Ithaca Talent Education, the Suzuki school I teach with, hosts “Jumpstart Twinkle” every year. This is an easy way for families to dip their toes in to the Suzuki experience.

Our Jumpstart class is held the week before Labor Day in the mornings. We did three consecutive days, meeting from 9-10:30 each morning. There were about 14 participants in total, though families weren’t required to attend all three days. 

I co-led the class this year and want to share a few ideas about what makes this experience so valuable.

1. Get started right away

I love that interested families can jump head first right into this program. Without any prior knowledge we guide the whole class of students through musical, full body, and engaging activities. The parents are involved but don’t need to have any know-how to be able to participate with us. Students are given a lot of responsibility right away. 

2. Easy lift

We tried to make Jumpstart as easy as possible.

Because the time is scheduled and consecutive, all practice partners need to do is drive to the school and come inside. We did not require families to come to all three days, so they simply came when they could. This is during summer so there is often more flexibility for families. And the teachers facilitated everything. We set the ground rules, made the lesson plans, and provided the materials.

Unlike getting started with lessons where the routine of home practice is completely dependent on parents, Jumpstart allows parents to get involved with very minimal effort.

3. Affordability

The program was less than $75. Even better, the fee for the class went toward the first tuition payment if the family did decide to start our program.

4. Grounding for the community

Because Jumpstart is a group class, parents get to see and know each other right away. The classes had a soft start and we would host snacks afterward. Practice partners would chat with each other during these times. Now they will recognize each other in group classes, recitals, and transitions between lessons.

5. There is a clear off-ramp

I believe this is probably the most important benefit of the Jumpstart program. If a family realizes this is not for them they have a very clear, socially acceptable way to say “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Before we ever start students we are asking for serious enrollments and commitments from families. In most cases that works well, in some it can lead to disaster. There are surely families who don’t even consider starting because they don’t feel like they can simply try-out the fit of the school.

The built in ‘off-ramp’ allows those who don’t want to participate to exit, but also those who are hesitant to enter the pathway with safety and reassurance.