I’m out of ideas!
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2. Thank you, Claire Allen, for this incredible teaching idea–have your students teach you a lesson.  I think it is fabulous that she let them know the week before, so they could prepare a little bit to teach the lesson.  You can read about it here.

3. Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto in D Major was one of the pieces I played in my Master’s program. (My pick, I was dying to play it!) The beginning gives me chills, especially in this performance by the great Leonidas Kavakos.

4. This is such a good reminder for parents AND teachers. Thank you to Angela Leidig for this great blog post about how to get your child’s practice session started on the right foot!

5. I’ve been waiting to mention this resource because I wanted to make absolutely sure that I loved it before recommending it to anyone. Well, the jury is back on Music Teacher’s Helper. Before I got it, I didn’t think I needed it but now I am NEVER going back. It has streamlined everything from scheduling to finances to keeping track of my music library and more. I also love that they have an app I can use on my iPhone and iPad. It is highly convenient, and my studio parents love the lesson reminder emails. Because I love it so much, I’m now an affiliate and can offer Plucky Readers a monthly 10% discount off the price for as long as you have the service. That’s a pretty great deal. The prices are very reasonable, even for me (and you know I’m crazy cheap.) You can check it out here.

Well, that’s all folks! If you didn’t catch my regular blog post this week you can read that here:
Suzuki Parents and Suzuki Teachers: Finding the Courage to Communicate

What are your favorite online resources and blogs for music teachers? Please share in the comments! I’m always looking for more! (If you have a music-teaching blog, please feel free to share the link in the comments as well!)