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.

Everyone Can Improve

I wanted to share an experience with you. I have a university student who showed up as a freshman without ever having much in the way of private lessons before arriving at the university. This student learned most of what he could play on the violin in his school music program. He had some chops, but the biggest problem is that his left hand posture interfered with his ability to make improvement. In fact, just about everything about how he held the violin impacted on how he played.

We made the necessary adjustments, and this student got better. Along his university journey, he discovered that he enjoyed teaching and was quite good at it. Although he was not a great role model when it came to showing students how to do things right, he had very strong analytical and teaching skills. So he took on a few private students and began working with the university string project. Students liked him. He could relate to students that other teachers found difficult to reach.

As he progressed in his teaching career, he came to me frequently with insightful questions. He is one of my regular blog readers. He expressed interest in more formalized Suzuki teacher training. I started going through the Suzuki books with him, beginning with the Twinkle Variations. I noticed something interesting as we went along.

This student started to improve everything! Once I showed him the various teaching points involved in the songs, and he discovered many of these points himself while teaching his own private students, he started to improve his own playing. His posture solidified in the right direction. His bowing and tone production sounded much better, and his skill as a violinist grew. It is actually quite exciting to see the changes from week to week, all because he started at the beginning of the Suzuki violin books and worked through the material.

I know that I myself have grown as a musician and violinist because I teach the Suzuki repertoire. My first year of taking teacher training, I embarked on a review program of all ten of the violin books. I made up a blank calendar form of the 7 days of the week, and I started filling in the calendar form with each song, allowing each Twinkle variation to fill up one box. I filled in across the chart and then continued filling in songs in the second row, the third row, etc. When I finished putting in each song or concerto movement on the chart, I would just look at the songs that fell under the particular day's column and do review. I skipped repeats or repeated sections, and generally did what I could to minimize the amount of time I spent. It generally took me about an hour to play the review section for the day. I could have cut down that time by dividing up my review chart to span two or three weeks or even an entire month.

I made so many discoveries about my own playing. I struggled with some of the same issues that my students have to struggle with when they learn a piece. I found out how to play Vivaldi's concerto in G minor without my hand muscles aching through most of it (play on the thumb-side corners of the fingers) -- something that plagues a person with small hands. I learned so many things and solidified so many of my technical skills. It was a great experience that summer.

Now, of course, I review quite often because I am teaching all of this material to students. I still draw from my own personal review experience when I teach. I highly recommend that teachers and performers take the time to review and really study the Suzuki repertoire. When we approach the material with a thoughtful and analytical mind, we will reap a great many benefits and discoveries.

I am reminded every teaching day of the genius of Dr. Suzuki. He put together a masterpiece of material for teaching students. I hope that everyone can share in this wealth.

What is a Suzuki Teacher?

Recently, I received a lengthy email asking me to comment about a particular teaching situation. I thought the questions raised were worth addressing for everyone to read, so I am doing a blog post about it. I welcome anyone else's comments or suggestions as well.

To summarize the email, there were three issues raised:

1. What is a true Suzuki teacher? How can a parent tell if the teacher is really a trained Suzuki teacher? What should a parent look for when searching for a Suzuki teacher?
2. What should a new parent expect for the child in terms of lessons and learning? Will there be an instrument involved, or will the teacher be waiting until the child is older before beginning actual lessons and instead spending the early years playing games or focusing on other non-Suzuki programs?
3. What is the parent's role during the lesson? Should the parent interact to discipline the child or should the parent stay out of the way and let the teacher handle it?

These are all three important questions, so I will address them one by one. As I began this task, I realized that these questions raised very important and lengthy points. I will respond in three parts in three separate blog posts, beginning with the question of "What is a true Suzuki teacher?"

I put my name on any available teacher referral list, even though I may not live in the area where the teacher referral list is maintained. I do this so that I have an opportunity to educate the public concerning what Suzuki education is and how to look for a Suzuki teacher. I am not sure if it is possible to tell if a teacher is a trained Suzuki teacher, but there are some common character-
istics and experiences that are shared by all Suzuki teachers. There are many teachers who may be highly qualified to be good teachers. However, if a parent chooses to select a Suzuki-trained teacher, then there are a few guidelines that might help the parent's search.

