2018 IMTEX Conference (Remscheid, Germany)

A Walk in the Woods at Remscheid, Germany

[This article is excerpted from the most recent Teach Suzuki podcast, which you can listen to here.]

Recently I attended the  2018 International Music Teachers Exchange (IMTEX) Conference in Remscheid, Germany. I have attended this conference for the past three years, and this year's conference was as exciting and satisfying as in past years. I teamed up with my friend Sue Hunt from Great Britain to present a talk about motivation. Sue offered ideas about motivating smaller children ("Waking Up Beginners") while I tackled the issue of motivating teenagers ("Keeping Teenagers Awake").

My reason to attend the conference is greater than my need to present a talk on a particular teaching topic. I attend for personal as well as professional reasons, both as a teacher and as an individual. I have discovered since my first conference in 2016 that I need to attend this conference for several reasons.

Community

We teachers sometimes lead an isolated existence. We certainly see people all the time and every week when our students and their family units attend lessons and group classes. I have discovered, however, that this is not the same as actually having relationships that go beyond the teaching experience. My interactions with my students and their parents are very pleasant, and we do often exchange personal pleasantries and good wishes about our personal lives. Still, a really close connection does not always come from my teaching interactions. And so my existence seems a bit isolated because most of my social interactions stem from work-related activities: teaching performing, rehearsing, faculty meetings. My personal interactions -- a few minutes here and there before and after lessons, in university hallways, at rehearsal and performance intermissions -- are momentary in time, and therefore not as in depth as I may need them to be to feel socially connected.

When I first attended the conference in 2016, I was immediately welcomed by so many strangers from all over the world. Sometimes we had a language in common, but just as often we did not share a common language and would have to resort to hand gestures and stuttered words of a language that we might understand only slightly. Still, the warmth and acceptance I experienced were genuine, and I found the social connection that I craved.

We were teachers -- all of us. We shared a common vision of teaching to change the world. Some of us taught traditionally, some of us with the Suzuki Method. It did not matter. All were welcome here. I cannot stress enough the importance of welcoming everyone here, something that I believe personally is one of Dr. Suzuki's cornerstone philosophical principles. No one was excluded because of a lack of training or credentials. No one was excluded because of location or experience. All were welcome to come and share. And what a rich experience we all got as a result!

My first year I may have hugged closely to my friend Sue Hunt from Great Britain. We had a common language, and I had interviewed Sue years before for this blog. [You can read that interview here]. We knew each other from that interview and got to know each other even better at the conference. Sue knew the ropes at the conference and was able to steer me to the pathway entrances outside the academy so that we could enjoy long walks together in the nearby forest area, and Sue could indulge her iPhone photography skills.

I gained confidence as time went along, and I would sit down at a table with someone I did not know and ask, "Deutsch oder Englisch"? ["German or English"?]. Usually everyone was happy to talk in English. One of my most memorable conversations took place with someone who spoke only German. I did my best with my rusty high school language, but I finally broke free of my grammar worries to talk in single word phrases. I started talking about my eight miniature long-haired Dachshunds; I can talk about them in several languages. I wound up grabbing my iPhone and illustrating my conversational forays with photos. Between my photos, my stilted and stuttered Germany vocabulary, and the generous spirit of my new friend Ina, we were able to have a conversation and enjoy being together. She asked me questions about my students, and I had photos to show her to demonstrate my teaching ideas and methods. We had a lovely time together!

I recall describing one of my dogs -- the only short-haired miniature dachshund I have -- and I attempted to explain how his personality was different than the other dogs, that short-haired dachshunds have this personality quirk of stubbornness. I could not recall the German word for stubborn (stur), but I managed to describe his typical stubborn behavior to my new friend Ina.

"Dummkopf!" she told me. (fool!). Yes, my Kaiser dog was certainly a dummkopf! And so my emails from my German friends would thereafter end with, "Give my best to Dummkopf!"

Fast forward to the 2018 conference. I sat down once again with my friend Ina, who was sitting with another young woman that I did not recognize from previous conferences. My friend introduced her and then we got started with our usual conversation. This time I had practiced my German, so I had much more language confidence to speak up, but before long, out came the iPhone and new pictures to share. My friend Ina announced to her friend, "See?" followed by a German explanation that I would show pictures of students and dogs and how I use special toys and teaching aids with my students. Then my friend declared that she had brought me some special toys to give me to use with my students, and I exchanged the one that I had brought for her.

That relationship that I have just described is one of many very special conversations that I have with my IMTEX conference friends. I have similar stories to relate about teachers from Italy (Arjada, Silvia, & Sara) and Albania (Marjana), Ireland (Noelle) and Spain (Isabel), Switzerland and Sweden (Eva), and Nigeria (David) -- just a few of the many places represented. Along with special relationships, the conference offered a rich experience of information sharing and opportunities to discuss teaching problems and create solutions.

