"Make black marks on white paper." -Mrs. Hartzler.
We started the 100 days of practice challenge! And we are doing well, so far we have made it to the 20th day after big A's recital day. I know that 20 days do not seem like a lot, but please consider that the challenge is to do it consecutively, so no excuses, we have to practice everyday. Besides, for us this has meant a LOT of DISCIPLINE, we have not missed one day, even if we are too tired or too busy.
We have to plan accordingly so we are not out of time for practicing piano. So I guess this means we have moved piano practice to the first top three priorities for our family.
We have made it a big deal and even Dad gets to be an audience along with little A whenever big A and me are practicing.
Honestly, these 20 days of practice have made a HUGE improvement in big A's attitude towards piano, I can say that he has become more disciplined. Now we do not struggle or waste time arguing before or while practicing piano, we just know that it is part of our daily routine.
I wish we would have been more disciplined with him since we started our Suzuki journey, but now the circumstances seem to be more favorable for us, as he has longer attention spam, that we had to build during these past 2 years.
We also finished our One Hundred Cuckoos yesterday! Now we are thinking which piece should we practice next 100 times, he was so happy yesterday and showing off his colorful chart.
All this Cuckoo practice, has made big A more confident when playing this piece with both hands. And as a matter of a fact he has become more confident on facing new pieces.
We are currently working on hands/wrists position, curly fingers and understanding slurs. Our next piece to learn, according to our teacher is French Children and Lightly Row with left hand patterns.
What are you doing with your child?, are you experiencing any issues at practice time?, feel free to share your thoughts and experiences here with us!
Thanks for reading and until the next time!
Happy practicing!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
The word of the day is: Consistency
"Repetition is the heart of learning"- Dr. Suzuki.
What instrument are we learning to play?
We are learning to play the Piano, we started with violin originally but after a year we decided to just have piano as our main instrument.
Where are we in the Suzuki program?
We are currently in book 1, and working on the Cuckoo song with both hands playing: Left hand the patterns, Right hand the melody. I have to say that we started working on this since January 2011 and big A is just nailing it now. However, I want to add that this past winter was a bit rough on us, we had rotating colds for every month of the year and unfortunately we had to miss several lessons.
That been said, I honestly believe that he made a HUGE progress just right before his recital this May when we started practicing EVERY DAY. That's right, we didn't use to practice every day, we sometimes had productive weeks and sometimes we just had not the time nor the energy to practice (did I mention we were sick most of the winter with a rotating cold?).
But when I noticed how much it paid off after we practiced every single day for 2 weeks, my eyes were opened. CONSISTENCY. I know I talked about this in my previous post, but here is where I make sense of the word of the day: Keep it consistent.
Now, what stopped me before from being consistent?, we have been taking lessons for a while, right?. Honestly I am not quite sure . But I can list a number of factors:
- Lack of information on resources on how to make a music practice appealing to a toddler/preschooler.
- Lack of previously organized materials/ideas on what to do at our at-home practice. So I do not have to spend one hour planning for what are we going to do today.
- I am sure that the age has made a big difference in big A, as now he is 6 years old and understand what is expected from him, has a longer attention span and can take challenges with a more mature approach.
- Since he has been showing such progress, our home practices had turned FUN for me too! Can you believe it?, yes, I was also bored sometimes when we had to practice, I admit it. But now is just like we have a play date at the piano :).
- Lack of consistency, and this sounds redundant but is actually a true case that you stop flowing as you stop practicing every day. You loose momentum.
And if you think about it, Consistency is such an important thing in life, you can apply it to your life as a parent or setting a different goal for your children.
How do we measure Consistency?
This was a breakthrough for us.
How do I show to my 6 year old how far have we come in our daily practice and why is important to keep going?
Kids have a different notion of time, and is hard for them to see the big picture, so how do I keep him motivated when he is not seeing rewards on a daily basis?
