Symphony!

Well, it has been a while since I've updated... there wasn't much happening this summer, and a lot of my stuff is going on the Maple Hill Academy blog....

Echo has started the Suzuki lessons officially now, and is doing well. Delta has just changed violin size, so is learning to adjust to a heavier instrument, as well as changing where his fingers go.

But, here is the cool news....

Delta, along with many of the Book 1 students, has been asked to play here as an "opening act" (so to speak) before the symphony. They have various groups of youth play before each symphony, and the Suzuki program is invited (I believe once a year). So I find this really exciting!

We also get 2 tickets to the symphony afterwards, so he and I will get to watch that. We are considering on whether or not to buy tickets for the whole family.

Had to share!

200 Practices

Wow, Delta and Echo have practiced 200 days in a row now!

A few were pretty inventive (ever have to do a violin practice in a car... with no violins? - we sang fingerings, and named violin/bow parts....)

Most have been good, solid practices.

Flying

Ok, I just re-installed our MS Flight Simulator on the computer, and went for a "flight". Wow, that was fun. I sure miss flying - but I don't remember flight simulator being as much fun as it was tonight.

Oh, on the suzuki side - we just had our 200th consecutive day of practice! WooHoo!

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

It is so hard to believe, but Delta has already learned "Song of the Wind" - and at the lesson a couple of weeks ago, he started learning "Go Tell Aunt Rhody".     Definitely none of the songs are polished yet - but it is so much more satisfying to be learning songs - and working on getting the technique better while playing the songs than trying to get the technique perfect before learning the song.

Mrs. J does have him work on an exercise for a week or two that will make learning the song easier...  but pretty much as soon as Delta is taught the first line or so, he starts trying to play more and more of the song.

Also - although not every practice is done totally joyfully, they mostly are!  Delta did get upset about doing the twinkles the other day - I don't remember exactly what he was upset about - but he was playing them all mad, so his technique wasn't good - so I took the violin away and told him that he couldn't play it mad, and that I would do Echo's practice with her.  If he was calmed down after her practice, he could finish his practice - but he wasn't going to play it mad.   It worked - he played the other songs (after Echo was done) happily.

He is also sometimes getting out the violin and playing at other times - when his dad is getting ready for work (his dad works nights), or increasingly when he is supposed to get ready for bed....    I am happy about it, although not when bedtime is already very late!

Also - I have started playing with him most days during practice (except during tonalizations, and the new exercises) - he really enjoys it, and has really made him enjoy doing review songs.  Echo is a bit upset that I can't really play with her as much - but I have to help her a lot more.

Family Presentations

From a challenge on another Blog  (http://milestonesacademy.blogspot.com/), we held a Family Homeschooling Presentation.   It was a small affair, with the family, but it was very enjoyable.  Unfortunately, the camera lost the video taken from it, so I have put up some similar pieces....

Delta played "Lightly Row"on the violin.  Echo did "Lift and Land" on the violin, and Echo also sang "I am the Greatest".

I am looking forward to presentations in future years, when there will be more items to present, but I thought it was pretty good for Kindergarten and Preschool!

Echo singing ABC's and "playing" on Guitar

Echo doing "Lift and Land"

Delta playing "Lightly Row"

Who is Who

I am the step-mom of 3 adults, and the mom of 3 children.  I am also a grandma, and will become a grandma again in a few days (give or take, of course.)

To keep a level of security and anonymity, I am using code names.... and decided to simply use the international phonetic alphabet.

• Alpha is my oldest step-son.  He is 25 right now, and lives in another city.
  
• Bravo is my oldest step-daughter.  She is almost 24, and lives nearby.  She is the mother of the grandchild, and is the one expecting.
  
• Charlie is my other step-daughter.  She just turned 19, and lives with us.
  

• Delta is my oldest son.  He is 5 and a half.
  
• Echo is my oldest daughter.  She is 3.
  
• Foxtrot is my youngest daughter, who just turned 1!
  

My  Grandchildren:  (starting from the end of the alphabet...)

• Zulu is my oldest grandson.  He turns 6 in about a month.  (yes, my grandson is older than my oldest children....)
  
• Yankee is the expected grandchild, who has been declared to be a girl.  
  

Hope this helps!

