Kathryn Drake

Suzuki Violin Teacher

Archives for December 2016

Creation Is a Patient Search, Happy 2017

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In 2016 I went wide.

I discovered Gary Vaynerchuk, Katy Bowman, Fifth House Ensemble, Mary Oliver, and Solange. I attended the seanwes conference. I spoke at the American String Teachers Association conference. I premiered six new pieces. Wrote over 60 reflections for this website. I took classes on the music of the caribbean, violin pedagogy, Music Mind Games, orchestration, Brahms and Peacemaking Rhetoric. I started new students; I moved into my third year of teaching others. I found myself in Washington D.C., Dallas, Houston, Chicago, San Marcos, San Francisco, coastal Maine, Minnesota, and Boston. I even bought a pair of heels.

I cast the net wide. I learned a lot. I did a lot. It was a lot.

There were some times I felt like I was on fire, doing better and living better than I ever had before. There were times I felt I was strapped to the front of a steam-engine hurtling down tracks, out of my control, at record speeds. Those times were exhilarating, and terrifying. And still, there were some times that I felt utter disappointment and frustration. I grieved deeply for what I could have done better.

But since the fall semester wrapped up three weeks ago, I’ve had the luxury of relaxing and restoring in my small hometown in the hill country. I’ve had the opportunity to sleep in, write, reflect, read, and for lack of a better word… chill.

But most importantly, I experienced the release, one by one, of the burden from each commitment in my life. Orchestra was finished, then orchestration, then pedagogy and rhetoric. I performed my jury and stepped away from my violin. I wrapped up recording sessions with Light Horse Harry, finished teaching my last lessons with students, and delivered the last of my secret santa gifts. And now I don’t have work I have to do. I don’t have any emails I have to send. I don’t have any calls I have to make. I’m resting.

This rest has given me clarity. And tonight, as one year ends and another begins, I move into a new year with the experience of a wide 2016, but hope for a focused 2017.

See, in the space of winter break I experienced the desire, or perhaps the need, to do just four things:

  • heal
  • practice violin
  • practice teaching
  • journal my process.

I want 2017 to be the year for me that embodies essentialism. I want it to be a daring year in which I experiment with focus, with space, with prioritization, and with authenticity. I want to be with the ones I love, and I want to do the work I love. No more and no less than that.

I’ll dial in on the four pillars in my life– healing, practicing violin, practicing teaching, and journaling– not as a militant mandate, but as a question. I wonder if I would be happier “doing” less. I wonder what would happen if I dove even deeper into understanding the things I love – my self, my relationships, my work. I wonder.

On the bookshelf in our library at home is a book by and about Le Corbusier, the early 20th century artist, architect and thinker. It is a self portrait of text and illustration titled Creation is a Patient Search. The pages that fill this beautiful book tell the story of the slow, patient journey Le Corbusier took to creation.

Though I’ve dedicated 2017 to wondering, it is just one patient step closer to myself. Sometimes my search will lead me wide. Sometimes my search will lead me deep. This year it will lead me deeply into to the few things I love most. Happy New Year!

Observe Suzuki Violin Lessons 003

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You can now watch my most recent, full length violin lesson with pre-twinkler Hayley. Though the semester is over, we are continuing lessons through the winter break. This lesson is our 14th one together.

Now that Hayley’s violin posture is set and we are building her tone in tone builder reps, I want to spend time walking her through my Left Hand sequence. You will see in this lesson us continue exercises as well as start several new activities to build left hand skills.

You can watch the video in it’s entirety here or on my Youtube channel.

To skip to specific lesson segments use the time stamps below…

PARENT/STUDENT LESSON

0:00 Watching game and bow
0:14 numbers game
1:00 Left Hand set and flower song
2:30 Helicopters
4:00 Tone Builders
5:00 Ants Song with bow hand
5:30 Left Hand shapes and finger ID
6:40 Bow

TEACHER/STUDENT LESSON

[Lesson focus: establishing the left hand frame]
7:10 Watching game and bow
8:16 Numbers game
8:30 Finding the High Mark
11:30 Plucking on the High Mark
13:00 Sliding on the neck of the violin
16:10 Wrist stability (ice cream cone)
19:17 Trampoline bounces on high mark
20:45 Practice assignment

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Celebrate Your Twinkle Grad

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Let’s zoom out, and take a look at the overarching journey of your students.

