Nancy Lokken has been in town the past couple of days doing Suzuki Book 4 training hosted by the Suzuki Strings of Austin. I had the privilege of observing and listening to her masterclasses, group classes, and parent lecture on Saturday afternoon. After almost four hours of observing her instruction, I found myself wishing I was taking the full Book 4 training instead of going back to school on Monday (why, school? why?).

One thing I picked up from her masterclasses was the consistent conclusion of each lesson. Although individual lessons were just 20 minutes, each ended comfortably (and on time!) with a sense of finality and mutual understanding.

Her routine consisted of four parts, outlined below:

Assignment. A short, direct instruction to practice an exercise already executed in the lesson.
“Do you have any questions?” Time she gave to the student to address any lingering confusions.
“What did we do today?” Time she gave the student to verbally review, and prioritize, aspects of the lesson. Her opportunity to check for understanding.
Bow.

After this clear and reliable finish, student, parent, and teacher leave the lesson understanding his/her role in the home practice and following lesson. A safe time for asking questions has been built into the lesson, which allows students and parents time to redress loose ends and iron out complicated concepts. Most importantly, Ms. Lokken knows that the students understands the concepts, because she has allowed time to check for comprehension. At once empowering students (allowing them to take responsibility, acknowledging that they are part of the “suzuki triangle”), and taking precautions against miscommunication and misunderstanding, she makes each lesson more valuable.

This approach has the possibility of eliminating many conflicts at home and increasing the overall productivity of lessons. I plan to add an assignment, question time, comprehension check, and bow to the structure of my own lessons.

Some questions I still have:
At what age does she start asking the student these questions? Does she ask the parent before?
Does Ms. Lokken use a lesson/practice journal for each week (where she writes out assignments), or are notes entirely parent based?