More Lightly Row

Well, we have been practicing Lightly Row (along with other stuff) for about 2-3 weeks now - and Delta is practicing it 2x a day now.  He can play it very well, up to speed, usually getting all the notes right.   What is REALLY cool though, is that Delta is picking the song as his "Happy Song" to end the practice session!    

Another thing that is really cool is that we are also doing the "Grasshopper" exercise to get the hopping 3 finger going for "Song of the Wind".  And, Delta is also playing the first "lick" of "Song of the Wind".   (A,1,2,3,E,E,E,E)

It is so satisfying to see him finally progressing with his violin!

Song of the Wind Exercises

Another lesson with Mrs. J, and Delta is starting the "Hopping 3" exercise with finger 1 down on the E string, that is used in Song of the Wind.    Mrs. J was really pleased with the progress Delta has made on Lightly Row.

Lightly Row!

Well, Delta is now officially learning Lightly Row!  His twinkles still need a lot of work of course, but we have been singing the fingerings for Lightly Row for a week now.    He has been working on his "hopping" 2 finger as well.   Well, at the lesson yesterday, Mrs. J and Delta went through lightly row very slowly, with her telling him the fingers to play.   There are also a couple of phrases that we will be practicing 5 times by itself.

Unfortunately, Delta is sick today....   as about all he will be eating today is crackers or banannas, he will be excused from practice today.

Change in Practice

So, just before changing teachers, I ordered "Step-by-step".  It is a book and CD that help make the practice more productive.   Well, although Delta did pretty good with practice (but they were super short) most of the time - it made a big difference having the book and CD.   I printed the chart off, and listed the things he would need to practice.   I made the main theme for the week being "Happy Practice".   Anything he did happily got a smilie face on the chart.  If he didn't do it happily, he still needed to do it - and would just get a checkmark.   The first day, he got 3 smilies out of about 9 that he could have earned - so I made it a "race" or challenge - could he beat himself tomorrow and get more.  Within a couple of days, he was getting ALL smilies - and a star at the bottom of the chart.   What a difference!    He still sometimes doesn't do things happily, but most of the time he does because he wants the star.

This system has worked well with the new teacher, as her requirements for practice are to do the same things they did in the lesson.  So I write down what the teacher did on the sheets, check the CD for appropriate accompaniment music, and that is what we do.   The CD with the book has the music at various speeds, so we start with the slow speed, and work our way up.

Concert Last Night

So, we had the year end concert last night.   It went quite well.  Delta was set to play with the pre-twinklers because he has only been a twinkler for a few weeks - but he also played the twinkles when it got to them.   

It was a good evening.  Charlie watched Echo while I went with Delta to get his violin tuned.  Foxtrot (the almost 1 year old) was in the snugli, which of course ended up being hard on my back eventually.   I had fun keeping Foxtrot quiet, but had come prepared with a sippi-cup of milk and some Nutrio's.  The other two enjoyed the music, although some was long.  They enjoyed the music best once they got to the songs they listen to a lot.

Delta was one of the students that got a trophy for 100 days of practice in a row.  Echo actually earned one too - I arranged for one to be bought for her, even though she isn't in the program yet.  Delta had his given on stage - Echo got hers afterwards in private.   I am very proud of them.  Actually, we haven't missed a day of practice since January 1st!

Update

Well, it has been over a year since I posted - and there is a very good reason.  Besides being very busy having a new baby (who is almost 1 now), there is the issue of how often can you post that things are not going well?

Delta just didn't work well.  We spent almost a whole year of him refusing to do things for his teacher, having tantrums at practice time, etc.   Actually, we eventually got so that most practices (which were very short) went fairly well, but Delta pretty much balked at lessons whenever his teacher wanted to teach him something new, or wanted him to play with "fingers".   He did learn "The monkey song", and eventually in group learned the fingers for twinkles - but mostly refused to play them even for me.... I think he played the first variation maybe 4 times total.

Eventually, about 6 weeks ago, I decided that a change in teacher would make a difference.  His teacher didn't think so, but had run out of things to try, so we agreed that we would try a single lesson with another teacher.

Well, Delta did the whole lesson happily, and played (fairly well too) 4 of the twinkles, and learned something new.... I think it was doing an exercise with playing with his 3rd finger apart from the others.