Where Book 4 teaches virtuosity, Book 3 teaches musicality, Book 2 teaches resonance, and Book 1 teaches bow and finger dexterity, the pre-twinkle lessons lay the foundation for everything.

The development from novice to twinkler is the most significant progress your students will make in two years as a violinist, and arguably the most difficult. Development requires a practice routine, a healthy parent/student relationship, perfect bow posture, perfect violin posture, quality tone production, the conceptual understanding of a piece, and performance skills. The amount of hard work required to graduate from the Twinkles is disproportionate to every other phase of violin development.

If I were to illustrate the relationship of skill to time for the beginning Suzuki violinist, it would look something like this.

progress

Some students spend years moving from novice to Twinkle Graduation. Each student is unique and will travel at their own pace, but in parent education I explain that moving through the Twinkles will take us at least one year.

That year is jam packed with instruction and new material. For me it involves…

  • Lesson procedures, home practice procedures, group class procedures
  • Building bow holds
    • Bow games (Traveling Bow, Up Like A Rocket, Ring of Fire, Pass the Cup)
    • Arm Scrubbing
    • Bow Scrubbing
    • Helicopters
  • The Numbers Game
  • Tone builders
    • Ant Song
    • Open E
    • Chicken on a Fence Post
  • Left Hand development
    • strengthening (Popcorn Song, Pass the Magic Stone, finger pops, finger folding)
    • relaxation (arm hanging on marker, arm hanging on violin, finger tone testers)
    • LH position (touch the magic spot, first finger Y, thumb)
    • Flower song (parent bow, independent bow)
    • Monkey song (parent bow, independent bow)
  • Twinkle
    • Mississippi Stop Stop
    • My Friend and Your Friend
    • Down Pony Up Pony
    • Mississippi Mississippi
    • Strawberry Blueberry
    • Long bow (theme)

Once your student has mastered all of these skills, I believe a HUGE celebration is in order.

Two weeks ago one of my students had her Twinkle Graduation. You can watch the stellar performance we captured on video here.

In order to make the day special, her family and I organized the following. I would recommend including a few of these special elements, and more if you can, in your next Twinkle Graduation.

  • Plan ahead. At the beginning of the semester we planned for her to
    have her Twinkle Graduation at the end of the semester in combination with another student who was ready to graduate. We planned the venue and time (used our own performance hall at Monarch Suzuki Academy) well in advance. But most importantly, by planning ahead we were able to schedule many rehearsals and several performances before the big day.
  • Hire a pianist. We arranged for my student to play with an accompanist. Not only did this fill out her sound and make the performance a more professional one, but in some cases the piano helped my student stay on track. If you can’t hire a pianist, I would recommend learning to play the accompaniment yourself.
  • Pack the house. The families of the student performers sent out img_5501many invitations and the house was packed. First and foremost, we made sure all other families in the studio were aware of the performance and were invited to come. But beyond that, we welcomed many family members, friends, and other teachers (school, sports, other instruments) from our students’ lives.
  • Document the day. I videotaped the whole performance using my
    standard video setup. The videos are now available online for my student to send to distant relatives and friends.
  • Present certificates.We presented our two graduates with Twinkle Graduation Certificates. This really set the occasion apart as a graduation and not just another performance. You make your own img_5500certificate, or order both, like we did, from the Suzuki Association of the Americas (here).
  • Eat cake! A reception followed the performance and presentation
    of certificates. Family and friends stuck around to congratulation each of the performers on an amazing job well done.

 

By hosting a graduation you celebrate not just the performance, but all of the hard work required to perform Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Variations. Many times it is the moment taken to recognize the hard work well done that propels student and parent into the next stage of violin mastery.

On Gratitude and Doing the Unscalable for Your Violin Studio

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There are certain aspects of teaching the violin that can be automated.

You should not re-create the wheel every time you send a contract to a new family, tune a violin, or print off a batch of practice charts.