Information and Education

The keynote presenter for a second year was Mimi Zweig from the Indiana University String Academy. Mimi spoke in depth about the foundation of string playing (physical set up, teaching philosophy, basic bowing strokes, left hand shape, shifting, vibrato, double stops, and ensemble playing). Conference attendees observed Mimi as she taught several lessons to students of various ages and levels. We explored the teaching points in several Kreutzer études. We asked questions. We explored our own physical set ups with our instruments, and under Mimi's watchful eye, many teachers explored changes and new ideas. You can learn more about Mimi's pedagogy at her website stringpedagogy.com.

Along with Mimi's thorough presentation, other presenters offered informative sessions: the many teaching points of Corelli's La Folia, the building blocks of the Suzuki Method, Paul Rolland's Principles of Motion, rhythm, basic teaching points for Suzuki violin book 1A, left hand preparation and scales from books 1-3 (introductory and advanced student levels), shifting-trills-vibrato, musical preparation exercises, arpeggios, repertoire and technique, music instruction with ADHS, prevention of lower back pain in violin playing, using technology for successful home and lesson practices, and whole bow training.

New Teaching Resources

by Kerstin Wartberg

There were several opportunities to collaborate with other conference participants. One evening, we gathered to present two new books by Kerstin Wartberg -- My First Technique Book and My Second Technique Book. One again, Kerstin has produced books that will supplement any teaching program in terms of violin technique for young violin students. I will spend more time exploring these books and Kerstin's contributions to string pedagogy in future articles. We enjoyed our few opportunities to work together to present material from these new works.

by Eva Belvelin

Eva Belvelin from Sweden also presented her new book in English, Little Things for Little Strings. Available in the past in Swedish, this new English version book is also an excellent addition to beginning string pedagogy. I have interviewed Eva for the Teach Suzuki podcast to tell us more about her new English version of the very popular Swedish teaching book. You can listen to that episode and examples from Eva's materials here. I will also post more information about Eva and her new book in a subsequent blog article when the books become available here in the United States.

Approximately 125 teachers from 23 countries attended the 10th annual IMTEX conference in early November 2018. This is a diverse group of teachers with a vast body of knowledge, experience, and ideas. I came home from the experience with pages of notes about new ideas, new solutions, and new Facebook and email friends. I am never the same person when I return, and I look forward to sharing my wealthy experience from the conference with my studio families and teaching colleagues.

I know that our dear director, Kerstin Wartberg, will provide us with videos from the conference, and I hope my readers have an opportunity to share in my joy of attending. I highly recommend Kerstin's new books as well. They are currently available in Europe and in the United States (Shar Music). I plan to spend more time in the future talking about the wealth of material contained in these books, and I know that many teachers will be so grateful for the help that these books will provide. Recently Kerstin has posted videos and announcements regarding the recent conference, including a statement from Mimi Zweig and videos that demonstrate a few items from Kerstin's new books. Visit the IMTEX Facebook Announcements to enjoy these videos.

There is a way for us teachers to stay connected through the year. There is a healthy Facebook community (IMTEX) and an online library of resources available here.

I look forward to this conference every year because of the renewed enthusiasm and sense of global connection that I receive by my participation It is one of my favorite events all year, and I already look forward to next year.

Until next time,

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2018 by Paula E. Bird

Monday Morning Check In: Connections and Community

Written by Paula E. Bird, copyright 2014

When I think about goal setting, I typically think in more traditional terms: linear progression and areas of responsibility. For example, linear progression refers to steps 1-10, and areas of responsibility refers to physical, mental, spiritual, or business, personal, and family. Lately though I have been involved in some planning of projects that I expect to spend a long period of time developing. I find that my traditional thinking is not serving me well in this process, and I have been considering new perspectives.

I came across an interesting article written about one couple's work to become completely self-sustaining and self-sufficient on their property. Aside from the details that result from that sort of project, what caught my attention was the authors' choice of words to describe how they measured progress on their goals. The authors preferred to employ the term "sphere" to describe any of several areas of projects or concerns that the authors deemed important enough to develop. In this particular example of homesteading, the authors outlined six spheres that would demand their attention over a span of many years in order to ultimately reach the authors' goal of complete self-sustainability on their homestead, which meant that the authors would no longer need to supply their needs with outside sources.

The term "sphere" caught my attention, because of the nature of the word's description. Somehow this term changed my perspective in a different way than I experience when I think in traditional, straight-line thinking. Because spheres are round and three-dimensional, my thinking has to alter in order to fit this new picture that I have in my head. Yes, sphere also refers to influence or activity, but it is the roundness of the object that I picture in my head that has changed due to this new word use.

Now that my perspective and my way of thinking has altered, I have been considering  my own life in terms of spheres. What are the spherical areas that my life might contain? As I develop this picture, various ideas come to mind, and I want to mention two that came to mind yesterday: Connections and Community.

