Interested in Lessons?

Here's where to begin:

Are you ready for the commitment? 

I recommend you ask yourself the following questions:

• Is your young child emotionally ready? Is he/she cooperative? Are you able to get your child to accomplish something, even on resistant days? Do you have LOTS of resistant days? 

• Do you *and* your child have the time? How many other activities are you both involved in? Is your child becoming well-rounded or exhausted? Are YOU exhausted? We are establishing good practice habits right from the start, so Suzuki lessons absolutely require daily practice, and until the child reaches about age 10 or older, practice is done with the parent. Parents attend lessons and take notes so they can help at home, so one parent should remain the "practicing parent" and "home teacher."  Students also attend group lessons in addition to their private lessons. Finally, parents are responsible for providing a musical environment for their children, which means playing the Suzuki music every day and attending as many concerts as possible. 

• Are you in this for the long haul? I view the Suzuki program as a major commitment and life decision for everyone involved, and I hope to take each one of my students all the way through high school. Suzuki violin can be one of the most rewarding and inspiring parts of a child's life, so this is probably not the best program for a student who simply wants to try violin for a year.

• Do you have any interest in the violin? Notice, the question is not "does your child have any interest to play!" Young children may have been inspired to play the violin, but if the parent is not 100% involved and enthusiastic, the program will fail! Similarly, a young child may not even know what a violin is, but if the parent conveys their excitement and dedication, the child will absorb the parent's energy.

• Does this fit your budget? In addition to lessons, please keep in mind you will need to purchase or rent a good quality instrument that requires yearly maintenance, and you will need an assortment of shoulder rests, books, flash cards, uniforms, etc.

• Are you familiar with Dr. Suzuki's Talent Education philosophy? Please read about Suzuki's Talent Education philosophy as much as you can.  I recommend reading Nurtured by Love, by Dr. Suzuki.  You can also read a about Dr. Suzuki and the Suzuki Method on my website.

Check my fees and policies.

• View my policies and lesson fees.

• I have limited space for new students, but am willing to give you options for lessons.  Please contact me for available lesson times.

• All students need to be available to attend group lessons in addition to their private lessons.

Observation Requirement

• Before beginning lessons I would like the parent and child observe lessons. Group lesson observation is encouraged but not required.  Transfer students who have been taking violin for a year or more should observe at least 1 private lesson and can request to have a free "trial lesson."

• Your child should attend, but he/she doesn't need to stay attentive the whole time – you can bring some quiet activities to work on.

• You should try to see someone about the same age as your child. Contact me to see which students I recommend for you.

• I highly recommend observing more than once! The more you watch, the better idea you will have of how things work. The students who do the most observation are the ones who pick up how to hold the violin and bow, make a good sound, and listen well just by watching!

• Please let me know when you intend to come to observe so I can let you know if the student gets sick at the last minute and can't make it.

• All observations are free of charge.

Listening Requirement

• All new beginners should listen to their Suzuki Book 1 recording.  I recommend listening to the entire recording 20 times before starting lessons and the twinkles 100 times.  

• You can find fun charts to track your progress at The Practice Shoppe under the free downloads tab.