My solution: Charts. Sounds simple and not very innovative, but has worked for us so far. He loves big numbers, 100, 1000, 10000, etc. So we started with a chart that our teacher provided called 'Hundreds Club' , if you are not familiar with this chart you should ask your teacher (if you think this would help your child).
So how does it work? Basically you get a blank chart diamond shaped with 100 little squares that your child has to color for every time he/she practices a song. You must pick a piece and stick to it for 100 times. There is not 'expiration date' to this chart, you do not need to turn it in by certain date. You can do your 100 practices in one day or in a week, or in a month or in a year, is up to you and your child. Then when all the 100 squares are colored you take the chart back to your teacher and sign your name (the child) in a special poster for the "Hundreds Club" in the teacher's studio. Now your child is a proud member of this special Club :). And everyone can see it!
But knowing my own child, I had to come up with a plan to not overwhelm him with the number 100, but not take it so easy that it will seem like forever when we reach our goal
So I showed him that if we practice our piece five times every day, in 20 days we would have reached our goal. And he agreed to it! I can proudly tell you that by the end of this week we will complete our goal and we are so excited to show our colorful chart to our teacher next week when we go back to our class!
Thanks for reading, and until the next time!---Pictures coming soon!!---
What instrument are we learning to play?
We are learning to play the Piano, we started with violin originally but after a year we decided to just have piano as our main instrument.
Where are we in the Suzuki program?
We are currently in book 1, and working on the Cuckoo song with both hands playing: Left hand the patterns, Right hand the melody. I have to say that we started working on this since January 2011 and big A is just nailing it now. However, I want to add that this past winter was a bit rough on us, we had rotating colds for every month of the year and unfortunately we had to miss several lessons.
That been said, I honestly believe that he made a HUGE progress just right before his recital this May when we started practicing EVERY DAY. That's right, we didn't use to practice every day, we sometimes had productive weeks and sometimes we just had not the time nor the energy to practice (did I mention we were sick most of the winter with a rotating cold?).
But when I noticed how much it paid off after we practiced every single day for 2 weeks, my eyes were opened. CONSISTENCY. I know I talked about this in my previous post, but here is where I make sense of the word of the day: Keep it consistent.
Now, what stopped me before from being consistent?, we have been taking lessons for a while, right?. Honestly I am not quite sure . But I can list a number of factors:
- Lack of information on resources on how to make a music practice appealing to a toddler/preschooler.
- Lack of previously organized materials/ideas on what to do at our at-home practice. So I do not have to spend one hour planning for what are we going to do today.
- I am sure that the age has made a big difference in big A, as now he is 6 years old and understand what is expected from him, has a longer attention span and can take challenges with a more mature approach.
- Since he has been showing such progress, our home practices had turned FUN for me too! Can you believe it?, yes, I was also bored sometimes when we had to practice, I admit it. But now is just like we have a play date at the piano :).
- Lack of consistency, and this sounds redundant but is actually a true case that you stop flowing as you stop practicing every day. You loose momentum.
And if you think about it, Consistency is such an important thing in life, you can apply it to your life as a parent or setting a different goal for your children.
How do we measure Consistency?
This was a breakthrough for us.
How do I show to my 6 year old how far have we come in our daily practice and why is important to keep going?
Kids have a different notion of time, and is hard for them to see the big picture, so how do I keep him motivated when he is not seeing rewards on a daily basis?
My solution: Charts. Sounds simple and not very innovative, but has worked for us so far. He loves big numbers, 100, 1000, 10000, etc. So we started with a chart that our teacher provided called 'Hundreds Club' , if you are not familiar with this chart you should ask your teacher (if you think this would help your child).
