7 Habits of Highly Effective Suzuki Teachers & Parents

Stephen Covey wrote a book called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This powerful book has been around a long time and is still popular, because Dr. Covey's book relates information that is timeless and valuable. Dr. Covey studied the "success literature" in order to glean the lessons that pertained to building and strengthening our character at its core, and the result of his study were 7 habits.

As my readers know, I am fascinated with the development of our personal character. I have written about this important subject many times (Rock or Sand -- Shifting Priorities) (Enliven Technique with Basic Goodness). This area of personal development is so important, that I think we need to spend daily time reflecting on how we can improve ourselves in this area. As I reviewed my copy of Dr. Covey's infamous book, I began to think of ways that this subject could relate to Suzuki teachers and parents. How would the seven habits look from the perspective of the Suzuki Method?

I began creating podcast episodes for each of the seven habits along with an introduction about habit formation in general. You can find the Teach Suzuki podcast on iTunes or whichever is your podcast provider. I thought it would be helpful to follow along with the podcast series in the blog as well for those folks who prefer reading rather than listening.

So stay tuned in the coming weeks, as I post articles that correspond to the podcast series about the 7 Habits of Effective Suzuki Teachers and Parents. If you want to listen to the podcast in advance of the blog articles, you can find the following episodes here:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Suzuki Teachers & Parents (introductory episode)

Habit 1: Be Proactive | Take Charge

Habit 2 (Begin with the End in Mind | Scrooge & the Future Ghost) will be released on Sunday, July 16, 2017, at 3 p.m. CST. If you wish to subscribe on iTunes, click here. The podcast is well over a year old now and has over 100 episodes.

If you would like to follow along with the series in Dr. Covey's excellent book, click here (affiliate link: no extra cost to you but small benefit to the blog).

Until next time,

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2017 by Paula E. Bird

What's Love Got to Do With It?

Recently I broadcast a podcast episode that began a short series about the importance of love in the parent-child relationship. This love topic applies to more than just a parent and child; it also applies to a teaching relationship as well. In this episode I again stressed the importance of why parents are important in a child's life and I expanded my ideas. Here are the basic points about love that I made:

1. Children want to please their parents, so parents have a great deal of power when it comes to influence and role modeling.
2. Parents are with their children more time than anyone else. Again, parents have a great deal of power to influence because of the hours spent with the children.
3. Parents care how well their children do or develop more than anyone else.
4. Parental love is the first love a child experiences and this experience affects how the chid will develop a relationship with the world and others later in life.
5. Love expands. It never contracts or constricts.
6. Love is a verb. It is something we do, not something we have or hold.

I also discussed the importance of building an interdependent relationship between the parent and the child rather than push the child toward independence too soon or before the child is ready.

I continued the discussion by setting out a few things that parents might do to establish and strengthen the parent-child bond of interconnectedness and interdependence. I also related Dr. Suzuki's admonition that children will treat their elderly parents as the children witness how the parents treat their neighbors and others now.

I finished up the current episode by discussing unconditional love. How does one define this ultimate expression of love? Here is St. Paul's definition of love, written to the Corinthians over two centuries ago:

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first, "Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

(The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, affiliate link) 

Dr. Suzuki was once asked, "Why do you teach?" His answer was:

"First for the love of the child; second, for the love of teaching the child; and third for the love of the music that is taught the child, but the child always comes first."

You may listen to the podcast episode on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher Radio, or you may click the link here: Click here. The subsequent episode that completes this mini series discussion can be found here.

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

 © 2017 by Paula E. Bird

If you found this episode (or any episode) of the podcast helpful, and you would like to make a donation to support the Teach Suzuki Podcast and the blog, click here. My efforts to write and produce the Teach Suzuki blog and podcast do not generate income except through the generosity of those readers and listeners. I really appreciate your support. Just click here for a direct link to PayPal to support the blog and podcast.

ISTEX 8th Annual Conference in Remscheid, Germany!

A Walk Through the Woods

What do foot charts, floating feathers, Kreutzer etudes, the Bell Tone Song, and the Hot Canary have to do with each other? Normally, not much, but in Remscheid, Germany the last weekend of October 2016, quite a lot!

The 8th Annual Conference of the International Suzuki Teacher Exchange met in Remscheid, Germany. Participants from 14 countries joined together for a memorable weekend of information, entertainment, and teacher training. There were 130 teachers who took the introductory course.

Kerstin Wartburg

130 teachers from 14 countries traveled to Remscheid to stay in a small retreat center. We ate meals in a small dining area that encouraged pockets of conversation. Whether we spoke German or English or a combination of both, there were opportunities to sit down and share thoughts. I made it a practice to sit down with anyone sitting alone. "Deutsch oder Englisch?" I would ask, and depending on the answer, we would continue our conversation -- at times stilted and halting. If all else failed, I would pull out the pictures on my phone and share a laugh or two about my silly animals at home (Dachshunds and donkeys).