I have long known that I have a tendency to isolate myself. I am perfectly happy spending large amounts of time alone (or at least in the company of a nonhuman), and I have to monitor this tendency and guard against allowing too much time to pass before human interaction. Yesterday I realized that this tendency may be harmful if I give in to it at all. Instead, I feel a need to not only combat the inertia of aloneness but to develop a plan to eliminate it, if at all possible.

Yesterday I was able to join in a group meeting of our local Suzuki organization, the first meeting that I have been able to attend since the group formed over a year ago. I became better acquainted with several wonderful teachers with whom I have not developed a relationship before, and I renewed my friendship with several teachers whom I have not seen or talked to in quite some time except through electronic means. Most importantly, I met with several teachers for the first time. Rather than be quick to move back into my comfort zone of isolation though, I embraced the experience and found many things to enjoy about my new activity and the new connections that I made.

I found it entertaining to listen to others talk and express their ideas. At times, something someone said would spark an idea in my own mind. Other times I would think about how I could help the group with my own knowledge. Most of the time though, I was content to listen to what others were interested in and how they expressed their concerns and ideas. I learned much about the teachers personally, and I came to understand the group dynamic better than I would have through electronic communication alone.

I realized during the meeting that although my isolationist tendencies are pleasant and serve to recharge my energy and enthusiasm, for the most part my aloneness may not be adding anything more useful to my life. I need more connection and communication.  I need to spend time with others outside of my work sphere, even if the time spent is in a work-related meeting. This is valuable time for me to spend broadening my thinking. I also need to develop a stronger community within my studio. We need more of a studio "identity" if you will, which will come about through our connections within our own local community and the larger Suzuki community. Although my studio is located in a rural area, we need to join forces together with other students and teachers and studios outside of our area so that we can share and broaden our larger Suzuki community vision.

The homesteading article talked about community as a sphere, and I believe this is an important area of concern for teachers. We need to stay connected with each other, for encouragement, motivation, and creativity. We need to develop relationships beyond ourselves and our studio in order to bind ourselves more closely to the larger purpose behind what we do: ability development and talent education. This sphere of community is not limited to direct connections between teachers, but opens up the connections to include any relationships: teacher and parent, teacher and student, parent and student, parent and parent, teacher and teacher. Further, our educational purpose can spread to include others outside our direct sphere of interest, such as extended family, school administrators, and community and business leaders. These types of connections will strengthen the likelihood that our global message that "Any child can" will mean more than merely one teacher's attempts to teach a few students. The type and number of connections are limited by our ability to imagine possibilities.

Take a few moments this week to consider your sphere of community and connection. What relationships can you broaden? How can you strengthen your bonds of connection within your studio and your community?

Let us change our world -- one child, one student at a time.

********************

I am pleased to announce that Sue Hunt (musicinpractice.com) has a new app in the iTune store! If you recall, I interviewed Sue about her review program ideas two years ago (article). The app is free (a paid version with premium features is in the development stage). Please check out Sue's contribution to our Suzuki community: iTunes link).

Pet Peeve #1

Written by Paula E. Bird ©2013

I try to focus on positive things. Admittedly, there are days, weeks, and even months when I struggle with this character issue, but I decided a while back that focusing on positive things yielded a more pleasant life than focusing on negatives. So I hesitate to start a post thread about negative things, and yet I find that there may be some areas to which parents and teachers need to pay attention. So, I have decided to start a "Pet Peeves" subject. I intend to periodically add a pet peeve to cyberspace and this blog so that parents and teachers can be more mindful of the harmful aspects to what is probably a singularly innocuous detail in our daily lives.

Let me start out today's subject matter by making this observation: a journey starts with a single step. I did not come up with this phrase. The phrase has been around for a very long time and has appeared as many different paraphrases. The sentence idea is ascribed to Lao-tzu, the Chinese philosopher (604-532 BC) and his The Way of Lao-tzu. My point in citing the phrase here is to remind us that even the little things we do today will add up to a bigger sum later. If I take a small step every day, I will eventually reach another destination. If I declutter my house 15 minutes every day (and keep it decluttered as I go), then my house will eventually be decluttered. If I practice a little bit with my child every day, then the time I spend with my child in practice will add up to learned skills.

Put another way, as I have heard Tony Robbins speak of it on YouTube (click here to watch Tony), tiny changes mean huge results, and that often we are merely one millimeter off where we need to be to produce a massive result later. If we focus on the millimeter changes that we can make on the front end, we will enjoy the fruit of major results later. If we adopt one small health habit today, such as taking a daily walk of one mile or substituting fruit for a sugary snack, then we will reap the major changes over time. If a parent practices a little bit with her child every day, then the time that the parent spends with the child in practice will add up to learned skills.