So how does it work? Basically you get a blank chart diamond shaped with 100 little squares that your child has to color for every time he/she practices a song. You must pick a piece and stick to it for 100 times. There is not 'expiration date' to this chart, you do not need to turn it in by certain date. You can do your 100 practices in one day or in a week, or in a month or in a year, is up to you and your child. Then when all the 100 squares are colored you take the chart back to your teacher and sign your name (the child) in a special poster for the "Hundreds Club" in the teacher's studio. Now your child is a proud member of this special Club :). And everyone can see it!
 |
| Our first "Hundreds Club" chart. |
But knowing my own child, I had to come up with a plan to not overwhelm him with the number 100, but not take it so easy that it will seem like forever when we reach our goal
So I showed him that if we practice our piece five times every day, in 20 days we would have reached our goal. And he agreed to it! I can proudly tell you that by the end of this week we will complete our goal and we are so excited to show our colorful chart to our teacher next week when we go back to our class!
Thanks for reading, and until the next time!---Pictures coming soon!!---
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Introduction--Hello Everybody!
"Every child talks in code, is every parent's job to break the code"-Peter Ruderman.
I am excited to start a blog to share my experience as a parent with the music Suzuki method. My child, which I will call big A, has been taking Suzuki lessons since he was 3 years old. Big A is now 6 and a lot has happened since we started this journey on learning to play an instrument.
Why did I start this blog?
I love reading other parenting blogs because I have found this a useful tool on how to be a better parent. Reading what other parents do or how do they do things has always inspired me and, I believe, has helped me to be a better parent. And for my children, has helped them to be better children.
I love to read other people's experiences and learn other ways to do things. Parenting is something that I have become very passionate about. I have two little ones that set me up for a challenge every day, and I have decided to be two steps ahead of them and take on this challenge. And make it a great experience for both parts :).
When I tried to look for Suzuki method blogs before, I had a hard time finding any, or finding blogs that were more specific to the music method for little children.
There are some teacher's Suzuki method blogs, with helpful exercises and some tools on how to practice at home, but I guess I was looking for a blog from a parent's perspective, and yes, some real stories of families and their struggles making practice enjoyable while trying to juggle the daily life routine. So I decided to start one and share my family's experiences this time around, hoping that it will be helpful for other parents, just as reading other family blogs have helped me and my family solve other issues.
How did we get in this?
A wonderful coincidence! Actually is hard to recall the details right now, but I knew that I really wanted my child to learn to play an instrument. When I was a child, I remember I always wanted to learn to play the piano, but I was never able to take formal lessons. So I browsed in my city for music programs for kids/toddlers, I did attended a few music classes where the little kids have fun playing with several musical instruments, and dance and parents are part of the fun as well. But even though they are great classes I just didn't think it was what I was looking for: I wanted my child to learn a formal instrument.
So, somehow I saw this add on a newspaper for this school that offered Suzuki music lessons for kids as young as 3 years old, and I called them to set up a "Meet and greet" lesson with the teacher. I have to say that I was a little confused on how things went, the teacher seemed to be very serious, and formal, and somehow strict. That is not a bad thing, but most teachers who teach toddlers (3 year olds) are usually 'sweeter', you know with the big smile and high pitch tone of voice, trying to appeal to the child. This teacher was polite but is almost like it was talking to my, then 3 year old, as a big person. I found that interesting.
Anyhow the meeting lasted about 15 minutes and then I had to sign up for a waiting list that took about 6 months to get in the class.
Since I was very determined to get my child in music classes I decided to sign him up for a different instrument that a that time had openings for lessons. So we were enrolled!
Why Suzuki?
To be perfectly honest I did not know anything about the Suzuki method when we started our lessons. Is not like I read about it before and looked for a school or a teacher on this. As I said, I just wanted my child to learn to play an instrument and this method seemed the right approach for us while I was reading about it in the waiting area of the school before our "Meet and greet" lesson.
If I were to do it again, I would, only I would inform myself better on this method so I could get more and the best of it for and from my child and myself.
I have to say that I was very impressed to learn in the beginning that 3 year olds could be able to play the violin and other instruments, and I was a bit skeptical but excited to see if my child could be one of those little tikes playing the violin.
What is the Suzuki method?
