Questionnaire for Suzuki Parents

Here is a Questionnaire that was handed out at Group last Friday - A great thing to take to start your new School Year right!


Do you see that your child listens regularly to the recordings?

Do you take good notes during lessons so that you can be a good home teacher?

Do you shout, scream, or make sarcastic remarks?

Are you positive about home practice, or does your attitude suggest it as a chore?

Do you plan practice as a daily havit, even if only a minimum can be done?

Do you arrange home concerts for family and/or friends?

Are your child's practice sessions too often just play/along times with the tape?

What is the ratio of praise to criticism in your comments to your child?

Do you show enthusiasm consistently?

Does your child always listen in advance to pieces he is about to study?

Do you practice after lessons, or discuss the lesson in the car afterwards?

Do you observe other lessons?

Do you take your child to concerts?

In practice periods, do you ask for too much at one time?

Are both parents involved in this phase of the child's development?


I hope that these thoughts will help you to motivate and inspire, and stay committed to helping your child become a person with a sensitive heart and a dedication to learning.

and it was so FUN!

We had so much fun at out Back to School Play-In on Friday: the students worked well and played beautifully; the parent meeting was very helpful; and we were so tired by the end that the food was GREAT!

It will certainly be a very good year for our violin group.
I hope that everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. The one thing I forgot was to take pictures so I could post them - please help me take pictures next group class!

Here is your quote from Dr. Suzuki for today:

"The greatest duty and joy given to us adults is the privilege of developing our children's potentialities and of educating desirable human beings with beautiful harmonious minds and high sensitivity. I believe sensitivity and love toward music and art are very important things to all people whether they are politicians, scientists, businessmen or laborers. They are the things that make our lives rich."

Today is the Day!

WOW! It's Here!
Don't forget our Back to School Group Class Play-In is today at 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Bring a snack to share.
We'll play for about an hour then, have a short parent meeting and refreshments!
It will be fun and inspiring to start the school year, so please be there at the LDS church at 3301 N. Belcher Rd .

It won't be nearly as fun without everyone, so please try to be there!

Suzuki Violin Links

If you are interested in practicing with an accompaniment that is a bit slower and easier to play with, try:

www.suzukiviolin.com

If you want to check out the membership benefits of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, go to :

www.suzukiassociation.org

Calendar Updates http://calendar.yahoo.com/vla_virginia

The Calendar has now been updated for this semester. The performances are not totally set as to time yet, but the dates should be good.

Calendar

You can view the String Things Calendar at:

http://calendar.yahoo.com/vla_virginia

This is where you can check on Group Class dates, Recital and Performance Dates, and lesson times if you need to switch lessons with another student. I'll have a phone list at Group Class this Friday, August 27, for you so we can keep last names and phone numbers private, or you can email me for this list.

I'll be updating the calendar a bit in the coming week for this semester, so be sure to check it in September for more Group Class and Performance Dates.

7 Important Suzuki Concepts for Early Childhood Education

* Every Child Can Learn

* Ability Develops Early

* Enviornoment nurtures growth

* Children learn from one another

* Success breeds success

* Parental Involvement is critical

* Encouragement is essential

If you want to know more about these 7 Essential Elements to help your child Succeed, please attend our Back to School Suzuki Group Class on Aug. 27, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. (Bring a treat to share with everyone!)

See-Saw Bowing - tip #43 from Dr. Suzuki

The bow hand moves in special ways so as to execute actions necessary to proper bowing technique. The "seesaw" movement is one of these special movements.

With this movement, the thumb acts as a the fulcrum, or fixed central axis, and the stick functions as the bar that rests on the fulcrum. The two outer fingers, with alternating up and down motions, cause the stick to steadily rock, aligned with the bow path and in a controlled way. The thumb remains immobile, and the two middle fingers are passive, moving only slightly.

This seesaw movement allows string changes, while the elbow remains low.

"Where love is deep, much can be accomplished" - Dr. Suzuki

Group Class for August

Save the Date! The first group class for the semester will be August 27th, Friday.
We'll start at 4:30 and have a play in for everyone on every level from Twinkle through Book 5! Then we'll celebrate the new school year with a short Parent Talk and Party.

Everyone bring a small treat or snack and let's have fun!

2010/2011 Policies

Fall Semester 2010 includes 16 lessons beginning the third week of August through the end of the semester in December.
NO LESSONS November 15-19th; Nov. 24-26th; Dec 20- Jan 10.
* 16 private 30 min. lessons, 6 group classes, 2 performances - $500 (payable in 5 monthly payments of $100 each, due at the first of each month, Aug. through Dec)
* 16 private 45 min. lessons, 6 group classes, 2 performance $700 (5 monthly payments of $140, Aug through Dec)
* 16 private 1 hour lessons, 6 group classes, 2 performances $900 (5 monthly payments of $180, Aug. through Dec)

Spring Semester 2011 - 16 lessons between Jan 10 and May 31, 2011
NO LESSONS Feb 7-11; Mar 1-4; May 2-6.
* 16 private 30 min. lessons, 6 group classes, 1 Recital $500 (payable in 5 monthly payments of $100 each, due at the first of each month Jan through May)
* 16 private 45 min. lessons, 6 group classes, 1 performance $700 (5 monthly payments of $140, Jan through May)
* 16 private 1 hour lessons, 6 group classes, 1 performances $900 (5 monthly payments of $180, Jan through May)

These tuitions are based on an hourly rate of $50 per hour. Tuition for students joining the studio mid semester will have a pro-rated tuition . The posted tuition includes lessons, group classes and performances.

Missed classes and make up lessons are at the teacher's discretion. Make up lessons will not be given with less than 24 hours notice unless the teacher grants an exception for a true emergency.
A Studio calendar will be posted with phone #'s so that students may 'switch' lesson times if needed for important conflicts.
There will be two 'Master Classes' for Make-up lessons for lessons that were not able to be switched. If a student cannot attend the Master Class, or switch times, then the tuition may not be refunded.

Welcome to String Things!

Hello, Welcome to String Things Studio's new blog. I am going to keep this blog as a place for you to find news, calendar events and policies, as well as to post pictures and news of our studio's students.

Please help me by posting any pictures of our group or other musicians and things of interest in the music world.

I will try to update it regularly with group class info as well as the lesson schedule so that you may trade lesson times with each other if you find that cannot make your lesson.

Watch for the next post - it will be the new tuition and policies post, then on to the group and performance dates!