So it is with this result in mind that I bring one of my pet peeves to your attention. Last week I gave a lesson to a young, 7 year old student. We had a difficult lesson. I struggled throughout the lesson with a variety of unpleasant behaviors from the child. The child took forever to follow instructions. I used a timer to encourage her to get ready faster, but still she averaged about 15-30 seconds in between tasks instead of the two seconds she had done in the past. She performed several overly dramatic gestures every time she did anything, and by "overly dramatic" I mean she acted like the tragic heroine of "Macbeth," spoke in capital letters, used a lot of exclamation points, and whirled around herself and around her instrument. She managed to whack me with her bow twice, and I am not sure whether those incidents were accidental or purposeful, although mom took the intentional road. The mom sternly rebuked the child on both occasions, with the second time yielding the strongest scolding. This did not help an otherwise unpleasant situation.

Nevertheless, we managed to get through the lesson and complete the items that I had intended to do. I taught the child a new song that we had learned in the child's group class the previous weekend. (Aside: the child did not attend the past two group classes, and I was teaching her what she had missed so that she would stay up to speed for class in the future). We worked together on the child's newest song, Lightly Row, and we did two of the Twinkle variations and worked to polish a rhythmic issue in one of them. So I was pleased that we had accomplished as much as we had, although we could have done more. The whirling, broad gestures, and dawdling behaviors were annoying to the adults, but I managed to work around or through them. It was not my best lesson by a long shot, but we made progress. This child is difficult to work with in many respects, and there are some other dynamics going on in her personal life that would explain some of the difficulties we have during lessons. Still, my pet peeve is yet to come.

When we reached the end of the lesson, I took a few moments to note the child's practice points on the studio chart. This is the time when I go through the child's practice handbook and put a star on the studio chart for every three days that the child has practiced. Imagine my surprise to discover that the child's practice handbook had only enough notations for one studio practice star. That means that the child did something over three days, BUT, I had to search over the child's handbook for the past two weeks to find enough days noted, and this included the day's lesson I had given.

I thought at first that the mom had forgotten to note practices. Sometimes that happens. Moms get busy too, and since they know the practice routine, they go ahead and practice but forget to mark the child's practice handbook. They usually fill it in right before the lesson begins or during the lesson. I am a stickler that they mark something in the book so that the child can get "credit" for the work the child did during the week.

No, the mom had not forgotten to note the practices. There were only two in the two-week period, and those two practices occurred TWO WEEKS AGO. That means for about 10 days, the child had done nothing with the violin. I thought for a moment. No, there was no holiday break. There was no family emergency. The child had not been sick. The mother had not been sick. The child had been at the mother's home and at the child's school during the week and at the child's other parent's home during the weekends. In other words, THERE WAS NO EXCUSE for the child not practicing. Sorry for the excitement, but the child's dramatic behaviors influenced me. The mother confirmed with me that what I saw in the handbook was actually what had occurred in the past two weeks. What did I say at that point?

"Well, that is why she behaved this way at her lesson today."

Seriously? Parents do not understand this? Parents do not see this? If the child has no preparation at home, no exercise on the material that the teacher has taught to the child during lessons, then how can we expect the child to remember this lesson in the weeks that follow? How does the parent remember the material without practice in the intervening days between lessons? How can we expect the child to behave with assurance if the child never plays the instrument in ten days? And then we scold and rebuke the child because the child does not know how to behave?

That is my pet peeve #1, that we blame the child for something that the adults did or did not do. If we want the child to practice, then the parent is responsible to make that happen. If we want the child to take a bath, brush his teeth, eat healthy food, pick up toys, go to school, do homework, learn how to play the violin, then that is what PARENTS must make sure happens. Parents cannot ignore this fundamental fact. Parents are the adults in the relationship and are the responsible parties to make sure that these child development issues take place. We cannot and should not expect that a child will have the maturity and understanding to make and act on these types of decisions on the child's own initiative. That is why we have parents in the world.

OK, there, I have said it. Yes, this is a strong message, but by golly, this is a strong message. I have a very strong expectation that parents will be parents. I expect that parents will do the job that parents signed up for when parents decided to have a child, and that is to be a parent!

Pet Peeve #1: Do not blame the child for not behaving in a way that the parent has not taught the child to behave.

Solution: If the parent wants the child to behave appropriately at lessons, the parent must be sure that the child has had plenty of opportunities to practice the appropriate behavior at home in the intervening time between lessons. The parent must role model the appropriate behavior for the child so that the child will learn the behavior.

So, let us go forth and be better parents and teachers!

Happy Role Modeling!

PS (Followup): The student came to the next lesson and proudly announced that she had practiced every single day since her previous lesson. The mother had a brief conversation with the student to remind her of an earlier discussion about behavior during the lesson, and then we had our lesson. I happened to use my Twinkle Toes board game that I had recently purchased from talentpress.net. I played along with my student as one of the game variations, but when I played along, I became "Mrs. Messy," as my friend Sue Hunt suggests (musicinpractice.com), and my student corrected me. She was quite good at it too. My student and I had a very productive and fun lesson. Now THAT is the way it should be done every time!

Teacher Report Card

Written by Paula E. Bird ©2013
I wrote last week about a parent report card [here is the article link], and I promised to provide a teacher report card this week. Parents (and teachers), review the following statements and see if there are any areas that need attention. Parents, be sure to discuss these issues with your teacher.