So, obviously we have switched teachers.   Delta can play all the twinkles now (well, is still working on "Mommy, and Daddy, and"... and has just started singing the notes for Lightly Row, and is playing the first phrase slowly with me reminding him which notes.

Oh, our practices are longer, and more effective too.   Another post coming on that.

And, I plan to change this blog to include our homeschooling....

[I have since added (and dated the appropriate dates) stuff I had written in other places....]

3rd Lesson with Mrs. J

We just had the 3rd lesson with Mrs. J (who has been his group teacher this whole year....) - and Delta is now playing (slowly) all the twinkles except Var. B ("Down bow and Up bow   and", or "Mommy - and Daddy - and").... and has started work on it.  Although this is probably a mommy's pride here, he CAN play them very well (he doesn't always choose to though....).   Mrs. J is gently correcting his technique, but uses a different method of correction than Miss A did - which seems to be making a difference.   The main thing is that Delta is willing to work with her.   

The overall difference in Delta is amazing.   Along with the changes I made in our practices (which turned out to be great - as the changes ended up matching more with what we needed to do with the new teacher) - he seems a lot happier.   He isn't always happy to do the whole practice - but he knows what is expected, and will do it without the complaining and whining that we had last year, and early this year.   When I practice (a few songs ahead of him), he will often choose to play along on open strings - and astonished me the other day by playing the A major scale with me WITH FINGERS with notes right on....  and I was playing it fast (well, very fast for him - pretty fast for me - Step-by-step CD track 43 or 44....)....   He has a couple of times picked up the violin just to play (and plays one of the twinkles, instead of just "noise").... and one day when I was wasn't feeling well, and was starting the day with a shower, he told me that he would practice while I showered (and although he didn't do everything he is supposed to practice  he did play a few of the things - and hey, it was self-directed.... so I wasn't complaining!)

I am just so thrilled with the difference!   I know that there will be more struggles and hard times at some point - but the last year and a half had been SO hard, and so different from the happy experience that gets painted about doing suzuki that if I wasn't so convinced about it, and so determined, and had a husband who was supportive even though he thought I was crazy.... I would have ended up quiting, I'm sure of it.

Step by Step

I bought the Step by Step books (1A and 1B) with the CD's - and I have to say that I am amazed.

I printed out the practice chart, and figured out what would be appropriate things for review pieces for Delta (who is playing "monkey song", and CAN play twinkle variation A, but strongly resists it, and hasn't been officially taught it from Miss A - but has been taught it in group class - and she said he can practice it...)

Now, I must say that first off it is only day 2 of using the books - so it is probably just the novelty (but if it can bring in a good new habit of happy practice).   Delta's practice has gotten a lot better for these 2 days.  Instead of practice being play the monkey song, and maybe play twinkle, and possibly 1 "review" item....   often (but not always) through coaxing or games.  (some days happy - a lot not).

Anyway, the last 2 days, he has played Var A on E, on A, on E & A, 3 fingers (1/2 of monkey song), on E and 1, on E and 3 fingers on A.  Almost all done happily.  And today he did the "star section" (or bread) of Twinkle.

He loves playing with the CD, and I love that his playing seems to have gotten even better with the CD, and I love that the practice is a lot more business like (no time wasted on picking cards or rolling dice, etc...) - and hope it will help with his problems in his lessons.

And update on teacher situation - we have a trial lesson with my son's group teacher (Mrs. J) later this week.  This week and last week have been spring break, so no lessons.   If the lesson goes good with Mrs. J, we will probably switch.  The one other teacher that has an opening is over an hour away, so I don't think we will try it.   If the trial lesson ends up similar to Miss A's (with Delta not co-operating) , we won't switch.

Pick a new teacher

So my son's teacher and I have decided to have him have a trial lesson or two with another teacher, to see if that ends up helping the problems he is having in his lessons.    Thanks for everyones help and advice - it was well appreciated - and I'm going to be reading them over again a couple of times because there was a lot of good info.

So, my son's teacher (who is the head of the suzuki program in our city), has given me 2 teachers names that have room for me to contact.  1 is my son's group teacher, which may be a good choice, except her other job means that we will have to be flexible with scheduling - which I'm not sure is the best situation for my son - but may be offset by him being familiar with her.   I also know that her own son had given her similar problems.

I don't know the other teacher.

Another lesson

Hm - well Delta didn't do anything at all today in class....  I am so frustrated.

