(*DISCLAIMER: I didn't know until I started this course that the Suzuki Association of the Americas, or SAA, doesn't actually "certify" you once you've taken a course. All you can do is register it with them, but they know that taking a training course doesn't actually necessarily make you a better teacher. This was a little disheartening, but I guess it makes sense.
**This was originally to Book 5, but I will most definitely go broke and possibly crazy if I try to do another 4 books in the next 3 years. So, consider this part 1 of 2 until Book 2 training takes place. Ok, now onto the fun stuff!)
I've been teaching the violin for quite a few years now, but I've never really had any formal training. My mom used to entrust her students to me over the summer when I was in college, and when I panicked about what I could possibly have to offer them, she told me, "Just make them sound better."
Fast forward to last July (2015), when I got an email telling me I'd been hired as a teacher through the UT String Project. Finally, I thought, I'll get more experience in teaching. Well, little did I know this was only the tip of the iceberg. Yes, I did get more experience, but the number of questions I had doubled and my insecurities did, too. This past August, Dr. Scott (the director of String Project and arguably the leading pedagogue in Austin) announced she would be holding a Violin Book 1 training course. Yes! Finally I could ACTUALLY get some answers!
I grew up with the Suzuki method (I started when I was 3 years old, and yep, I used the box violin), and while it has received criticism as a teaching method, I've come to realize that it is a great option for teachers who are starting small kids from the beginning. The course also dispelled some misconceptions about the method that even I held onto for probably longer than I should have. I don't agree with everything, and I add in other things as I go along with my students, but the biggest thing I took away from this course was sequencing: how to recognize, plan for and explain every tiny little step to your students for each skill. I'm rarin' to go with my students this semester!
January 5: Every Child Can
This one-day, 6 hour course reviews the philosophy of Dr. Suzuki. A huge part of his philosophy has to do with language: all children learn their mother tongue, so why should learning music and that approach be any different? We did some exercises that reinforced this idea to us as the trainees and also watched video clips of the method taking hold in the US in the 1970s.
January 6: Day 1
The first day of the Book 1 training class, we spent 5 hours in the classroom talking about: parent education, parental groups, how to structure group classes, practicing running a group class, the importance of listening, and basic studio ideas/guidelines.
January 7: Day 2
This day was solely for lesson observation. In the training for Book 1 you need to log 28 hours of classroom instruction and 15 hours of lesson observations. Whew! On this day I spent 3 hours watching a private teacher teach 4 students (ages 12, 13, 16 and 6), then 2 hours watching Dr. Scott give masterclasses to students between the ages 6-9, then spent another hour watching the same private teacher give another lesson to an 11-year-old. By the time we were done, I was absolutely brain dead.
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| Kimberly and I took notes on lessons for 6 hours straight! |
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| My group lesson plan shorthand |
January 8: Day 3
Today was for group classes! We had a little less than an hour to talk about categories for group lessons, then some final prep for our group class, and then we dove in! About 8 kids between the ages of 6 and 10 came to UT on a Sunday afternoon to help our group of teachers get used to teaching group classes. It was really interesting to see how other trainees taught, and I got some good ideas for my younger private students to keep them engaged. The last hour of class was a debrief session and prep for Pre-Twinkle, which starts tomorrow.
January 9: Day 4
Finally some sequencing!! Yay! For the first three hours of class, we talked about how to do lessons or group classes with kids who are on box violins. There was a lot to talk about in regard to setup, bowing, and which side of the body goes with what part of the instrument. Then, what kids were expected to be able to do before they graduated to a real violin! We talked about setting the bow hold, teaching the left hand, how to size the violin, how much bow should be allotted for each variation of Twinkle, and what seemed like hundreds of Pre-Twinkle songs. Finally, we talked about Twinkle itself. After all of the talk of the variations, Twinkle seemed like a breeze! I also spent another 2 hours observing lessons. I'm 2/3 of the way done now with my lesson observations!
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| Dr. Scott adding a balloon to a tiny violin |
We started the morning off by observing Dr. Scott teaching an adorable little 4 year old student. Apparently she can be quite the terror on a bad day, but she was well behaved for us! After her lesson, we talked about studio recitals, review, exercises for more advanced bow techniques, and went through the 9 songs after Twinkle. The day ended with a group lesson plan for an Early Book 1 Group class. It was really nice to have the day off from observing--I took a nap and did my own practicing (!!!), and caught up on the reading for tomorrow.
January 11: Day 6
Almost done! Today we started off by talking about the most common pitfalls with early instrument setups. Then, we played through all of the Book 1 pieces we'd gone through so far (10 songs!). We talked about preparation vs. preview, including getting into groups and making a plan for a specific song. We got through almost all of the songs in Book 1--just one left! There was also discussion about how to introduce high 3 and low 1. We ended with a mock group class with all of us, and then I had my exit interview, which was an opportunity for me to ask Dr. Scott any questions. We talked a little about my summer plans and next year, and further training. Then, I spent another 3 hours observing lessons at a private studio, came home and watched another 90 minutes of lessons, and organized my binder. Only 2 days and 30 minutes of observation left!!
January 12: Day 7
We started the day by playing through the entirety of Book 1, then went over the last song in detail (which we hadn't done yet). Then, we talked about string crossings and musical literacy (aka when should kids start learning by eye and not by ear?). A large portion of our morning was spent talking about how to teach kids with disabilities. I did my last 30 minutes of observation during lunch, with a video that Dr. Scott had of an adorable 4 year old student, Ellie. When we came back in the afternoon, we talked about what students should be able to do at the end of Book 1, and for the last hour, two of Dr. Scott's students came to play for us! One was Ellie, the 4 year old (who is now 6), and the other was her big sister who is 11. Pretty cool to see the progression.
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| The little cutie on the right is now 8, and I teach him in a String Project group class! |
WE MADE IT! This morning we started by taping our bows--putting tapes on our bows the way we will for beginners--and then again played through the whole book. Then, we talked about some added exercises, and a more business-y topic, how to actually build a studio. We watched a short video from the SAA and then made our last group lesson plan for a mixed Book 1 group. Our lunch hour was more of a meeting where everyone shared their own philosophy statements about Suzuki and teaching, as well as one tidbit/idea/game. Everyone had a really great thing to share, and I'm hoping to incorporate some of them into my teaching soon.
It's been a wild ride, but it's done! I've officially registered Suzuki Book 1 training!
5.5 down. 24.5 to go!
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