The teacher's instructions are clear and understandable.

Be sure though that you as the parent are making an effort to understand and to remember the teacher's instructions. I have had instances of parents who do not follow my instructions well because they do not take adequate notes during the lesson and do not make an effort to understand what the child and I are working on. Sometimes parents are distracted by email or text messages on their phone. I had one parent who liked to go through her wallet and reconcile receipts. These parents are sending the message to their children that what the children are doing at their lessons is not as important as emails, text messages, or reconciling checkbooks. Really? Even if a child is at an independent stage in the lessons, would it not be better to look (and be) attentive to what the child is doing?

At some point in book 1, I may lose a few parents who claim that they are "confused" and that things are "so hard to understand" because the form of the songs may be a little bit more complicated than Twinkle. I understand when a parent truly is struggling to understand, but in many of these cases the parents did not seem to want to put in the effort to learn for themselves. Sometimes even parents then begin to insist that the child be independent at this point, even though the child is at early elementary school age.

Nope, the young child is not yet ready to be independent and instead would benefit from the parent's making the effort to stay involved. Here is how I look at it. I have three and four year old students in my studio. If I can teach them the names of the eight notes of the A scale, then surely a parent can learn them too. If we expect young students to remember how to play the form of a song, then surely the parents can learn to remember the form. Anything that a parent expects a child to be able to do should be something that the parent can also do.

I recall an instance of talking with an adult who claimed that they just did not understand how Facebook or computers worked, and that the iPhone (or other smart phone) was too complicated for that adult to understand. I relate the story of the two year old sibling in my studio who picked up his mother's iPhone, swiped the screen on, and then called me. I note that most adults begin to work through their technology issues after they hear me tell how easy it is for extremely young children to figure out. It just takes effort on the part of the adult.

Oh yes, I have heard the arguments that personal communication is better than electronic and that some parents would prefer that their children not be exposed to the big, bad Internet, but parents, please know that your children are quite exposed to the Internet and electronics. It would be better if you, the parent, would be on top of this issue so that you could adequately monitor what your child learns from this exposure. You may keep your house devoid of electronics, but the rest of the world does not. Your church, your school, your neighbors, and your child's friends are probably connected and showing your child how to be as well. Stay on top of this so that you can adequately protect your child from what you call from the bad effects of the Internet.

The teacher explains the points that I should focus on during my home practice sessions with my child.

Be sure you leave the lesson with a clear understanding of what your child's teacher expects you to practice. I can give the parent a detailed list of things to practice, but I am not in the home the other six days of the week. I am not there to gauge the child's energy level, motivation, or other life difficulties. I rely on the child's parents to make those assessments during the week and to structure the child's practices accordingly to best meet the criteria of the moment. If a parent takes careful notes during the child's lesson, then the parent will have at least one lesson plan to follow -- the lesson plan that the parent observed during the lesson. I usually also suggest one or two other games or ways to practice things. If the parent makes a list of these types of practice techniques as lessons progress, maybe in the back section of the parent notebook or on a list of index cards or review cards as Sue Hunt suggests (here are the links to the interview and Sue's website), then the parent will have created a large basket that is full of practice tips and ideas.

The teacher shows me how to be a good home teacher to my child.

The teacher understands the child from the standpoint of a teacher. The teacher is not the parent. The teacher should be role modeling how to teach your child. If the parent follows this same approach and is careful to not to insert the "parenting" aspects at the same time, then the parent will be a more effective home teacher to the child. Parents who insist on regulating behavior during lessons and practices rather than building up a relationship that focuses on the learning environment, may have a hard time being effective home teachers. The teaching and learning environment should be happening at the child's lesson, and it is the parent's responsibility to continue the environment in the home.

A parent who frequently harps at the child about posture issues or who uses an unpleasant tone of voice (signaling frustration and exasperation) is not building a motivating learning environment. Better to turn this energy and focus into some sort of game that aids the student to become more aware of the student's behavior. For example, if the student cannot remember to hold the bow at the proper tilt, then set up a chip game. Place 10 chips on the table, and every time the student forgets to hold the bow at the proper tilt, remove a chip from the student's pile. I guarantee that the student will start remembering to perform the bow tilt correctly after losing two chips without my having to harp on it. The same thing goes for a student making squeaky noises because of speeding, or missing the finger tapes, or any number of other items. Playing a game and finding ways to make the practice sessions more fun will make the entire experience more enjoyable for both parent and student.

The teacher treats my child and me with respect.

The atmosphere at the lessons should be positive and nurturing. However, that does not mean that the teacher should allow misconduct on the part of the child or the parent. I believe that I show my parents and students respect by making sure that they live up to the best that they can be. I very seldom permit a parent or student to talk disrespectfully to each other or to behave improperly to each other or to me. If a parent is talking unpleasantly about the child or making snide remarks about something that the child and I are working on, I will call the parent on it. I will try and do it in a way that is pleasant, but there have been one or two times when I had to call a halt to unpleasant words coming from a parent. We all need reminders now and then, and I believe that I am showing my students and parents the ultimate respect by expecting them to adhere to a code of doing and being the best that they can be. The teacher's giving respect to the parent and student does not mean that the parent and student can misbehave or get away with improper actions.

