Program Information for New Families
Suzuki's concept of teaching music has been grasped with great enthusiasm by many around the world because of its enormous success. His philosophy is to provide a nurturing environment in which every child can explore his/her full potential. You are at the beginning of this path and we hope to provide you with some basic things you need to know.
Language and Music - listen to your pieces every day
Suzuki observed that language acquisition is a remarkable thing because every child learns how to speak the language he/she is exposed to. From this, Suzuki developed the idea that if a child is exposed to music from an early age, there is the potential to express these sounds through an instrument.
Private Lesson - take notes
The private lesson is a time when the student, teacher parent meet on a weekly basis to hear what has been learned and set new goals. It is expected that students will eventually take private lessons and practice the lesson materials at home. There are three basic things to learn about a piece; bowings, fingerings and rhythm. Once these have been mastered, the process of how to express the music can begin. The Saturday classes are not to be considered as sole source instruction. Once students have graduated from Twinkle classes it is expected that they will begin private study outside of the program.
Group Class and Weekly Recitals
In group class, your child will be studying and playing pieces with other children who are at the same level. In addition, your child will be exposed to much of the repertoire that lies ahead. They will hear everything from Twinkle to Mozart Concerto's at the weekly recitals and play-ins. Very young children (3 to 4) begin with our Pretwinkle program and quickly move towards the private lesson. Older beginners start with both private lessons and group classes. The Saturday program includes both performance and early music activities for younger students and repertoire and reading classes for older students. The program is not meant to take the place of private study but is an opportunity to reinforce the techniques and skills learned through individual lessons.
Orchestra
We are fortunate to have three orchestras as part of our Saturday program. Each student in Book 3 and up is expected to be a member of the Junior, Intermediate or Senior Orchestras. Students are assigned to one of the orchestras by our director in consultation with teachers.
Practicing
Practicing, like any routine, takes time to establish. If you play every day from the beginning, you have set up the expectation that this is a daily event like brushing your teeth or doing your homework.
Fundraising, Snack and Volunteer activities
As is the case with most organizations, fees alone do not cover the costs of the program on Saturday mornings. Each family is expected to volunteer either through direct participation in fundraising activities or a donation ($100).
WHAT YOU NEED
1. Ask your teacher for the location of a good vendor to purchase the instrument from. Pre-twinklers can refer to the faculty for advice.
2. Suzuki Volume One (cello, guitar, or violin) music book
3. Suzuki Volume One (cello, guitar, or violin) CD, which contains performances of all of the repertoire your child will be studying. Listen to it every day so your child knows what the pieces sound like. If they can hum or sing the tune they will quickly be able to transfer it to the instrument.
4. Write down what was done in the lesson each week in a special notebook. Use it as a reference when establishing goals for your daily practice.