Practice | Christine Goodner: The Suzuki Triangle Blog, Author, Speaker, Podcaster

A new school year & Gretchen Rubin’s Strategy of the Clean Slate

. Gretchen Rubin's Strategy of the Clean Slate

One of my favorite podcasters, and experts on making new habits, is Gretchen Rubin (http://www.GretchenRubin.com). Her book Better than Before explains how to make new habits and how to understand how you approach the process. It is full of useful tips – I highly recommend it.

As I have been planning my fall studio schedule and answering some questions from new parents about whether or not lessons will start the first week of school, I realized that one of the points in Gretchen Rubin’s book was my main argument for starting right away. The strategy of the clean slate . . .

Life Lens: Seeing Your Children in Color [Author Interview]

I have never been a one size fits all teacher – I’m always trying to figure out what makes each student light up, learn more easily and be more receptive to my teaching.

In my experience, the Suzuki Triangle works best when everyone makes an effort to understand and respect each other’s point of view. Because this is an important part of my teaching, I was very excited to hear about Michele Monahan Horner ‘s new Book Life Lens: Seeing Your Children in Color.

Practice Spot Cards & Repetition

I’m always thrilled when a parent asks me for advice about how to practice better at home! I try to make it clear in parent education that this is something I like to help with & that parents need not struggle through alone. It’s always great when someone takes me up on the offer to problem solve together. Often I have ideas that I’ve come up with, that I’ve heard from wonderful colleagues or we try out new ideas together.

The To Be List

Being a Suzuki Parent can feel like a big to do list : Attend Lessons Take notes Ask the right questions Attend Group Classes & Recitals Make sure your child has all the materials & equipment they need Make sure to listen every day Practice on the days that you eat! The list could go on and on and it's an important list for sure However, on days where it all seems like a bit much - when you wonder…

Practice Struggles . . . What I Wish my Students Knew

How is practice going at your house? Does your child start their practice without any nagging or reminding from you? Does your child come to every practice eager to learn and work on their lesson assignments? Does your child stay focused through every practice session so you don't have to remind them to keep going? Does your child work through new material with ease, happy to repeat practice spots in order to master them? You may be able to answer…

The Power of Community

One thing I always say in my studio is that although practicing individually for lessons each week is very important (and the only way we can really improve our playing skills) it is not really what music is all about. I believe it's when we get together with other people to make music that the magic really happens. The Oregon Suzuki Association recently had an annual meeting and teachers were asked something along the lines of "What made you…

Basic Expectations for Success: Mid Book One

I currently have a whole crew of young violin students in the middle of Book One. I can see that I need to better communicate what will help these students succeed as they move ahead to the more complicated pieces coming up. Below are some of my thoughts about what I want parents (home coaches) to know about how to keep the momentum going & what's ahead. There is wonderful music coming that will not feel wonderful to learn without…

The Importance of Review

One of the foundations of the Suzuki Method is its focus on reviewing pieces a student has already learned. Most teachers have a systematic way to have students go through their review pieces and it often varies from teacher to teacher. Reviewing pieces on a daily and weekly basis not only keeps students ready to participate in group classes, play throughs, and at institutes in the summer - it also helps students to master their pieces in a way…

Music Tip Monday

Music Tip Monday: Stretch! It has been said that musicians are atheletes of the small muscles and, like any athlete, stretching is an important part of staying in the best shape possible. Stretching your shoulders, back, arms and hands can keep you relaxed and free of tension when you practice. There are some great videos on stretching to get you started (see above). You can also ask your teacher for their recommendations. If you have any stretches that work well for…

5 Ways to Keep Practice Interesting

There are many rewards that come with practicing at home with your child. You have the opportunity to find out how your child learns new concepts, you have daily one on one time with your child, and you both get to experience music together which can be a great bonding experience. There can also be challenges with daily practice sessions and sometimes getting the instrument out and getting started is the hardest part of all. Young children (I'm…