The teacher understands my child and the best teaching method for my child.

The teacher makes an effort to understand the child's personality and learning styles and to choose a teaching method that best addresses the child's unique styles. The teacher explains to the parent how the teaching method will help the child to learn better. The teacher may also take time to help the parent understand what the parent's personality and learning styles are so that the parent can be a more effective home practice partner.

I would like to remind parents that the teacher is the expert in the music lesson arena because the teacher has spent many years learning how to play the instrument and how to teach music. The teacher should therefore be accorded the appropriate amount of respect for this expertise. Many times I have counseled young teachers who have parents who treat them with disrespect because the teachers are young. I frequently remind these young teachers that they are the experts in their instrument and in teaching, and they should not feel intimidated by the parent because the teacher is young or is not yet a parent.

My child enjoys the lessons and group classes with his teacher.

This statement seems obvious. The child should enjoy coming to lessons and group classes in order for learning to occur. However, when a child is reluctant to attend lessons and group classes, the parent may want to reflect on whether the parent has adequately prepared the child for lessons and group classes. A parent who has not practiced consistently and regularly before lessons and group classes will be raising a child who shows uncertainty and reluctance at lessons and group classes, and who exhibits dawdling and other acting-out behaviors.

My child and I learn something at every lesson.

Generally, the student and the parent should walk away from the lesson with a new lesson learned or a new insight gained. However, if the child and the parent are not learning something at every lesson, the parent may want to reflect on whether the parent is helping to make this possible by providing the fertile ground during the week that makes it possible to teach the child and parent something at every lesson, or whether the parent is dragging down the learning process by not following through at home with consistent and regular practicing. My practice handbooks are very helpful for me to show parents when I have to teach the same lesson over and over because the parent and student are not practicing my homework assignments in between lessons. The parent can do quite a bit here to make this statement ring true -- or not.

The teacher is available outside of the lesson to discuss any questions that I have.

I maintain a very full teaching schedule, and so I have limited time available outside of lessons. I prefer emails or other written communications rather than phone calls because I can spend a little more time reflecting on the communication, and I can answer the communications at my leisure at all hours of the day or night. I love answering parent questions, when the parents present these questions in the written format. I also answer questions during lessons as well, although it is much better to address these things outside of the lesson. Answering questions at lessons often takes longer than the parent realizes, and rather than be hurried in my answers because I am trying to keep to my teaching schedule out of courtesy to my other students, I would rather answer the questions in a more relaxed and thorough manner after lessons.

The Suzuki Triangle

So there you have it -- the Teacher Report Card. Notice though how much of the teacher's successful reporting will have a direct correlation to the effort that the child's parent puts into home practices, regular routine, consistent interaction during lessons, and enhancing the home learning environment. That is why the Suzuki world talks about the Suzuki Triangle: the triangle partnership between the teacher, the student, and the child. Every person at one of the points in the triangle is important. Each person at the point of the triangle has a job.

The teacher's job is to teach the parent how to be more effective as a parent, how to be a good home practice partner, and how to teach the child to play the instrument well. These are merely three items, but I could write a book about each item.

The parent's job is to play the recordings daily, practice the teacher's homework assignments daily with the child, set up a nurturing and motivating learning environment (listening, music concerts), and help the child to learn the notes and bowing of the songs the child is learning.

The child's job is to be a child. If the parent and teacher do their jobs correctly, the child will be able to be a child. The child will be able to learn at the child's appropriate pace. The child will learn things from his environment. The parent and child will have happy practice sessions in the home, and everyone will benefit together with happy and productive lessons and group classes at the studio.

I will not be writing a report card for the child, because I believe that the success of the child will be due to the efforts of the adults in the child's life. So, teachers and parents, let's all pledge to be the best teacher and parent that we can be so that our students and children can be nurtured by love to become fine citizens with good and noble hearts.

Quick Teaching Tip: Teacher Note Cards

written by Paula E. Bird, ©2013

I have been teaching a long time, and although I had definite lesson plans in my earlier years, now I find that I have to be more flexible in my teaching approach. Once students reach a certain point in the Suzuki literature, I need to approach each student individually. Sometimes I even play "catch-up," where the student moves so quickly that I am addressing teaching points after the fact rather than as previews.

That is alright, though. Every student is unique and comes from a different environment than another student. Every student has a differently developed ability depending on the environment, the routine, the parents, and any number of other factors. So I go with the flow during lessons. I do have one tip that I use when I teach, and that is the Teacher Note Cards. I have put together these Note Cards while I teach, and these cards mostly pertain to later repertoire, any time after book 2, but mainly from books 4 and above.