According to Wikipedia:
The Suzuki method (スズキ・メソード Suzuki mesōdo, also called Talent Education, mother-tongue method, or Suzuki movement) is an educational philosophy which claims to be able to create "high ability" and beautiful character in its students through a nurturing environment. Its primary vehicle for achieving this is music education on a specific instrument (most often violin). It is modeled on factors which Shinichi Suzuki observed in native language acquisition. The term "Suzuki method" is also sometimes used to refer solely to the Suzuki repertoire of sheet music books and/or audio recordings which have been published as part of its music education method.
But if you are reading this blog, you probably know this already. However if you are a new parent on this and do not know much about it I suggest you to inform yourself as much as possible. I think that other 'Suzuki' parents are usually a good source of information when it comes to experience (wisdom), practicing at home and spending more time with your child and the instrument than the teacher does. After all an average Suzuki lesson is about 30 minutes long and once a week only. And a home practice should be a daily session and it takes 30 minutes to an hour, depending on what's going on that day with your family.
According to me: The Suzuki method is a BIG commitment, and a LONG TERM commitment. You won't see 'fruits' in a month, nor in six, and perhaps not even in 1 year. But to avoid being disappointed is best to know this from the beginning and, in my opinion, it has more weight if it comes from a fellow Suzuki parent than from a teacher.
What have I learned so far...
You need a lot of discipline to practice Suzuki, as Dr. Suzuki originally intended, especially if you are not familiar with it.
I am not a musician, I love music, but I have not knowledge or training on how to read music or play an instrument. And this is OK for the Suzuki method, you as a parent learn during the process along with your child how to play the instrument.
Consistency is vital, you need to schedule the at-home music practices otherwise are left behind and when you are ready to practice the child is tired, or cranky, or there is no time anymore for it. So, since practicing at home is crucial, consistency is very important.
My goal with this blog...
To inspire, share, and vent (if you wish) about our own personal process in this wonderful music method called Suzuki :).
----------------------
Thanks for reading my new blog and can't wait to share more of what we are doing. Big A has been doing incredible progress lately and that has inspired me to start sharing with other parents, I am finally seeing the 'fruits' of our hard work!
Also, I am currently reading this book called Helping Parents Practice by Edmund Sprunger. I will be happy to share with you my reflections as I read this book and how this applies to our family, you might find it helpful or just curious :).
I welcome comments and questions, so please let me know what your thoughts are :).
Until next time!
I am excited to start a blog to share my experience as a parent with the music Suzuki method. My child, which I will call big A, has been taking Suzuki lessons since he was 3 years old. Big A is now 6 and a lot has happened since we started this journey on learning to play an instrument.
Why did I start this blog?
I love reading other parenting blogs because I have found this a useful tool on how to be a better parent. Reading what other parents do or how do they do things has always inspired me and, I believe, has helped me to be a better parent. And for my children, has helped them to be better children.
I love to read other people's experiences and learn other ways to do things. Parenting is something that I have become very passionate about. I have two little ones that set me up for a challenge every day, and I have decided to be two steps ahead of them and take on this challenge. And make it a great experience for both parts :).
When I tried to look for Suzuki method blogs before, I had a hard time finding any, or finding blogs that were more specific to the music method for little children.
There are some teacher's Suzuki method blogs, with helpful exercises and some tools on how to practice at home, but I guess I was looking for a blog from a parent's perspective, and yes, some real stories of families and their struggles making practice enjoyable while trying to juggle the daily life routine. So I decided to start one and share my family's experiences this time around, hoping that it will be helpful for other parents, just as reading other family blogs have helped me and my family solve other issues.
How did we get in this?
A wonderful coincidence! Actually is hard to recall the details right now, but I knew that I really wanted my child to learn to play an instrument. When I was a child, I remember I always wanted to learn to play the piano, but I was never able to take formal lessons. So I browsed in my city for music programs for kids/toddlers, I did attended a few music classes where the little kids have fun playing with several musical instruments, and dance and parents are part of the fun as well. But even though they are great classes I just didn't think it was what I was looking for: I wanted my child to learn a formal instrument.