There are processes and tools you can cultivate in your studio and have on lock (many of which I discuss here). You’ve thought through the best solution, and now you replicate that solution for each one of your students. You don’t think, and you don’t have to think, about changing this solution every time, which gives you the mental space and emotional energy to do more important work.

But one of the things I love about teaching violin, is that I’m not trying to be Facebook or Ford. I’m not even trying to be your cool, indie product maker (maybe this one?). And I’m certainly not attempting to trade your attention on my words here for paid sponsorships.

I have literally no incentive to work at scale.

The narrative of success today usually involves two words: big and fast. Growing quickly, acquiring investors and funding, enchanting a vast audience, and scaling a service to maximum efficiency will get the spotlight.

But, I am violin teacher. My value as a teacher is diminished as I take on too many students. With a full course load and extracurricular commitments, teaching beyond my maximum load would actually hurt my studio.

I need the headspace to iterate and refine my processes. I need the headspace to care for each and every student. I need headspace.

In other words, big and fast aren’t in my vocabulary.

But what space affords us, as violin teachers, is a beautiful opportunity to do the unscalable. We can take the time to intimately know each one of our students. We can remember and celebrate our students’ birthdays. We can tailor our sequences and methods to suit the learning style of every unique child within our studio. We can spend hours helping a student find just the right violin. We don’t have to speculate the needs and AB test the values of our ideal customer, we can easily ask every student at every lesson.

Of course, this doesn’t make viable, financial sense if the goal is to be a large company with a high profit margin. But we’re not trying to be a large company; we’re trying to teach violin. We’re trying to teach well.

And I can’t tell you how grateful I am that I have the opportunity to pursue this craft every single day. I’m so grateful that depth, and slowness, and focus, and mastery are tools of my trade. Gratitude wells up within me when I reflect on my opportunity to do exactly what I love, and more incredibly, make a living from it.

So this holiday season I took the time to do something unscalable.

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I wrote a brief thank you to every family in my small studio. I thanked them for their time, for their kindness, for their trust in my journey as a teacher. I wished them a healthful and joyful 2017.

I didn’t do so in an effort to ‘energize my audience’ or to ‘increase customer loyalty,’ I did so to honor the deep, real relationship I have with my families.

What powerful, unscalable actions can you take to honor your opportunity to teach the wonderful individuals in your studio?

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Student Video Guides: Numbers Game

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The “Numbers Game” is a set of steps I use to teach my students play position. I’ll outline the steps and my thought process behind them below.

The Numbers

Play position feet.
#1 – Violin hand on shoulder of the violin
#2 – Stretch out arm with violin over violin foot
#3 – Rotate the violin so the scroll points over foot
#4 – Student looks over bow shoulder, parent takes violin and places on shoulder
#5 – Student turns to look at parent then drops chin onto violin
#6 – Student puts violin hand on bow shoulder

Explanation

As you can see you in the video, the Numbers Game takes my student from rest position (feet tightened, violin tucked under tight arm) to play position (feet shoulder width, violin under chin, left hand on right shoulder).

Assigning each step in the process a number has a few advantages.

  • It organizes the way we (student/parent/teacher) think about play position. It isn’t one long, complex motion but seven short, simple motions.
  • I can teach the process incrementally. In the first lesson with the Numbers Game we might practice step #1-3. I can then introduce each new step as I see fit.
  • I can isolate one step at a time to make sure it is working properly. In other words, I could pull out just #3 without needing to change the way I talk about #1 or #2.
  • We can easily start at any step (say #4) without getting confused. This allows the lesson to move faster.
  • As my students begin to move to play position without my instructions or assistance, they have a road map and very clear idea of my expectations for play position.

At this stage of using the Numbers Game, my student still needs parent/teacher help to say the instructions and perform #4. However, the numbers game transfers easily as a student becomes independent.

The road to independence while still using the Numbers Game involves..