Remscheid Beauty

One particularly amusing exchange occurred when I explained to a German teacher that I had 9 very lovely dogs, but one of them was very, um, I could not remember the German word for "stubborn" (stur?), and the lady helped me out: "Dummkopf!" (fool!). Well, OK, that worked too, and we shared a good laugh. The conversation went on to other questions about student problems, and we shared many photos and advice. I treasure that memory!

It was not only that we shared ideas, we shared the important knowledge that we all believed in a common mission and philosophy, begun so many years ago by Dr. Suzuki. This common goal was perhaps the most important part of my trip. When times are difficult in my teaching studio -- as things have been recently during the troublesome election cycle in the US -- I cling to the hope that the Suzuki philosophy offers and I go to bed at night with the calm assurance that the world will indeed be a better place because so many of us teachers believe in the same overall mission: that we are helping to create good citizens for tomorrow, shaping a better future by nurturing families and students, and providing a sense of belonging to a movement that is so much more than one individual can create.

Unique Mushroom Beauty

This is the beautiful knowledge and assurance that I came away with from the conference, that the work we do as teachers does matter, is important, and will have a lasting impact of the highest kind on the rest of the world. Perhaps it will be one student or one child at a time, but that impact will spread out in ripples to touch many others -- families, classrooms, other teachers, communities, and the rest of the world eventually.

Just think! Teachers from 14 countries shared this time together! How wonderful this is!

I gave two presentations during the conference along with so many other wonderful presentations, classes, workshops, and performances. I learned something from every presentation I attended. I thoroughly enjoyed the recital that Brian Lewis gave. As always, his performances are exemplary and exciting! We were treated to a special encore as well.

I made expanded podcast episodes of the two presentation topics I gave, and if you are interested in listening to those episodes, here are the links:

Episode 032 Common Student Problems

Episode 033 How Big is Your Why

I also recorded an expanded discussion about my Remscheid conference experience, and that episode will air on Sunday, November 20, 2016. You can catch up on the podcast episodes at www.teachsuzuki.com.

I want to publicly thank Kerstin Wartberg, David Andruss, Brian Lewis, Heidi Curatolo, and Charles Krigbaum, and all the fantastic teachers and workshop presenters for all that they did to make this conference so informative, friendly, and memorable. The event was well organized and a wonderful experience.

The 9th International Suzuki Teachers Exchange Conference will take place on October 27-30, 2017. Consider being a part of this inspirational event!

Knowledge is Not Skill

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

Getting Ready for the Fall Semester

About this time, folks are planning the fall semester and getting ready for school to go back in session. Here are a few tools to help you:

Podcast Episodes

Get Ready for the Fall: This podcast episode is devoted to helping parents (and teachers) plan for a successful start to the fall semester.

How to Teach Your Child (Practice): This podcast episode discusses how to practice with your child and offers the tools to help practices be more successful.

How to Take Notes at the Music Lesson: This podcast episode explains how to take notes at the child's music lesson and offers reasons why parents will want to do this.

How Parents Can Help at Lessons: This podcast episode lists 8 ways that parents can help their children at music lessons. I talk about some of the silent messages that parents may unknowingly give to their children, and I talk about the importance of enthusiasm to help motivate children to want to practice and learn how to play a musical instrument.

Top 10 Things a Suzuki Parent Should Know: This podcast episode lists my favorite top 10 things that I think Suzuki parents should know. I believe that these 10 things are the foundation steps to have a successful music education journey.

Are You Listening?: This podcast episode talks about the importance of listening to impact how fast a child may progress in learning how to play a musical instrument. Sometimes a slight tweak in the listening program at home will have an enormous impact on the child's progress. This episode relates several interesting research and personal stories that illustrate the tremendous power of listening.

The 6 Suzuki Philosophy Points: This podcast episode sets out the 6 fundamental philosophy points to the Suzuki Method and discusses why it is important for parents to believe these points. This is an episode that parents and teachers may find helpful to review often.

Blog Articles

How to Recover from a Practice Break: Everyone takes a break now and then. The trick is getting back on track. Here are some useful ideas.

Back to School Checklist: A checklist that will help parents get back on track and get ready for the new school year.

How to Add More Music to Your Day: It is important to do a lot of listening in order to make good progress in learning how to play a musical instrument. Here are some suggestions for adding more music listening to your day.

Listening Magic: Another good article about listening. This one shows the power of the listening program and relates a personal story of one of my students and how he made extra listening work for him.

Music Listening Resource List: This article lists several excellent resources to help add more listening to the child's environment.

The Weekend Plan: Here is a suggestion for those tough weekends when it is difficult to schedule practice sessions.

Squeezing Practice Time into a Busy Family Schedule: Sue Hunt wrote this article, and the information is always valuable for busy families.

Resolutions for Suzuki Parents: Another post that offers valuable information that is pertinent all the time.

How to Get Started After a Break: A short article that offers quick, helpful advice about starting up a practice routine after a break.