Many times during teaching I would think of ways to relate earlier literature to a student's current piece or technical difficulty. For example, in Suzuki Violin Volume 6, the last movement of the Handel D Major Sonata, I would discover that the student's ability to play a tight dotted eighth and sixteenth note rhythm had disappeared from book 2's Witches' Dance. So out we would trot a review of Witches' Dance. Perhaps a student would lose the Seitz Concerto No. 5, 1st movement (Seitz "2" in book 4) rhythm of the dotted quarter and eighth note learned in Chorus from Judas Maccabeus, so we would review that point from book 2 to fix measure 16 of the Seitz concerto.

These impromptu thoughts were the real gems of my teaching experience because they represented the years that I had developed my expertise. These impulsive thoughts were the little connections that I had made in my teaching study of the Suzuki repertoire. There were so many of them, because each student brought a unique discovery of new connections. Each spontaneous connection that I made seemed logical and brilliant at the same time and so often different from those thoughts I had with other students.

I began keeping Teacher Note Cards in order to capture these flashes of teaching insights. When such a thought occurred to me, I scribbled it down on a large index card (5" x 8") with one card per song. In the Seitz "2" example above, I included these notes about review:

• Chorus from "Judas Maccabeus" for the dotted rhythm of measure 16

measure 16

• Variation C of Twinkles for the 16th note bowing pattern in measure 79

measure 79 bowing

• Hunter's Chorus for the slur and bow lift section of the triplet slur and lift measures in measures 32 and 33

measures 32 & 33

• Bach's Bourreé from Book 3 for the high third finger in the E major section of the Seitz in measures 52 and following

measure 52

These are a few examples of the types of notes that I might include on my Teacher Note Cards. Not every student will need to review all of these items in particular when studying Seitz "2", but having generated a Teacher Note Card for the piece will bring ideas to the forefront of my mind, and the Note Card makes an excellent reminder for me of the piece's teaching points and relationship to earlier repertoire. So I find these notes helpful to pull up and review for me when a student begins to study the piece. I pass along the specific review songs that would help the student. If I discover something new while working with the student, I will add it to the card.

These Teacher Note Cards are my personal gems, as they represent my many years of teaching experience in the Suzuki repertoire. They resemble the teaching point and review cards that Sue Hunt provides in her book Review - Making it Fun, Gets the Job Done. If you are unfamiliar with Sue's work, here is the link to my interview with Sue: interview. She provides similar review cards for books 1-3 as well as reminders of teaching points and suggestions for fun review.

So my teaching tip today is to build your own set of Teacher Note Cards. This is a simple thing to construct. Buy a set of large index cards (or use a 3-ring notebook with plain notebook paper, one sheet per song), and begin capturing your own flashes of teaching brilliance. Many of my articles about book 1 and 2 contain examples of teaching points or review songs that could provide the foundation for your note cards. Have a look at Sue's books about review. You may find more information about Sue here and here.

Interview with Sue Hunt: Review - Making it Fun, Gets the Job Done

I have been spending a lot of time thinking about and discussing the importance of review. I thought I would talk to an expert. Let me introduce you to my friend Sue Hunt, from England. Sue and I spent some time talking in the middle of the summer on the eve of the Olympics. I found it interesting that Sue was leaving England just as the Olympics were about to start in her country.

Sue: I’ve been attending the American Suzuki Institute since 1999, and I had already registered and paid for flights before I heard the Olympics were happening in the same fortnight. Actually it was much healthier to be practicing, rushing to classes and using my brain, than lying slothfully in front of the telly, thinking, “If only I were younger.” Luckily I came back home in time for the Para Olympics, which I found really inspiring. These young athletes truly embody Suzuki’s belief that Every Child Can.

I try to get to the American Suzuki Institute at Steven's Point, Wisconsin every year for some teacher training.  This year I took another opportunity to review Book One.  As usual, the place was buzzing with enthusiastic families, so there were lots of opportunities to observe the dynamics in teaching and practice sessions.  A special treat for the trainees was a series of three Skyped lectures on how the brain learns by Robert Duke from his studio in Texas.  I can tell you, I've come home bursting with information.

Paula: You have come out with a new book recently that addresses the issue of review. What caused you to write about review as a topic?

Sue: I think that FRUSTRATION is the mother of invention. When my two children were small, I didn’t see the point of playing old repertoire every day. We did it, racing through the easy ones, avoiding Twinkle like the plague, and having tantrums (mostly parental ones) over the bits that always went wrong. Over the years, I have met many families who find review as difficult as we did, and after years of creating review charts that never got used, I decided to do something about the problem.  Review – Making it Fun, Gets the Job Done is the child of my frustration.

Paula: Where did you get your ideas about what to focus on concerning review?

Sue: I published a survey online, to find out what really bothered parents and teachers about review and was overwhelmed by the response. Teachers were bewailing the fact that parents didn’t understand the importance of review. Parents were just as upset that their children didn’t take it seriously. They both reported boredom, lack of focus, rushing, lack of motivation, and memory lapses. A lack of communication came into it. Teachers blamed parents for not paying attention during lessons, and parents blamed teachers for not giving adequate instructions.