  • student moving to a real violin (heavier, fragile)
  • student leaving their left hand on the violin while parent/teacher does #4
  • student performing #4 independently
  • parent/teacher only whispering instructions
  • parent/teacher staying silent while student performs steps alone

Oh, and in case you were wondering why it is called the Numbers Game, I should make it clear that is not an actual ‘game.’ Perhaps this is manipulative, but by calling it a game I hope to encourage some fun, or at least the idea of fun, in learning the process. Because the process of steps can become routinized so quickly, I love to surprise students by moving backwards through the steps (1, 2, 3, 2, 1) or delaying a step (1, 2 … … … 3!). But beware– giggling will ensue!

Have fun using the Numbers Game to organize your play position process!

A Simple Process for Documenting Your Teaching Through Video

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I’ve talked before about the importance of documenting what you do. But sometimes that is easier said than done.

Finding the right gear, knowing how to record, having the time to transfer files, and finding a way to publish your documented content can be overwhelming. Figuring out how to document my work is something I struggled with for years, and it was the little, annoying friction spots that kept me from getting my work out there.

With the motivation to start my YouTube channel this semester, I worked to find processes that would make managing the documentation process possible. You’ll find the result of a semester’s worth of finesse below.

Gear

This is not an extensive post about gear– because it doesn’t need to be. Don’t get caught struggling to make the investment in a fancy camera or a boom pole. What helped me was understanding that

  1. the quality of your equipment matters far less than the quality of your content, and
  2. the quality of video matters far less than audio (in case you don’t believe me, watch this!).

I use the Shure MV88, a microphone the plugs into the lightening port on my iPhone. It is compact, comes with a case, and even has an app I can use to monitor the sound levels coming into the microphone. Anywhere I go I can record decent audio by just plugging it into my phone and using the “voice memo” app to record.

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I use my iPhone 6s to record video. The camera on the back of the iPhone can record at a good quality, or at least a quality that most wouldn’t be offended by. If you already have access to a good quality camera on a smart phone, I highly recommend just getting started with it. As I said before, the audio matters much more than the video quality.

One of the most important elements of my setup is a tripod I sourced from my Dad, who wasn’t using it. Paired with this tripod mount adapter for iPhone, I’m able to easily stabilize my camera. If a good one isn’t available for you to borrow, I believe spending money on a good tripod is a sound investment. Because recording my own teaching is a one person job, and it would be inappropriate to fiddle with my setup during the lesson, it is invaluable to have the tripod to set up and leave for hours of teaching. Mine is tall and has many adjustable elements, which gives me the opportunity to capture all aspects of my teaching and my students’ performances.

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Process

When I wanted to record I would set my phone and mic up on my tripod via the phone stablizer. Because my phone doesn’t have infinite storage space and I usually record 30 minute lessons, I change the frame rate in Settings > Photos & Camera > Record Video to 720p HD at 30 fps. For 30 to 60 minutes of recording I make sure I have 4-6 gigabytes available by checking my Settings > General > About > Available. Of course, anytime I want to record a short, higher-quality video I increase the frames per second.

After I record the video I use airdrop to send the video over to my MacBook Air via bluetooth. It usually only takes a few minutes, so I can transfer the files between lessons. Once the lesson video is on my computer I can delete it from my phone and record another video.

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On my laptop I open the airdropped video in Quicktime and export it as 480p, which dramatically reduces the file size. However, if I kept all the video files on my laptop it would crowd up my hard drive space. Instead I take advantage of the access to unlimited Google Drive storage through my University of Texas account. Here I have saved over 60 full length lesson videos!

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If I want to do something with the video — edit in Premiere, upload to youtube, or steal a frame to post on Instagram for example — I just download back to my hard drive from Google Drive.

And that’s it!

Maybe you want to record your students’ recitals. Perhaps the next step to improving your teaching is taking videos to analyze your effectiveness. Or it could be time to make a promotional video for your studio, but you don’t have the resources to hire a professional photographer. Please keep this process in mind. Please remember that documenting doesn’t automatically imply complication or expense. With a few minimal investments, a simple step-by-step like this, and a little bit a practice you can share your journey with the world, too.

Violin Skill Sequence: Build a Bow Hold

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In this video I lead you step by step through the sequence I use to teach bow holds. We move in eleven lessons from absolutely zero experience to the successful performance of “Mississippi Stop Stop” (MSS) on the violin.

 

I should first explain that I break my lessons with pre-twinklers into two parts. The first half of the lesson consists of parent and student moving through their whole practice assignment in front of me as if they were practicing at home. In doing so, I’m able to monitor the health of the parent/student relationship, offer suggestions to the parent about more effective communication strategies, and look for any red-flags regarding the way they worked through/will work through their practice assignment. Throughout the video you will see Hayley’s mom do as much work as Hayley and I do to form her bow hold.

The most important aspect of bow hold building is keeping the hand soft and flexible.

Every step of our sequence is merely a more sophisticated skill in which the hand is required to stay flexible. Make sure not to move one if you see any sign of clenching.

Here is a written form of the sequence I use in the video.

1. I build the bow hold on student

I’ve adopted Edmund Sprunger’s technique outlined in Building Violin Skills. He takes charge of the process, requiring students to concentrate only on relaxing their fingers as the teacher manipulates them. I slide the bow over the middle of the right hand fingers, wrap the middle fingers around the stick, place the first finger, put the pinkie on its tip, and “plug” the bent thumb into its place on the silver ferrule. Once I’m finished making the bow hold I point it to the sky, remove my hands, and the student is now effortlessly holding the bow.

2. Parent builds the bow hold on student

Of course, because I don’t practice at home with my students, it is imperative parents are prepared to build every bow hold for their student. In the very first lesson, I teach parents how to do exactly what I do.

My first practice assignment is five bow holds everyday at home. The assignment is much more about practicing than bow holds, but we get into the routine of trust, relaxation, quality, and mastery right away.

3. Traveling bow hold

With a nice looking, relaxed bow hold I invite my students to move their bow from place to place. I show them that the quality of their bow hold (and my expectations of that quality) transfer even when the bow is on their shoulder, head, belly button, nose, etc. And, because the shape of the bow hold stays the same, they begin coordinating the wrist and elbow motions necessary for bowing a violin.

4. Up Like A Rocket

The common Suzuki pre-twinkle bow game, Up Like A Rocket, is a gem. It wraps all the elements of our sequence in a performative way.

The lyrics, sung to the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, are…

“Up like a rocket,
Down like the rain,
Back and forth like a choo choo train.
Round and round like a great big sun,
Round and round like a great big drum.
Up like a rocket,
Down like the rain,
Land on the place where you keep your brain.”

5. Guided arm scrubbing

Just like I build the bow hold for my students so they get the feeling of correctness from the start, I also guide the motion of bowing in an activity called “bow scrubbing.” Students sit in their parent’s lap, and together they scrub on their arm the MSS rhythm.

Be careful to look for opening motion only in the elbow — not the shoulder. The shoulder should be relaxed and gliding open, not stiff or forced.

For home practice I made an arm scrubbing video guide.

6. Independent arm scrubbing

After learning to bow MSS with their parents, I then teach students to do so independently on their own arms. This is the first time we engage in “your turn, my turn” work in the lesson, which is an invaluable model/feedback tool we will use for the rest of their instruction.

7. Bow scrubbing on shoulder

After my student is easily scrubbing MSS on their arm with a relaxed, gliding elbow, we transfer that motion to the bow. With a beautiful bow hold and relaxed arm we start to do guided scrubbing and “my turn, your turn” scrubbing.

8. Helicopter landings on box violin/real violin

The next step for bow control and finger strengthening is helicopter landings. Students go to play position with their box violin or real violin, I build a bow hold, they hold their bow high, and then control a quiet landing on the string. By putting a tape in the upper third of their bow and asking for a landing exactly between the fingerboard and bridge, I give specific constraints for success. It is important to note that students at this stage are now attempting to control their bow at an angle with far greater pressure on the pinkie. Always, but especially at this stage, you must be wary of weak thumbs and collapsing pinkies.

9. Tone builders

The last stage of this sequence is transferring the MSS rhythm, which we’ve now done on the arm and shoulder, onto the violin’s E string. Just like arm scrubbing and bow scrubbing, the parents and I start by driving the bow while the student’s hand rides along. From this they will have an aural and kinesthetic model for what to do. Then we start tone building by trading MSS back and forth. I give instructions such as, “Look at your bow,” “Keep your rhythm between the tape” (I add a top tape for clear parameters), keep your bow on the highway (between bridge and fingerboard), and, “Make your stops as clear as mine.” However, the most direct, influential feedback is the sound of their MSS rhythm contrasted immediately to mine.

I know this isn’t the only way to move a student from zero experience with a bow to playing on their open strings, but it is a way that has successfully worked for me. The sequence is not just a collection of activities, but an incremental, stepwise process that builds upon itself.

I hope you find inspiration not just in the steps I introduced, but the way they relate to one another. If you are interested, look here for a discussion of the process of sequencing or head to my YouTube channel to see other Violin Skill Sequences.

Watch Me Teach On YouTube

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The past six months have been the most significant of my life to date. They were exhilarating, illuminating, and extremely challenging. Looking back, I am surprised by just how much happened.

Here is a non-exhaustive list.

– attended fresh inc, performed three world premiers and made a lot of great friends
– attended California Summer Music, performed two world premiers and made more great friends
– began a significant relationship ♥
– recorded an album with Light Horse Harry
– performed Appalachian Spring, Mahler 5, and two Puccini operas
– did the Miro Quartet Brahms Intensive seminar
– commissioned my friend David to write a piece, then performed it in a self organized chamber music recital
– (sort of) learned how to play the viola
– attended the Seanwes Conference
– welcomed five new students into my studio (all beginners!)
– applied to five graduate school programs

Whew.

I am proud of what I was able to accomplish in the span of a summer and a semester, but the project I am most excited about is the establishing of my YouTube channel.

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The inspiration to launch this project came from the frustration I experienced in not finding high-quality, professional videos of Suzuki violin teaching on YouTube. As I watched film makers in the realms of health, entrepreneurship, cooking, designing visual art, and studying evolve with the powerful, self-publishing tools available today, I was surprised not to find single “youtuber” publishing videos of Suzuki violin instruction.

I wish I could have journeyed to Japan decades ago to see Dr. Schin’ichi Suzuki teach his students. The generous way he shared his method, his new ideas, and his philosophy allowed teachers to steep in a rich environment of excellent instruction.

In 2016 we have the unparalleled opportunity to shape our own environments. I ask my students to listen like maniacs to the pieces they prepare to learn, because I know their ears will guide their fingers when they begin choosing notes. I can do the same for my teaching by selecting channels of information via books, blogs, journals, videos, recordings, social networks, and online communities to inform my practice. With Dr. Suzuki’s model of allowing access for any and all to observe the beauty he was developing in his students, I was inspired to use these new digital tools to share what I learn in my journey from violin student to violin teacher.

Motivated to share my journey with the greater Suzuki community on YouTube, I recorded hundreds of videos, developed simple processes for storing and transferring files, sourced good equipment, learned how to use Adobe Premier Pro and After Effects, and ultimately published over twenty videos online.

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On my channel I feature three types of videos.

1. Full length Suzuki violin lesson observations
2. Skill building sequences
3. Performances

If you want to observe real, uncensored, unedited lessons from start to finish, look no further than this series. Unlike a master class, or even an in person observation, you know your gaze is not effecting the rhythm or energy of the lesson. In the description of each video I include timestamps of every teaching point so you can navigate to the section of the lesson that you most want to see. You can also rewind, re-watch, and take notes on the lesson at your own pace. You can pretend you are in my shoes. What do you see in my students as they play? What would you choose to work on? How would you intervene?

I know that I am not yet an expert teacher, but I am on my way. I know that from my full length lessons, skill sequences, and student performances you will learn via my successes and failures. You will not just read about my teaching ideas and principles, but see them in action.

Most exciting for me is the opportunity to document my growth and connect with other teachers. Dr. Robert Duke tells us in class that research on the brain proves we remember the peak and the final moments of our experiences. But I want to remember the beginning, and each step along the way. Every Wednesday I will post another dynamic snapshot of my teaching. Years down the road I’ll be able to look back through the lens of my experience and remember what was exciting, what was challenging, and how I worked to grow my skills.

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My YouTube channel will document mine and my students’ journey to mastery. I invite you to join us.

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