Miss A had said that she had done some research, and was going to try some more stuff with him - so would try a few more lessons - but not sure if she feels the same after today.   

She really doesn't think moving to another teacher will help, but still recommends a long break.....   I am just so tired and frustrated on this by now, and I just don't know what to do anymore.

Goals of our practice

Right now, my main goal for practices are:

1) practice everyday - preferably something involving actually playing the violin, although I have done a few where we mainly sang the "twinkle notes" (aaeef#e...), or "twinkle sandwich" (aaee11e), or the one to the boil 'm cabbage that the group class works on....  

2) try to keep things enjoyable. - play one of our games (snakes and ladders, fishing, giving a concert to stuffies, play together, or just play a few things - generally his choice.)  

3) try not to correct very much - and always try to give a specific compliment.  (and compliment first, if making a change.)  I try to explain why the change would make a difference to the sound (if I know why....)

4) when he is going to play something, suggest something to concentrate on.  (let's see if you can keep the bow on the highway..... - hm, this sounds worse than I think it really sounds - may have to listen to myself to see if it is coming off negative sounding.....)

5) If I'm playing with him - let him be the teacher - he loves that.... and I will purposely make a mistake so he can correct me....

6) try to end always positive.

I think this is the main things I'm doing.....  or trying to do.   It is from stuff I've read, suggestions from my husband, and from what I've seen works best for my son.

His practices have gone a LOT better since I've tried to do these things.

I have considered bribing him - especially for the lessons - but I'm worried about setting up that precedent, as we are going to be homeschooling too, and his sister is watching what is going on - I am really trying to avoid it.  But I do have to admit that it is a currency that kids understand.

Answer to a Question

I've been asked for more information.....

[originally an email on a suzuki group]

Ok, I'll see if I can explain it well.   This is mostly in the individual class, although there has been a bit of it the last 2 weeks in group class, and there used to be more in our practices.

On the day that it is individual class, once Delta realizes it is day for violin class, he will get upset and have a little mini-tantrum.  (jump up and down a few times whining.) - when it is time to go, he will say stuff like "I don't want to go to Miss A's", but will get ready.  When we get there, he may or may not try to avoid getting out of the car.   We go into the class, and he is polite to the teacher, says hello and everything, and gets ready.

The class will vary a bit on various factors - stuff like how he is feeling, and a bit on what he is being asked to do.  Usually (unless he is having a bad day over-all) - it starts out pretty good, and he is co-operative.  Very occasionally, he will make it for most of the lesson (30 minutes) before he "acts up" - which I figure on those occasions it is just that he has reached his limits.   But if something happens that he doesn't like, he will sort of shut down.  He might start by saying his legs are tired, or his arm is tired.  Or he might just pretty much lie down on the floor and ignore the teacher - or may start sort-of drawing on the carpet with his fingers ignoring the teacher.   Basically it comes down to ignoring the teacher.   Or if the teacher is trying to fix his technique, he may just continue to do it his way, maybe shaking her hand off of his shoulder or hand or whatever.

Things that he might not like that can cause this - if playing a game such as snakes & ladders with violin things to do on them --- getting a square that he doesn't like  (either it has a snake, or has a violin activity he doesn't like.)  - same type of thing with the fishing game - getting a card he doesn't like.  The teacher trying to get him to do something differently from the way he is doing it.  Being asked to do something he considers "too hard" (mostly playing with doing fingers instead of open E - although he is slowly betting better at that.)

The teacher generally would end up ending the lesson - which I guess worked with other students she has had after a few times.   But my son just seems relieved.  The last few weeks the teacher has been just using the games instead of trying to teach, just trying to make the lessons a happier experience, and then his last lesson, she tried to gently correct technique, but backed off when he showed signs of resistance - and after that lesson is when she said that she still thought a long break was the best option (but that she would talk to his group teacher to see if she had room to take him, as I've indicated I would prefer trying a different teacher instead of a break.)

