New and Improved

New and Improved

Posted September 5th, 2014 by admin with No Comments

New and Improved

We are excited to announce that this site will once again be providing current updates with news, schedules, and reminders. Registration forms for the 2014-2015 year are up, so be sure to take a look at that here. We accept registrations all year, so no worries if you think you’ve missed a deadline! Also, recital dates will be posted sometime in the near future, so keep an eye out for that.

In addition, we are happy to welcome a new teacher in our midst. Faith Lau will be joining the Suzuki Niagara family this year as a violin teacher, and she is looking forward to making wonderful music with everyone. You can find out more at the “Our Teacher” section of this site.

Best wishes to all and we are very excited for this coming year of music making!

Sincerely,

The Suzuki Niagara Teachers

 



Daily “Chore” or “Joy?” Why Listen?

Posted March 6th, 2011 by admin with No Comments

Photo by Suzuki in the Berkshires 

Our lives are all so busy so it is easy fall prey to the temptation of skipping daily listening or daily practice or both. So think of what happens when we skip? Why do we need to be faithful to both?

Comfluter at Suzuki in the BerkshiresImagine trying to learn a foreign language without ever having heard it spoken. Now think how much easier it is with an “immersion” experience. When Suzuki devised his “mother tongue method,” he capitalized on the fact that learning the language of music works much the same way as learning any language.

So why listen to the recordings? Here are a few good reasons:

  1. First, listening to good quality music is enjoyable. It increases our musical sensitivity and this enjoyment motivates the listener to continue listening.
  2. It is so much easier to master the rhythms and use correct intonation (playing in tune) when the correct example is already stamped on the mind. This also enables self-correction as the learning takes place. Once imprinted, the music enters the subconscious mind and a “musical intuition” (brain- finger connection) forms.
  3. Listening actually allows the brain to experience the music before you play it. This is like “practicing for free” without doing the work! (However, this cannot substitute for the consistent daily practice!)
  4. Being able to hear or sing the piece in the mind makes learning easier. Listening gives us this ability. It is akin to visualizing a perfect golf swing or a well-executed tennis serves prior to playing. Research has shown this really works!

So help make your child’s learning easier. Play the work piece on endless repeat each morning. Also include the previous (“polish”) and subsequent (new) pieces. This music will remain playing in the brain all day. (How many of us have had an annoying radio or TV jingle play over and over in our mind wishing we “could turn it off?”) Also listen in the background other times during the day (as in the car), concluding at bedtime.

Need a reminder? Put a clothespin or a hair clip on your bathroom towel, toothbrush, or pajamas to remind you to turn on the music at bedtime. Stick a sticker on the light switch of your child’s room. Tie a “reminder ribbon” on the car steering wheel instead of around your finger. Use a twist tie on a kitchen cabinet, breakfast coffee or cereal box, or in the silverware drawer. You can have fun with this, too. Hide clues and have a daily “treasure hunt” or draw from a hat each day to see who turns the recording on and off. Have a family contest to see who comes up with the most creative suggestions. Also, those automatic timers (for turning on lights), which can be set to turn on and shut off at predetermined hours, work well.

Play the entire CD or tape on a regular basis as well. You can have fun with it, too. Try dancing the rhythms or “head, finger or feet dancing” or make up your own fun. Be creative!

You have chosen to give your child the gift of instrumental music. Imagine how much quicker and easier you’ll both enjoy this treasure as you listen each day.

You’ll make new discoveries each time you hear the music, and your child will be on the way to experiencing the joy of finer playing with ease, coupled, of course, with diligent daily practice. So, HAPPY LISTENING! Start now.

Janice Peters began her association with the Suzuki method as a Suzuki parent. A violinist and avid chamber music player, she has maintained a studio in Little Rock, Arkansas, as well as taught group classes for the Suzuki Association of Central Arkansas. Her professional educational background both in Early Childhood Education and in music enhances her ability to reach young children and transmit a love of music through the Suzuki philosophy. She is now retired from teaching and is enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.

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