Handbooks for the Studio!

Years ago, I made several wise purchasing decisions for my studio, and I am so glad that I did! I have found incredible uses for my binding machine and my laminating machine.

I finished making new student handbooks for my studio. As you can see from the photo, these are very colorful handbooks. I used my old Ibico binding machine, 1/4" plastic binding combs (black and white), and fabulous neon-colored cardstock covers that had a different color on each side. My students loved the new books, not only for the colorful pages and covers, but also because of the fabulous handbook pages contained within the practice workbooks! My students were actually happy to return to this record keeping system. One student who had never used a handbook before (I am the first private lesson teacher she has ever had), immediately understood the value of such a handbook to help her organize her practice time and to build consistency (bright young middle school student!).

Student Handbooks

If you are interested in the handbook page template that I use, email me your request, and I'm happy to provide you with a link to it.

Here is where I got the fabulous colored covers:

And here is another one from Astrobright:

Here is a simple laminating machine. I use mine to make checklists, signs for the studio, and simple review charts or game boards. Once something is laminated, I can use a dry erase marker, which is easily wiped off later. Students enjoy using these special charts.

My favorite studio machine tool is my binding machine. I cannot find my brand anymore; guess it is old now. There are several models on the market now, and here is a less expensive model. I used 1/4 inch binding combs for the handbooks.

And for the 1/4 inch binding comb: click here.

I hope you have as much fun with these handbooks as I did. My students love them!

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2016 by Paula E. Bird

This page references affiliate links, which will help to support the time it takes me to write articles for the blog, research information, and write and produce the Teach Suzuki podcasts. You are never under any obligation to buy anything or to use these particular links. If you are in the market for any of the items I have listed, please consider supporting my work with the affiliate links I have provided. There is no additional cost to you, but I will receive a small benefit if you do use the links.

Monday Morning Check In: What’s in Your Toolkit?

It was a new beginning last week. It was a new beginning of the school year, of the school semester, of the new symphony season, of the new quartet season. There were a lot of things I needed to do in advance of the new season start, and I wrote last week about some ways to beat the stress that comes with that territory. This week, I write about the things that might be in your toolkit when it comes to making a fresh start. This toolkit would apply to parents, teachers, and students. The things in my toolkit are completely essential to my getting through the day. Without any one of these things, I suffer the effects of stress. Here are the things in my toolkit:

Calendar

Companies send out calendars, and I amass many. I hang them up everywhere that I can see them: the kitchen, the bathroom, my studio, my office. These are wall calendars that show the month at a glance. I find that I forget to turn them over to a new month. However, these wall calendars are not my working calendars. I just like to see the month at a glance now and then so I can gain a sense of time as it passes.

For my working calendars, I use two: my iPhone calendar and the Smithsonian appointment book calendar that I receive annually as a Christmas gift from my father. I use my iPhone calendar all the time and carry it with me everywhere. I store everything on it, as it gets saved up in the Cloud. Anything stored on Google calendar, such as the Artisan Quartet events, are automatically put on my iPhone calendar too. As a nice bonus, the Cloud also syncs all my other Apple devices (iPad and MacBook).

I use the Smithsonian appointment book for weekly planning. The book shows one week at a time, and I sit down on a Sunday and write out the week’s appointments. I do not write individual student lessons. I prefer to pencil in blocks of time in various locations. This gives me an immediate visual sense of when I have time to do other important things, like my training runs, my writing, errands, or home chores. It also gives me a sense of how busy the week will be and where I will need to conserve my energy. This calendar stays home at all times and open to the particular week. My husband can see at a glance where I am at any given moment. I also jot brief notes about any important things I need to accomplish during the week and any habits I may be trying to establish.

Daily List

I write out a short daily list of things that I need to do each day. My list format provides for 8 things, but I try to keep myself to around 6 things. This comes from the Mary Kay Ashe suggestion about the Six Most Important Things. Over the years, I have come to agree with Mary Kay that six is about the right number. When I stray too far over six things in a day, I feel tired. My next day does not go as well because I have overused my energy the day before.

I put every place that I need to go on this daily list. There are days when I have written: university, studio, symphony, grocery store, gym, practice, and then I realize that I have come to the end of the list. When was I going to get to those other things I needed to do? There was a time when I was concerned about how my plan to list all the places I needed to be as well as the things I needed to do would fill up the list and leave little or no room for me to add the other things I needed to do. I have learned that I need to cut back on some things in these cases, that having to be in places takes about the same amount of energy as having to do things. Now I count these as equal items.

I may not look at my daily list during the day, but I know it is there. The act of writing down my list at the beginning of my day is enough to stick it in my head the rest of the day. If I need to remind myself of something, I will take it out and read it. The best value I get from my daily list is that I waste less time on unproductive things. Instead of chatting in the hallway about nothing important, I will recall that I had planned to practice, make a phone call, visit the music library, answer an email, or do some writing.

Along with the daily list, I sometimes fill in an hourly worksheet as well to help me carve out time for some projects that I might not otherwise be able to find time for. Periodically, I find that it is helpful to fill out an hourly worksheet to keep me aware of how much time I might be wasting on unproductive activities, like watching television.

Handbook or Practice Journal

I wrote a series of articles about how to use a practice journal, log, or record. Here are the links:

using a practice record

practice log

using a practice journal

Currently I am using the practice record, which is one sheet of paper. One page covers four weeks. I make up handbooks with these record sheets for my students.

Morning Pages (aka 750words.com)

I have written several times before about the value I get from doing morning pages. I enjoy the quiet moments in the morning while I drink my coffee and “drain” my brain of whatever is swimming around up there. Sometimes I rant about something. I may work through something that concerns me. I might come up with a schedule or an article outline or sketch. The morning pages are whatever I need them to be at the moment I write them. I have used a composition book for this purpose for many years, but recently I have been using the website 750words.com. This is a free site. I find that it takes me about 13-18 minutes to use the website, since I type so fast. If I complete handwritten pages, it takes me 23-28 minutes. For now I will stick to the website. I carry a thin Moleskine notebook in my purse to capture any thoughts during the day.

Swish & Swipe Tools

I borrowed this expression from the flylady.net website. The flylady has some great ideas for keeping our homes free of clutter and dirt. The purpose of the site is to help us get rid of CHAOS or the “can’t have anyone over syndrome.” I am not terrific at following all the steps, but I do a basic weekly cleaning when I have the time, and I rely on my “swish & swipe” tools in between cleaning sessions.

Yes, my swish and swipe tools are a roll of paper towels and a bottle of Windex or other glass or ammonia cleaner. This stuff works on just about everything. I have a bottle of cleaner and a roll of paper towels in every room. When I find a minute or two, I pull out my tools and wipe down a counter, shine up a microwave or dishwasher, wipe down doorknobs or light switches, swipe at a refrigerator counter, or clean a toilet or sink. Life sparkles much brighter. This really does brighten up one’s outlook. Try it! Clean that kitchen sink before bed and notice how nice you feel in the morning when you see it.

Dry Erase Marker

This is my favorite tool. I pack one in every suitcase when I travel. Did you know that dry erase markers work on glass and mirrors? Sometimes they work on certain laminated surfaces (test this in an inconspicuous area first to see if you can erase the marking). I have a small dry erase board in my bathroom, but I also use my mirror, which I do when I travel. I make a list of the events that need to happen in the morning or whenever I need to get ready to go somewhere. I make the list in reverse order:

• Appointment
• Leave
• Shower and dress
• Breakfast & dogs out
• Feed farm animals
• Alarm & dogs out

Every night before retiring, I enter the times that I must start these tasks in order to be able to leave for my appointment in time. I wish I could just enter a blanket time to start the process, such as setting my alarm 3 hours before leaving, but I find that I need the bullet point list in order to manage my activities and time better.

Running Shoes

I list my running shoes because they represent an important part of my life. I am not a fast runner, nor am I to be found in the front (or midsection) of a race. I carry a pair of running shoes in my car at all times, along with the other necessary running clothes items, in case I find myself passing by the gym or the hike and bike trail on the way home.

My running shoes represent an important segment of my life. Mostly they remind me of the need to exercise on a consistent basis. Additionally, my shoes remind me of the valuable lessons I have learned while training for race events: perseverance, discipline, stick-to-it-tiveness, goal-setting, positive outlook, advance planning, training, problem-solving, focus and concentration. I encourage my students to engage in running activities, and I know of several students who have followed my advice. Two students became ultrarunners, which is something that will change their lives forever. Another student became a marathoner, and she achieved this before her senior recital so that she learned very valuable lessons that prepared her for the recital event.

Briefcase

I needed something to carry things. I have relied on tote bags for years. I still use them for many things, such as gym clothes and studio supplies. Still, I thought that I needed to start carrying something around that exuded more class than a tote bag that bore a logo, even though the logos were respectable (State Bar of Texas, Armadillo Suzuki Institute, TSUSSI-TX State University Suzuki String Institute, Hummingbird Hill Doxies, Artisan Quartet).

Last month I bought something for this purpose to celebrate my birthday (August 7). I bought a Day One briefcase purse, and I love it! It has a cushioned pocket for my laptop and iPad, and it has other inner pockets to hold supplies. It is large enough for all sorts of over-sized music, and it is stylish enough and sturdy enough to handle what I need to carry around. I no longer look like a tatterdemalion. I used it on my trip, and my new gift to myself worked great! It amazes me how something like this – a tiny addition to my tools – adds to my sense of class.

So there you have it. I thought about listing my computer because I cannot function without my computer. But, things have progressed in technology such that I can move from place to place without carrying a laptop with me all the time. I have my laptop for home and I have an iMac at the university. I have my iPhone and iPad and a wireless keyboard, which weigh next to nothing, for all the in between times. I make all of this work with a Dropbox account. I sync anything that might be needed in more than one place up to my Dropbox account. In this way I have items available for work no matter where I am. I can continue writing articles or my book projects in any location as long as I have access to the Internet.

This week, consider what you include in your toolkit and what items you might need to add. Write a comment about your favorite toolkit item and why.

Happy Week!

P.S.: I finished the August Camp NaNoWriMo as a winner. I wrote over 50,000 words on my writing project -- How to Raise a Parent.

Quick Practice Tip: Fish Bowl Staccato

Here is a way to "feel" the staccato bow stroke in your right thumb. You will need a partner for this. Have your partner hold out cupped hands so that you can turn your bow upside down and place the tip of your "fishing pole" in your partner's "fishing bowl." Then have your partner flick down on the tip of your bow. Feel the pinching pressure of the "fish bite" against your thumb. Do this several times until you become familiar with your thumb's feeling the flicking of your partner's "fish bite."

Now when you place your bow on the string to play, try to recreate that same sensation in your thumb. Be sure that everything else about your bow arm or hand is completely relaxed and that your thumb is the only part of your right side that is "turned on." Some students describe the feeling as a pinching of the thumb upward. Some students experience the sensation as a pressure between the upper fingers on the bow against the thumb underneath.

All you have to do is move your bow back and forth on a level plane (not up or down). If you have a firm, strong thumb and you stop your bow correctly at the end of each note, you should experience a slight "ping" to the beginning of each note. This is a lovely, ringing staccato sound. You will not need to press down on your right index finger to produce the pinched staccato.

When a student has difficulty with staccato, I find that the most likely reason is that the student is not stopping the bow adequately on the note previous to the staccato note. Even professionals tend to "dribble" a little from one note to the next, sort of like coloring outside the lines of a picture in a coloring book. Work on cleaning up the ends of notes, and with the fish bowl technique of a strong, firm thumb, you will have a beautiful pinging note start. The note's middle is another topic for another day.

How to Practice, part 4: Using a Practice Journal

For my own practice purposes, I have found it useful to use a practice diary or journal rather than a practice log. The actual journal itself can be whatever is comfortable for you. I bought a little spiral notebook that isn't much larger than an index card. Here's how I use the journal.

In the very beginning of the book (or starting from the back pages of the journal if you prefer), I leave a few blank pages. I write my goals on these pages. Leaving them in the beginning (or back pages) of my journal, I can easily refer to them. I like to include several levels of goals:

• Long term goals: These are the goals that I want to accomplish in the next 5-10 years. I usually start with figuring out what my age will be 5-10 years hence, then I just list a few goal ideas. I can always add to this list or delete completed or obsolete items as time passes.

• Mid-range goals: These are the goals that I want to accomplish in the next 1-5 years. Again, I consider how old I will be, and then I compile my goal list.

• Short-term goals: These are the goals that I want to accomplish in the next 6 months to 1 year. After the short-term goals, I consider what I want to accomplish:

• This quarter (three months ahead)
• This month
• This week

My purpose in computing my age in order to compile my goal list is that I find it gives me greater clarity in terms of the time ahead. I expect to live to over 100 years of age, and I find it helpful to plan accordingly (smile). After I have finished listing my goals (and I will revise them from time to time as I go along), I list my weekly goals at the start of my current week of the rest of the journal pages, which is where the meat of my journal begins.

I put the date on every single page. If I am using a larger notebook, I might be able to put two days on 1 page. I write the date for every single day as it occurs, even if I skip a day of practice. If I skip a day of practice, I write down the reason why I skipped the practice. Sometimes I find this simple trick is enough to encourage me to practice anyway rather than have to write down my excuse.

After the date, I write down what I practice as I practice it. This can be detailed (e.g., 3 octave scale, G major, acceleration routine) or just a quick note to myself if I tend to follow the same pattern.

I continue to list items as I complete them. If something comes up in my practice that I need to work on, and I'm not willing to practice those items at the moment, I turn the page in my journal forward to the next day and write myself a note about what I want to practice. Then I flip back to the current day's page and continue my work.

Once I have completed my practice, I make any notes to myself on the following day's page (or perhaps even further in the future) about things I want to follow up on, and then finally I note how much time I spent on my practice session. I find the act of keeping track of my practice or playing time is crucial to my keeping myself injury-free. I have had students come to me with complaints of worrisome aches in elbows, neck, shoulders, or fingers, and when I look through their practice journal, I find the cause of the pain is generally due to the student's inattention to the amount of time they are playing.

If I have to do a lot of heavy playing one day, I try and balance that out with an "easy" day the next day. What is a heavy day for me may be different for one of my students or for you. By working with a practice journal, it will be easy to determine what a heavy day is. So I log in any sort of playing. If I practiced 2 hours in the morning, then play a 2.5 hour rehearsal in the afternoon, and play with my students for another 2 hours, I will have spent about 5-6 really solid hours playing my instrument. I can sustain this kind of playing for a few days, but eventually I need to balance this out with an easier more restful day. Fitness experts tell us that it takes 48 hours for a stressed muscle to recover, so I generally adopt a hard-easy-hard-easy practice plan whenever possible. The journal keeps me aware of my activities with the instrument, and it provides a record that can be useful later when diagnosing problems.

I also use the journal as a place to record my instrument maintenance activities: replacing old strings, rehairing my bow, buying a new shoulder rest. I usually put a huge asterisk or use a colored highlighter pen to bring the information to my attention. Here is a sample page from my practice journal from January 6, 2011.

practice journal: 4 x 6 memo book

Let's look at the information on the page. Along with the date in the top margin, I also noted "AQ vln" and "1.0 hard." "AQ vln" refers to the violin I use with the Artisan Quartet, one that blends well with that ensemble. "1.0 hard" refers to the length of time I practiced and my perceived effort, in this case I felt that I had put out hard effort in my practice. I noted this information because I play on more than one violin. If I start to note specific injuries, I might notice a pattern; perhaps some injuries are a result of switching between instruments. I also keep track of perceived effort, because I don't want to do too many "hard" days in a row. I need to insert an "easy" or "medium" day now and then to keep my body and mind fresh and injury free.

The next notes refer to my specific practice, in this case the Beethoven string quartet, op. 74, all of it and some specific detailed work on certain sections. My next three comments refer to how I am feeling physically. I've been monitoring my fingers because they have been extremely dry lately and feel tight unless I have enough lubrication on them. My shoulder has been bothering me because I think I pulled it a while back while working with my horse. I've been keeping track of it to be sure I don't aggravate the sore area by doing too much of a particular practice that might upset my healing. I have noticed that with the new violin that other physical issues have manifested themselves, so I check in on my neck too. Note my reminder to check the height of my shoulder rest to be sure that the shoulder rest isn't causing the neck ache. And finally, I wrote a reminder that I need to order new strings. When I finally put the strings on my instrument, I will also notate that in my practice journal.

I have found the practice journal to be especially useful when recording my practice, managing my practice details, and recording my observations about a great number of things. I hope that this tool will also be useful for your particular practice situation.