These are just a few of the numerous podcast episodes and blog articles posted. I hope that everyone's new school year and fall semester start off with good energy, enthusiasm, and motivation! This is going to be a terrific year!

Until next time,

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2016 by Paula E. Bird

New Podcast Episode:

The latest Teach Suzuki Podcast episode is now available:

Asking the Right Questions

This episode looks at the art of questioning in order to further effective communication. Most of us do not enjoy being told what to do, and in a teaching situation this style of instruction may not be the most effective. This podcast episode explains how using questions can lighten the interaction between people and create a dialogue.

There are four basic kinds of questions, but one style in particular will yield success. See if you find this questioning technique useful as a parent or teacher.

Until next time,

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

Have You Heard All the Teach Suzuki Podcast Episodes?

Teach Suzuki Podcast

The Teach Suzuki Podcast has been busy in the past month. Here are the latest three weekly episodes of the regular podcast:

The Million Dollar Lesson: The Million Dollar Lesson is a tool designed to teach the child (and the parent) about appropriate lesson behaviors. Some teachers and parents may have difficulty accepting this teaching tool, and this episode looks at various viewpoints and offers some caveats about how to use the tool effectively. This episode also provides links to several suggested books and other tools about parenting that might provide help to a parent.

Personality Styles: This episode discusses the four personality styles identified by Hippocrates centuries ago. Along with identifying the personality style of parents and their children, this episode will explain how a mismatch between styles may stir up problems in home practices, home and family situations, and in the studio between teacher and student.

See, Hear, Feel: This episode discusses the three most common learning styles and how knowing these styles will help parents and others improve communication within families, the workplace, and in the music studio.

Reflections

There have been several "Reflections" episodes published as well. These shorter weekly episodes of a few minutes' length are designed to present a short thought or reflection about some aspect of the Suzuki philosophy or quote from Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. The purpose of these reflection episodes is to encourage parents and teachers to consider how a small change in some area of our thinking or behavior might have a large impact on the happiness of our children, our home situation, our workplace environment, and our families. Here are the most recent episodes:

Whisper the Hopes of Your Heart: This episode discusses Dr. Suzuki’s advice to a parent to pray once a day for his or her child to help the parent remember the joy and hope that the parent had upon the child’s birth. Would such advice brighten up your feelings about your child?

The Best Gift: This episode discusses raising children to become truly civilized human beings. Are you giving your child the “best gift” you can.

Convenience: Is “convenience” a factor in our teaching and parenting? Is this appropriate? What is your attitude about parenting, teaching, and the "convenience" factor?


Until next time,

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2016 by Paula E. Bird

100 Things to do in the Summer

Just in time for the summer months, the Teach Suzuki Podcast has released an episode that lists 100 things to do in the summer.

Teach Suzuki Podcast episode 009: 100 Things to do in the Summer

I hope that everyone finds something interesting to try this summer. Be sure to comment below with your ideas and experiences. If you would like to send me pictures, you may email me at paulabirdviolin@gmail.com

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2016 by Paula E. Bird

What Kind of Parent Are You?

Teach Suzuki Podcast

The Teach Suzuki Podcast recently published its seventh episode, and this one is an interesting discussion for parents particularly. You will want to give this one a listen if you are a parent or a teacher.

In this episode, I talk about how parents run up against their own personal history when they participate in the Suzuki journey. For some parents, this encounter can be life changing for the parents as well as the children and other members of the family. What do I mean?

Everyone is the product of their own personal history. I had parents, and everyone else did too. Some of us had happy childhoods, and others did not. Most of us had mixtures of things, and our histories were also not the same within the family. My sister's memories are very different from my own, and even as an adult with the experience that I have as a teacher, I am unable to completely understand the family dynamics as they relate to my parents or my sibling.

To look at this phenomenon from a Suzuki parent's perspective though, I find that many of my studio parents discover that the difficulties they have during home practices are directly related to the parent's own personal experiences growing up in the parent's own family. This can be a very liberating discovery for most parents. I have witnessed many parents shed tears when they make this discovery and can now recognize and admit openly how their personal upbringing and story plays such a negative impact on the parents' styles of parenting today. For many parents this is a defining moment of beauty.

I use the word "beauty" to describe what happens, because I am gratified inside to share the parents' joy as they realize that their children's futures do not have to be a repeat of the parents' past disappointments. This is joyful because children will now reap the benefits of very informed and thoughtful parenting from this point forward. And joyful too because many parents now free themselves of beliefs that have limited the parents up to this point. I have had many parents rediscover a love for music that the parents had given up hope for when growing up. Many of these parents have begun music lessons alongside their children in order to share this joy of discovery.

So have a listen and see if you find this subject one that you would like to explore in more depth as a parent. Or, if you are a teacher, share this episode with your studio parents and see if they too are finding these same experiences. This episode, I hope, will offer every studio an opportunity to join parents and teachers together for the benefit of the children. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you discover and wish to share. Click below to listen to the podcast episode:

          Podcast Episode 007

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2016 by Paula E. Bird