We had a wonderful recital last Saturday, January 19, 2013.

All the violins came, dressed up and ready to work. We rehearsed during the morning and then performed for our family and friends at 11:30am after a quick donut/snack break. Everyone did a great job!

Here is the link to our YouTube Playlist.

Hello all!

I hope you are enjoying a sunny morning–not quite as warm as yesterday but sunshine is always good in my opinion. I just wanted to send a quick reminder about the Violin Group Rehearsal and Recital this Saturday, January 19th, 2013.
Students are to wear black and/or white.

Group 1 and the Twinkler Group are meeting this week as normal (see the January calendar for details).

Also, I AM TEACHING NEXT MONDAY, even though it is a holiday. This is also where PIANO GROUP landed. While not perfect, it is what it is. We will miss you if you cannot come, but will be holding lessons/class anyway.

Saturday’s schedule looks like this:

9:30 Twinkler Rehearsal (Simon, Elise, Eden, Davin, and Wesley)

10-11 All Violins Rehearsal (no Simon and Elise)

11 Break with treats/snacks for students (I could use some parental supervision/help here if anyone is interested)

11:30 Recital begins
***Because I will have filled everyone with snacks and promised donuts (perhaps not smart on my part…) and it will be lunch time when we finish we will not be having refreshments after the recital***

Below is a copy of the program for Saturday. If you notice any typo in regards to the spelling of your child’s name, please email.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Libby

Fall Semester 2012 Group Violin Recital program

I was so impressed with the number of students who were able to make our “Make-up” Recital (because I was so sick when our original one was scheduled…)

Thank you Thank you for being there with your families. Everyone did so well!

We were lucky enough to have this recital recorded. I have posted all the video clips on YouTube as unlisted uploads so they aren’t available to everyone–just those who have the links.

Here is a playlist I’ve created of the entire performance. If you would like your specific links let me know so you can forward them on to family and friends if you like.

(Just a side note, Simon, Elise, and Emily are all grouped together in the 2nd clip.)

Hello Studio,

This is just a reminder that we are back to our normally scheduled lessons this week. Below is a list reminding you of group times and information about Thursday’s Solo Recital. Group numbers were messed up on the October calendar but the normal Monday Group 2 is scheduled for today and the normal Tuesday Group 3 is coming tomorrow.

Good Morning Studio!

Fall is here and I can’t believe it. There have been two major changes to the upcoming Solo Recital dates due to availability at the church. Not wanting to compete with a Halloween or Christmas party being held downstairs, the recitals on October  and December 8th have been moved to October 18th @ 6:30pm and 7:15pm and December 1st @ 6:30pm and 7:15pm. Please note these changes on your calendars and I will be sure to have them posted in the studio.

Attached is a copy of the Miller Violin Studio October 2012 Calendar. As marked on the Semester Calendar I am not teaching from October 3rd-10th.

I am preparing a contact/info sheet to be distributed to all Studio Families to aid in lesson swapping/trading when conflicts arise. At the beginning of the semester every family received a blank contract/info sheet that was to be returned by Sept 15. I am missing several forms (perhaps they are laying in a pile of music somewhere at my house…sorry if your’s got misplaced!) but in order to provide the most accurate info on the Contact Sheet I need forms from the following families:

Breau/Slattery

Cahoon

Hello Studio!

Hopefully everyone survived getting back to school and hopefully schedules are starting to feel a bit more normal! The first Parent Education post can now be viewed on the Studio Blog.

• This week we have our first group classes: Group 1 comes Tuesday at 6pm and the Twinkle Group comes on Friday at 5pm.

• Our Back to School Recital is this Saturday, Sept. 15th, at 6:30pm. It is at the LDS Belmont Chapel at 15 Ledgewood Place. Plan to be there even if you child is not participating. All are welcome and feel free to bring a treat to share. As with all recitals, concert dress is required for all performing and suggested for all attending: no flip flops, no jeans, no shorts.

I have distributed paper copies of the Studio Policies, Fall Semester 2012 Calendar, Info Sheet and Contract, and Group Class lists to most families in the studio but a few of you I have missed. Please remind me in case I missed you! I’ll make sure to get those out this week so you can return your info sheet/contract as close to Sept. 15th as possible.

As many of you know, I love teaching. And, perhaps more than I love teaching, I love the Suzuki Method. As I teach and take Suzuki Training I am continually impressed by the way this method grows with me. The more I study it, the more I believe in it and the more important I believe it is for my students. Dr. Suzuki was a genius–not only in the music he selected but more importantly in the way he taught.

A brief background of the Suzuki Method.

What makes the Suzuki Method different from other methods?

– Every Child Can. Every Child Can learn. All s/he needs is an environment that inspires that ability and the opportunity to do so.

– Listening. The Suzuki Method is often referred to as “the Mother Tongue” method referring to the idea that every child learns to speak his/her native tongue because that is what he/she is exposed to-from birth. Exposure to music leads to interest in music. Listening to good music performed well not only develops the ear but also develops a student’s ability to recognize beauty and a job well done. For my violin students, listening to the pieces they will be playing gives them a vision of what they can do as well as a model for them to follow.

– The importance of a positive environment. In a competitive and critical world, this method focuses on positive-focusing on what you do well to improve what you do not do well.

– Everything is broken into small steps. The smaller the bite the easier it is to digest. If notes/techniques are broken down into small enough “bites” every student can feel a sense of achievement every time they s/he has a lesson or practices at home.

– Repetition. Suzuki said that practice begins when after you can play it correctly. If it takes you 5x to play something right you have practiced it incorrectly 4x. In order to really learn something well you have to play it more times correctly than you do incorrectly and somehow this needs to be interesting and positive!

– Common Repertoire. Having a common repertoire allows for group playing as well as gives students a language they can use all over the world.

– Daily Review

– The Suzuki Triangle. The teacher, parent, and student working together as a team to create the best environment, the best practice, the best effort will produce the best results.

– Delayed reading

– Tone (your sound). If you are never taught to really listen to the sound you are producing, wether on the violin or on the piano, you will never be able to really hear what you are doing. Students need to learn how to listen and how what they are doing is producing that result.

At lessons this week I’m distributing paper copies of the Fall Semester 2012 Calendar, an updated copy of studio policies and procedures, and group class lists for the semester. The group class lists can be found under the “Studio” tab on the studio website but I wanted to attach the documents here–just in case somehow yours gets lost.

Fall Semester 2012 Teaching Schedule

Fall Semester 2012 Policies, Procedure, Info, and Contract

I cannot believe that school begins in just two weeks! Where has the summer gone?

Fall Semester 2012 begins on September 4th, 2012. I believe school begins for most the next day, but I am planning to start our new schedule on Tuesday. (If you have a Tuesday lesson and need to move this first week let me know so we can make those arrangements).

Most have scheduled their times for the Fall but there are a few who have not. Attached is an updated schedule, which can also be found on the Studio Website. I have had several calls asking if I am taking new students and I need to know if you want me to reserve a space for you asap.

With the start of school comes some organizational paperwork. Each student/family will be receiving a packet of information that I would like you to review, return and/or file for your records.

The packet will contain the following: