One of the highlights of my last semester at the University of Texas was performing the Scherzo from Dvorak’s Piano Quintet with some of my closest friends.  I’ve attached a video of the performance below, which I think captures the excitement we all felt to perform this incredible work together. I want to explore why this was such a positive performance experience, and consider the way I can encourage similar joyful performances with my studio.

Over the course of the semester, my chamber music ensemble worked on the first, second, and third movements of the quartet with Will Fedkenheuer, second violinist of the Miro quartet.  Though David, our pianist, was new to us this semester, the string quartet (Owen, Elizabeth, Yukai, and me) had  worked together for four consecutive semesters.  Having already worked together on matters of group sound, tuning, and style, we dove into the music with Will not from a technical angle, but from a relational one. Our ensemble used the need to work on the music as a way to practice working as a group. Unlike our time with any other coach, with Will we dedicated energy in our coachings (and then rehearsals) to understanding each other’s perspectives, feelings, and goals.

[Read more…]

An observable violin lesson featuring Santi, one of my pre-twinklers, is up on my Youtube channel!

This video captures our tenth lesson together. This week Santi was recovering from a cold, and you can watch us navigate his cough and fatigue in the lesson. This is one I had to struggle to keep productive– but because of that you can see of few of my strategies for behavior management and lesson pacing!

Watch the video below or on youtube.

[Read more…]

I just posted my ninth observable violin lesson on my Youtube channel! This one features my pre-twinkler, Santi, in his ninth violin lesson.

At this point in Santi’s development we have switched him from his box violin to a real violin, and are working on establishing the perfect place for it on his shoulder. This lesson is chock full of repetition, but because of that you have the opportunity to observe the strategies we use to keep Santi engaged.

Watch Santi’s skills build through repetition in the video below or on youtube. [Read more…]

I’ve posted seven lessons on my Youtube channel of work with pre-twinkler, Hayley. Each shows my introduction to important pre-twinkle teaching points, but most important you can get a sense for how I structure lessons and how a develop a rhythm for productive lesson work.

Take a look each episode in the series here.

This week I’m launching a series of lessons with another pre-twinkle, Santi. Notice how the cadence of lessons with Santi differ with that of Hayley’s. You will see me work through similar skills, but using different words, different activities, and different games.

The adaption of my teaching to the unique nature of each of my students is something I’ll work on for the rest of my life. But I’m excited you use the next few Observe Suzuki Violin Lessons to study the way in which I’m already tailoring my teaching.

Watch Santi’s lesson below or on youtube. [Read more…]

My seventh observable lesson is now live on my Youtube channel! This one features my pre-twinkler, Hayley, in a lesson we had together over winter break.

At this time I was working hard to catch her left hand development up to her right hand. You will see me review, repurpose, and introduce left hand strengthening activities both in high positions and in first position. One of the most crucial parts of the lesson for me was in deciding when it was appropriate to transfer the skills we had been developing at the “high mark” to the tapes in first position.

Watch Hayley’s left hand strengthen in real time below or on youtube. [Read more…]

I just posted my sixth observable violin lesson on my Youtube channel! This one features my pre-twinkler, Hayley, in her twelfth violin lesson.

This video captures a lesson that was focused on refinement. This is our twelfth and last lesson of the fall semester so I wanted to check in with all of her recently developed skills. I wanted to instill in her a keen eye for detail and extremely high expectations for herself. I know she can bow on her shoulder, but can she do it with a beautiful, consistent bow hold. I know she can land her bow on the string, but can she do it with as minimal movement and effort as possible? I know she can relax her arm, but can she do it over a marker, or with tall fingers?

Watch that refinement happen in real time below or on youtube. [Read more…]

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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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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.