Music-themed Children's Books

Looking for a new way to engage your child musically? There are so many great books with musical themes written for kids. Here are a few of my favorites!

The Carrot Seed  is about the patience one must have when planting a seed and watching it grow. I love to talk about this book with regard to practice and how we grow musically from patience and hard work.

The Cat Who Loved Mozart tells the story of a girl and her cat, and how they bond over the music of Mozart. (You know how much I love cats!)

Frederico the Mouse Violinist is a cute book about a mouse who lives in a violinmaker's studio, who gets a tiny violin of his own.

Jake the Philharmonic Dog tells the story of a NYC pup who learns all about the symphony and its instruments, and eventually he gets a job fetching the conductor's baton!

The Magic Violin addresses the need for hard work in musical study in a fun and approachable way.

The Man with the Violin is an account of the actual experiment that violinist Joshua Bell conducted in a train station. It encourages you to stop and listen to the music and is absolutely delightful.

Meet Lola the Viola and Her String Instrument Family Written by a professor of strings, this book introduces young readers to the members of the string family.

Polly and the Piano is a lovely book written by a piano teacher about her relationship with her dog. It comes with a a CD.

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin This one's last alphabetically, but definitely not least! Zin! is one of everyone's favorites.It explores the instruments of the orchestra and is a joy to read.

Don't forget - I have a lending library (with many of these books) for my current students. Do you have a favorite that;'s I left out? If so, mention it in the comments and I'll include it in my next reading roundup!

Take a Stand!

I had the best time in LA this week for the Take a A Stand! Symposium. Here's a preview of my next blog post to come shortly!

Studio IV Summer Update!

Hi everyone! I've been slacking in the blogosphere, but I promise I'm back now!

Summer lessons are going well. I'm really excited about starting up group classes in September. Stay tuned for dates and location! Remember that group classes are no extra charge. It's a great place to chat with other parents, and for the students to have fun playing their instruments together.

Some other fun news:

-I'm now helping out with the violas for The Corona Youth Music Project in Corona, Queens. It's great fun and I've met some really wonderful people.

-I've also been playing viola with The Classical Musicians' Rehearsal Symphony Orchestra, and played violin for a reading session with The Brooklyn Symphony. I'm very excited for regular rehearsals to resume in September.

-I'll be playing an interactive concert for kids at Caribou Baby in Greenpoint on Sunday, September 7th at 4 PM. Current students, bring your instruments! No pressure to play, but you are welcome to join me.  Invite your friends!

Misc:

-If you need a practice video for something that I haven't already sent, let me know. If I don't already have one, I'll make one for you.

-I broke my foot! It may take me a bit longer than usual to get down the stairs, but I'm coming. I promise!

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and current students and parents, watch your inbox for Fall scheduling announcements.

Reflections on Book 3 Training

I fully intended to post a blog from Dallas, but was so excited about practicing and making notes on what I learned last week that I had to wait until I had some time to soak it in!

Book 3 Training was a massive success. As expected, I learned so much and learned even more about what I need to learn! It was great seeing our teacher trainer, Judy, again, and I loved seeing some of the friends I'd made at my Book 2 training and meeting the people I hadn't yet met.

This class moved QUICKLY. We were at a real advantage in that we had all studied with our trainer for a previous unit, so we knew how she presents the material and we were able to jump right in. We played together, learned and discussed ideas for teaching the repertoire, and had the great privilege to watch Judy teach. It's really incredible and inspiring to see the passion she has for not only for teaching, but also for the teachers she mentors. I came back feeling refreshed and ready to try out some new ideas with my students.

While in Dallas, I was also lucky enough to attend this concert at the beautiful Eismann Center in Richarson, TX. A cello student from the Suzuki Music Institute of Dallas was one of the competition winners, and it was neat to see support of the  Suzuki community from which she is a a part. She played beautifully. As an aside, her mother was a violinist in my Unit 2 training course!

I had a wonderful time in Dallas* and learned so much from our trainer and my colleagues, and am looking forward to my next Suzuki Teacher Training experience. I highly recommend training for anyone teaching from the Suzuki repertoire.

*And for all those following up from my last post, with the exception of one rainstorm, the weather was amazing! 

Lifelong Learning

One of the things I love the most about playing an instrument is the fact that one never stops learning. I can go back and play pieces that I learned in high school and now incorporate new technique, new feelings, and new experiences that shape the way I play. It’s a lifelong learning process, and I feel it’s such a gift to have this.

I can’t stress enough how much I’ve enjoyed the Suzuki training I have pursued this year. I didn’t grow up in the Suzuki method, and I believe there are many wonderful and diverse ways to learn how to play an instrument. I’m really inspired by the community aspect of the Suzuki method and the support system I’ve acquired in the past year.  I also feel this method has been wonderful for my students.

Through these seminars, not only have I learned how to be a better teacher, but also a better player. It’s wonderful to be in a supportive learning environment with your peers, each of whom are from different backgrounds, and we teach to and learn from each other.

I’m greatly looking forward to my next trip to Dallas in March to study Unit 3.

More on the training in the next post!