Saratoga Strings: March 2011

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Teacher's Notes for March

Federation is almost here! Everyone's pieces are coming along nicely, but this is the month to perfect them, so this month, make sure your pieces are perfectly memorized, focus on dynamics (overemphasize!!), and work on perfect bowing: bows are straight, nice strong tone, and finger flexing. Try to schedule some practice performances for family and friends. I would also like everyone to "be your own judge" and video record yourself playing your pieces. Then sit back with a paper and "judge" your performance!

Federation will be held at the same place as last year--Gardner Hall on the University of Utah campus. Make sure to allow PLENTY of time for parking and finding your room. Here are your room numbers and times:

From this point on, practice announcing your pieces with your number. Remember that judges need ORIGINAL copies of the music, so make sure to purchase the books that you will need soon if you don't already have them. Please let me know if you have any questions.

If Aimee Ward is going to be your accompanist for Federation, please note that she will be having a Federation Rehearsal at my house this Thursday, March 10th at 5:15 pm. If you can't make it to this rehearsal, please let me know...we will be having another rehearsal the following week, time still TBD. Just a reminder that Aimee is charging $20 for the performance and one practice session, and $25 if you would like two practice sessions with her, which you can bring to the rehearsal.

Group Lessons will be held on March 15 and 16 this month. Please make an effort to be there, as we will be working on our group pieces for our final studio recital. Speaking of our final recital, it will be held on April 1st, from 6:30-7:30 at the Piano Gallery in Orem. Plan on playing your favorite federation piece for the recital, or if you have another piece ready that you would rather play, let me know this week at lessons.

Thanks for all of your hard work and effort. I have the very BEST students in the whole world!!

My Studio Policies

Tuition
Your tuition reserves you a weekly time slot and membership within
the studio. There will be NO make-up
lessons for cancellations made by students. Please think of your lessons as being in
class. The teacher would not hold a special class just for you if you are
absent. Teacher cancellations will be
made up. If you know that you will not
be able to make your lesson one week you are encouraged to switch lesson times
with another student. If the student is serious about learning music, few
lessons will be missed and the student will benefit in the long run. Your
tuition is figured by taking the number of lessons and group lessons taught in
a three month semester, and subtracting any weeks that I will not be
teaching. Therefore the tuition payment won’t
necessarily reflect the amount of lessons given for a particular month. Lessons will not be taught during Spring
Break, Memorial Day weekend, Thanksgiving Break, and Christmas Break. Specific dates will be posted at the
beginning of each semester. During the
summer quarter, I teach only 6 weeks (which works out to about every other
week) with a reduced tuition rate for the whole summer.

Tuition rates are as follows:

30 minute lesson: $65 per month
45 minute lesson: $98 per month

Lessons
Proper
preparation for a lesson includes:
Bringing ALL
books and materials to each lesson
If I request new
music, CD’s or flashcards, please have them for the next lesson, or let me
know if there is a problem getting them
All pieces
improved weekly!
Trimmed nails
No gum or food
at lessons
Siblings of the
student are welcome to come and watch the lesson provided they are not
disruptive and that they stay with the parent

Be prompt in your lesson attendance. You are allotted a specific
time slot and I cannot afford to infringe on another's lesson or my family when
you are late. Arriving a few minutes
early will assure the full lesson time.

Group Lessons
Group
Lessons will be held the second week of the month. You will not have a regular lesson that
week. Group lessons will last
approximately one hour and are an essential part of your child’s musical
education. These classes are only once a
month, and are part of your tuition, so please make every effort to have your
child there. Ear training, performance
practice, music history, rhythm activities, group playing, recital preparation,
fiddling and FUN are among the benefits of these classes. When students are absent, they can miss important
rehearsals for recitals and future group classes as well. Group lessons are also a great way for
students to get to know others with similar abilities, goals, and interests.

Practicing
A daily practicing and listening routine is a MUST if maximum
results are to be obtained from studying music.
Proper preparation is basic to your child’s progress as well as making
music more pleasurable for them. Listening to the Suzuki CD’s and practicing
MUST be done 6 days a week. It is more
important to be consistent, practicing in small increments of time then overdoing
practicing a few days before a lesson- this is unwise and can lead to injury. I do not require a set amount of practice time
a day if the student is coming prepared to each lesson.

Parental
Involvement
The Suzuki Method is all about parental involvement. A parent's support and awareness has a
crucial effect on the student's progress. Your active involvement gives your
child a tremendous amount of encouragement. Parents with students under the age of twelve are
REQUIRED to attend the lessons. This
will help you better understand what is taking place and what is required of
your child, as well as helping you see your child’s progress and understanding
what should be taking place during practice sessions at home.
Learning
the violin is hard work, but it should also be fun! I am always open to suggestions on how we can
work together better.

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Saturday, March 5, 2011

Teacher's Notes for March

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