Let me be clear: there are many qualified teachers available, however they may not be Suzuki-trained. I have encountered many teachers who claimed to be "Suzuki teachers" but who in fact did not take any Suzuki training. Instead, these particular teachers rely on such support as "I grew up learning under the Suzuki Method," or "I've used the Suzuki materials for years."

As for growing up studying under the Suzuki Method, I am fairly certain that most of my students would not be able to recite the teaching points to every song, even though we spend a lot of time working on these points. Nor would my students have the benefit and wisdom of having studied these materials from a teacher's perspective, which is to say an educator's perspective and experience. The teaching side of the fence is vastly different than the student side, as any teacher will tell you.

As for the teacher who uses the Suzuki materials for years, I have met many of those same teachers in Suzuki teacher training courses. These are the same teachers, highly qualified I will remind you, who then sit back in amazement at what they have learned during the teacher training courses and say, "I'll never skip teaching that song ever again! In fact, I won't ever go out of order or skip any of the Suzuki songs!" Or, they will admit that they had no idea of the depth and wealth of skills and ability learning opportunities that could be found in each piece of the Suzuki Method repertoire. That is the value of the specialized Suzuki teacher training.

So, first and foremost, a "Suzuki teacher" will have taken teacher training somewhere, sometime. If asked, the teacher will be able to tell you where, when, and what course the teacher took. If you feel more comfortable finding out the information without asking the teacher directly, contact the Suzuki Association of the Americas at www.suzukiassociation.org or call its office at 303-444-0948 or 888-378-9854. If a teacher has taken teacher training, he or she will have registered that training with the SAA.

The second most crucial component of the Suzuki Method of Talent Education is the group class. Individual lessons are important, but so are the group classes. Group classes are a great way to motivate students in their music learning. Students enjoy the classes and look forward to them. Group classes afford students an opportunity to learn from students who are more advanced than they are, and also for older students to learn leadership skills and act as role models for younger, less advanced students. At the same time, all students learn in a group setting, so there are opportunities to learn social skill interaction, ensemble playing, and teamwork responsibilities. My second question to any potential "Suzuki teacher" is whether they maintain a group class.

The format of the group class may not be as formal. I know of several successful Suzuki teachers who maintain group classes combined with other teachers' studios. I recall when I first started seriously teaching. I did not have a group class in the beginning because of the difficulties of finding a suitable location and making appropriate financial arrangements. After I began doing group classes, I immediately understood the benefit of teaching them. It was a great opportunity to reach all my students at one time. My group class structure has altered over the years as the students have changed. Some years are lean years because the particular group of students are heavily involved in other extracurricular activities, such as sports or family. I have had some wonderful group class years with full classes, large ensembles, and many performance opportunities. The attendance numbers may vary over time, but the students' enthusiasm for the classes do not.

The third question I would ask any potential Suzuki teacher is whether the parent could come and observe the teacher in action during lessons and group classes. Any Suzuki-trained teacher will welcome a visitor to the individual lessons and group classes. Anyone, especially new parents and students, are welcome to visit (and hopefully interact) with my studio at any time. In fact, I publish my performances as well, so that potential students and their parents have an opportunity to observe my abilities and skills first hand and to meet me in person at recitals and symphony concerts.

There may be many teachers who teach with the Suzuki guidelines of nurturing, enthusiasm, and parental involvement. However, when a parent contacts a potential teacher with the intent of finding a "Suzuki teacher," that the teacher should be upfront about what services he or she will offer. I think that a teacher should not label him- or herself as a "Suzuki teacher" unless the teacher has in fact taken sanctioned Suzuki teacher training and then also embodies the Suzuki philosophy by offering group classes, among other things. There is no reason to hide the actual circumstances from a prospective parent.

A teacher's purpose should always be the growth and benefit to the student. There are many roads to the same destination in all endeavors. I happen to have chosen the Suzuki Method as my route in music education, and I use the Suzuki principles in my university teaching as well. The Suzuki Method of Talent Education is more than just a "method" of teaching a student how to play an instrument. Dr. Suzuki used the violin as a vehicle to teach his students how to be upstanding and productive members of society. I also believe that the violin (or music education) is a wondrous vehicle to impart important life skills to my students and their parents. I also happen to believe that the Suzuki Method of Talent Education is one of the best ways to accomplish this lofty goal.