What a wonderful start to the term and the year! We are now two weeks in to the term, and we just had our first violin group class of the term. To those who attended group class – thank you for such a wonderful class – you all brought so much joy and energy today! We have some new faces in our studio – including some younger siblings – and we spent some time getting to know each other. We also worked on C sharps and C naturals, keeping our bows in the strong tone lane, and reading/playing rhythms. There was lots of laughter and enthusiasm in everything that we did.
It’s been a very intense start to the year, trying to fit my violin students into my nearly full studio, advertising for my newly introduced Monday SECM classes, getting The Musical Playroom up and running for the year, and organising school and extracurricular activities for my own little ones. But it feels fantastic to be back in the swing of things.
Some of you might only just be beginning your musical journey with me, others of you have been on this path with me for many years. Here are a few things you need to remember about your classes:
- Whether it’s a private lesson, or SECM class, lesson time is valuable bonding time between child and carer. Where possible, all attention should be focused on the student. Children look to the adults in their lives for approval and validation – you never know when this might happen during a lesson – and adults need to be ready so that their focus isn’t elsewhere when this happens.
SECM
- Before the class begins, please make sure that your child has:
- been fed or had a drink and healthy snack
- been to the toilet or has a clean nappy (please dispose of nappies in the baby change bathroom)
- clean face and hands
- if your child is not well, please do not come to class – the class is open to children from as young as 6 months, and young children are susceptible to infection.
- To avoid distraction, please leave any food, drink or toys packed away or in the car, and make sure that your phone is on silent, ‘do not disturb’, or off all together.
Violin & Voice
- Pack your violin bag – Make sure you have your Suzuki Violin book, practice sheet folder, a note book, and your I Can Read Music book.
- Check your violin case – Violin? Bow? (you think I’m joking!) Rosin? Do you have a full set of spare strings? Do you have a soft cloth for cleaning your violin?
- Have a drink and a snack before your lesson.
- Bring a bottle of water if you think your child might get thirsty – especially singing students.
- Folder for sheet music (singing students).