For his group lesson, he had been participating happily, doing everything for a whole hour class (which was basically playing the violin for the vast majority of the time) until 2 weeks ago.   2 weeks ago a few things happened.   We had gone to observe a class of another student with his indiv. teacher that day (only day with boys about his age, just a bit ahead of him, that wouldn't get distracted by him) - it happened to be his dad's birthday - and the group teacher started "teaching" all the students to play twinkles using the fingers instead of open E.  (It is an early book 1 class with beginners to kids that are a few pieces into book 1 - but most of them are pretty close to my son's level at this point.)   I think the combo of all of those was just too much for my son, and he spent a lot of that class spinning around on the floor, with me holding his violin and bow so he didn't knock it.   Last class was a lot better, but anything they were asked to use fingers, my son sat on the floor.

What my son has been telling me is basically that "I might play it wrong", or "I might make a mistake".   So it appears to me that I have a boy that has the type of perfectionism that paralyzes him.  He doesn't want to do something until he knows he can do it - which makes it hard to teach him anything new.  I have personally experienced that type of perfectionism, and I know how hard it can be.  I am fairly sure that his stomach gets all tied into knots before class. His teacher is aware of this too.   I talk to him, and I've asked him what he thinks will happen if he plays it wrong - but he can't verbalize what he is worried about.... and I've told him that I'm not worried about him doing it wrong, that I just want him to try - and that this is how you learn, etc.    His teacher is very strong on technique, and seems to require a pretty strong technique before advancing - which I think may be making the perfectionistic tendancies of my son worse - and I think originally made him a bit bored because he wanted to play the violin.  (He was on a box violin for about 3 and a half months - then couldn't play on the violin for a couple more months... etc.)

As for the power struggle - I think he is just struggling to get the lesson over, and to get out of having to have lessons with the teacher.  I'm not sure that he would necessarily be able to verbalize that - but he is basically struggling to play the violin the way he wants to.

I realize that his teacher may have a different viewpoint on things.  Because he is so resistant to any correction on technique, she feels that switching teachers won't help, as any teacher would have to do at least some corrections.  All I know is that there is the student-teacher-parent triangle.  I can't change the student, and I can't change the parent except for changing how I do things.....  and he seems to do things better for me than for the teacher.  So what else does that leave me?

My son was one of those kids that wanted to play the violin on his own idea.  When he was 3 (almost 4), we went into a music store, walked by a lot of instruments - he saw a violin and said it was his violin.  I told him it wasn't, and he suggested it was his "present violin".    He loves music, and really loved the violin.   Of course he wouldn't realize the process to learn to play - but he does still have moments when the love of it comes through still.  I don't want that love totally doused.   He loves to play to visitors to our house, or sometimes for his dad.  He isn't always happy to practice, but they have been going a lot better.

Just one up note here - last night during practice, my son chose to play Twinkle var. A - WITH FINGERS - totally on his own choice.

Power Struggle?

I guess I have a few worries about taking a break....  A part of this has had a power-struggle feel... and I don't want Delta to decide that he can get out of something by acting-up.  And he is bright-enough to figure that out.   I feel that a 6 month break is a waste of time.   Also, he has been working hard on practicing every day, so that he can get his 100 practices in 100 days trophy at the spring concert - and that will not happen if we are out of the program.   And his Echo will be starting in September.

I suggested to the teacher her teaching me again, and him watching, and she has said no to that...  and the program here doesn't do joint classes...    

I know that sometimes a break can make a difference, but I really don't think it will - as things didn't improve for long after the summer break - and I don't "buy" that a 5 year old needs to mature more with a program that a 2 or 3 year old can do.

I just don't see Dr. Suzuki having ever said that this child can't do it now, come back in 7 or 8 months.

Not Giving UP

I don't plan to give up, although if I didn't have a strong belief in the benefits of music, and the suzuki program, I probably would by now.   It has been very difficult going, and certainly not the little ideal dream story of suzuki that you hear of.  My sister did suzuki (she was older than me) - but it seems that no one in the family really remembers what the early years were like....   at some point she would cry all through practices, but I believe it was after she left the suzuki program to learn under a teacher that only taught child prodigy's.

Miss A is supposed to be one of the best around, and seems to have very good technique - but I have wondered at times if she is so "strict" with the technique that some of the kids miss out on the fun of it....   I know there is another mom whose boy is in his first year that is starting to wonder if they have the right teacher.    If I KNEW that another teacher would be a better match for my son, then I would feel better about trying a different one....  yet at the same time, I am going to feel bad that we didn't switch teachers earlier (like this summer) if he suddenly blossoms under another teacher.  

I sure hope that we will be able to setup lessons with his group teacher.