It seems that both teachers and parents have done everything in the book from nagging to charts, stickers, games, and rewards. Nothing seems to work for any length of time. It seems that everyone is desperate for a quick fix.

We are often told that review is the cornerstone of the Suzuki Method because of all the benefits that it brings, but we are not told in simple terms how to do it. When I was helping my two through their practice, we were told to review everything every day, which meant, as far as I was concerned, keep the pieces up to scratch. This became more stressful as we progressed through the books and the repertoire became larger. Charts looked huge. I think that giving a review chart to a parent can be very daunting, and I know that some of my families have been totally fazed by them. When a child clearly wasn’t reviewing, this is the first thing I would do, and I was always disappointed by the lack of ticked pieces at the next lesson. Some parents even moaned, “Oh no, not another chart!”

Paula: I know some of your background as a Suzuki parent before you became a teacher may have had an impact on your teaching philosophy. Would you mind sharing some of that history with us?

Sue: I was fortunate to grow up in Bermuda.  The only fly in the ointment was that I desperately wanted to learn the violin and at the time, there were no teachers on the island.  By the time I came to school in England at the age of 17, I was told that I was too old and should learn the viola.  It was love at first sight and within 18 months, I got accepted into music college only to be given to the worst teacher I have ever met.  That was that, till my children came along and I wanted to give them the chance I never had.  This is where Suzuki came into my life with violin, viola, and cello lessons for all of us.  It took me many years before I understood that the Suzuki Method is not about producing virtuoso instrumentalists, but about nurturing the whole child. I must have made every mistake in the book while trying to help them practice.  Ooh, the tantrums and parental meltdowns!  Well, in spite of everything, we have all survived, and I am the proud mother of two lovely, kind, and capable young adults.

Once I began to understand the philosophy of the Suzuki Method, I started to take teacher training courses at the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and with the British Suzuki Institute in Scotland.  I became fascinated with the way we learn and the ways in which parents can optimize their children's education.  You could say that my mission in life is to help other parents to avoid the mistakes I made and to help them to enjoy the musical journey they are taking with their children.

Paula: Tell us how your book about review came to be.

Sue: I'm insatiably curious about what works and what doesn't and why.  Yes, I'm always the one with my hand in the air, asking too many questions in class.  I love experimenting and finding out what makes things tick.  My new ebook Review - Making it Fun, Gets the Job Done is the product of this curiosity.  Why, when we are told that children like doing things that they can do well, are so many children and parents bored by review?  What can we do to make the job fun?

Paula: Who would benefit from your book?

Sue: I wrote my new ebook for:

• Parents who feel that they are progressing too slowly
• Parents and children who are bored with the old easy pieces
• Parents and children who don't understand the point of review
• Teachers who are having trouble with parents not understanding instructions
• Parents who need help with specific review tasks for each piece
• Anyone whose children rush thoughtlessly through review
• Everyone who is fed up with review charts
• Parents who don't understand what the teachers want them to practice

Paula: What kinds of topics or activities does your book cover?

Sue: My book contains ideas about why, how, and where to review along with ideas for fun focus. The operative words are focus, fun, and games, no matter how crazy. I'd like to quote Maria Montessori, who said, "Play is the motivation for the child's work."  Although we tend to think of work and play as opposites, they are most effective when they are brought together.  Games give lots of opportunities to practice lightning fast refocusing, as well as giving micro breaks in concentration.

The tools I included for getting review done include:

• Focus Cards for all pieces in books 1 through 3
• Review Priority Cards for all pieces in books 1 through 3 (so that parents can see how the bow circles in Song of the Wind lead to Gossec Gavotte and why Twinkle variation C is important for Allegretto and Andantino)
• Over 100 Variations on Twinkle and Perpetual Motion to use as previews for new pieces
• Review Challenge Games

Paula: Your new review ebook is not your first publication. Tell us what other books you have created.

Sue: When my children were learning music, my biggest challenge was how to make it fun and focused without forcing the issue.  We were inspired by a friend who turned everything into a game.  If you listen carefully to gifted teachers, they will use colorful metaphors and games to engage all of the senses.  It's enhanced deep focus that we are looking for. We learn more when we pay attention.  It is in human nature to engage with activities that are enjoyable.  We all need to cultivate the art of making practice fun. There is a wonderful sign up offer that will explain how to use games. You can find the offer at: http://www.musicinpractice.com.

Paula: If anyone wishes to contact you for more information, where should they email you?

Sue: I can be reached at info@musicinpractice.com.

Paula: Thanks, Sue, for taking the time to connect with us and tell us about your new book. I am sure that there are other teachers besides me and other parents who could use some help with a review program. Please check out Sue's new book: Review - Making it Fun, Gets the Job Done. For more information about the new book, visit Sue's website at: http://musicinpractice.com.