So, somehow I saw this add on a newspaper for this school that offered Suzuki music lessons for kids as young as 3 years old, and I called them to set up a "Meet and greet" lesson with the teacher. I have to say that I was a little confused on how things went, the teacher seemed to be very serious, and formal, and somehow strict. That is not a bad thing, but most teachers who teach toddlers (3 year olds) are usually 'sweeter', you know with the big smile and high pitch tone of voice, trying to appeal to the child. This teacher was polite but is almost like it was talking to my, then 3 year old, as a big person. I found that interesting.
Anyhow the meeting lasted about 15 minutes and then I had to sign up for a waiting list that took about 6 months to get in the class.
Since I was very determined to get my child in music classes I decided to sign him up for a different instrument that a that time had openings for lessons. So we were enrolled!
Why Suzuki?
To be perfectly honest I did not know anything about the Suzuki method when we started our lessons. Is not like I read about it before and looked for a school or a teacher on this. As I said, I just wanted my child to learn to play an instrument and this method seemed the right approach for us while I was reading about it in the waiting area of the school before our "Meet and greet" lesson.
If I were to do it again, I would, only I would inform myself better on this method so I could get more and the best of it for and from my child and myself.
I have to say that I was very impressed to learn in the beginning that 3 year olds could be able to play the violin and other instruments, and I was a bit skeptical but excited to see if my child could be one of those little tikes playing the violin.
What is the Suzuki method?
According to Wikipedia:
The Suzuki method (スズキ・メソード Suzuki mesōdo, also called Talent Education, mother-tongue method, or Suzuki movement) is an educational philosophy which claims to be able to create "high ability" and beautiful character in its students through a nurturing environment. Its primary vehicle for achieving this is music education on a specific instrument (most often violin). It is modeled on factors which Shinichi Suzuki observed in native language acquisition. The term "Suzuki method" is also sometimes used to refer solely to the Suzuki repertoire of sheet music books and/or audio recordings which have been published as part of its music education method.
But if you are reading this blog, you probably know this already. However if you are a new parent on this and do not know much about it I suggest you to inform yourself as much as possible. I think that other 'Suzuki' parents are usually a good source of information when it comes to experience (wisdom), practicing at home and spending more time with your child and the instrument than the teacher does. After all an average Suzuki lesson is about 30 minutes long and once a week only. And a home practice should be a daily session and it takes 30 minutes to an hour, depending on what's going on that day with your family.
According to me: The Suzuki method is a BIG commitment, and a LONG TERM commitment. You won't see 'fruits' in a month, nor in six, and perhaps not even in 1 year. But to avoid being disappointed is best to know this from the beginning and, in my opinion, it has more weight if it comes from a fellow Suzuki parent than from a teacher.
What have I learned so far...
You need a lot of discipline to practice Suzuki, as Dr. Suzuki originally intended, especially if you are not familiar with it.
I am not a musician, I love music, but I have not knowledge or training on how to read music or play an instrument. And this is OK for the Suzuki method, you as a parent learn during the process along with your child how to play the instrument.
Consistency is vital, you need to schedule the at-home music practices otherwise are left behind and when you are ready to practice the child is tired, or cranky, or there is no time anymore for it. So, since practicing at home is crucial, consistency is very important.
My goal with this blog...
To inspire, share, and vent (if you wish) about our own personal process in this wonderful music method called Suzuki :).
----------------------
Thanks for reading my new blog and can't wait to share more of what we are doing. Big A has been doing incredible progress lately and that has inspired me to start sharing with other parents, I am finally seeing the 'fruits' of our hard work!
Also, I am currently reading this book called Helping Parents Practice by Edmund Sprunger. I will be happy to share with you my reflections as I read this book and how this applies to our family, you might find it helpful or just curious :).
I welcome comments and questions, so please let me know what your thoughts are :).
Until next time!
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