Feeling a bit Better

 I have been feeling a bit better.

 

First, although Delta has been behaving pretty well at group lessons - I wouldn't say he was perfect or anything - he was spinning around for a while the last time...

I wasn't thinking about how much strings can hurt fingers that aren't used to it - although I'm as new to the violin as he is, I have played guitar (although I hadn't recently to getting the violin) - and my fingers are just more used to it.   But I don't think it is his fingers hurting - he says it is his arm or elbow....  and he resists even hovering the fingers over the strings.   Our teacher has asked us to focus more on doing the finger taps this week.

 

And yes - Delta does have perfectionist tendancies....  the type that causes refusal because of being scared of doing it wrong.  It came up last year as being a part of the problem... and I talked with him about it and that seemed to help.  I think I had read a couple of books to him as well that were on that kind of theme....  and I think that that is a lot of the problem again.  Today in practice we were playing on our Snakes and Ladders board, and he landed on a square requiring fingerings... and was bouncing around not doing it....  and acting scared....  I asked him what he was scared of, and he said he was scared that he would do it wrong.  So that reminded me of that tendancy in him.   I did get him calmed down, that it is ok to make mistakes because that is how we learn - that we just do our best...    So - any hope that this type of perfectionism ever turns into the practice a million times type of perfectionism????  LOL

 

Echo (just barely 3) has been unofficially doing violin with us since the beginning too - because she insists on a practice after her big brother has one.  Naturally I have been going very very very slowly, but she is doing well up to where I have taught her.  (I know - I'll probably have a teacher upset with me when she starts officially).

 

 

It just seems to me that all the official books paint this lovely little picture of the suzuki program - how practice is fun and not drudgery, and maybe for a lot of kids it is.... but it is frustrating when you are trying so hard to make practice happen and be fun when the child is refusing.... etc.   And as much as I try to enjoy the spot where we are, it is hard watching his original classmates all leave him behind and the new beginners catch up.  It is hard needing the 500 repetitions, and not the 50 or the 5......

 

[email to a suzuki group]

Frustrated

At times, I feel like of the other suzuki parents around in our program, that I have had the hardest time and gotten the least results.  I know that it is supposed to be about enjoying the moment, and being gentle and loving - but it gets very frustrating when Delta just refuses to do anything at a lesson, or does a refusal at practice.   All the kids in the group he was in last year are a lot further along.... and the beginners that started in September are pretty much where Delta is now.  I am so frustrated.  Things have actually been improving since about Christmas time - and actually in the group that he is in now, he is mostly behaving better and is playing as well as the couple of kids that are further (except he mostly isn't doing fingers....)

 

So - just where is he?   Delta still isn't playing Twinkles at all with fingers.  He is playing the 4 note scale (it is called The Monkey Song here....) - but has been doing that since June.    But he fusses and complains anytime he is to use fingers, and sometimes totally refuses.   My dh doesn't say anything in front of Delta, but he is getting upset that Delta isn't playing anything yet - doing suzuki is my idea, and is really hard on our budget.

 

[was an email to a suzuki group]

Homeschool at the Laundromat!

Hey, today we did homeschooling at the laundromat!

 

(ok, not thrilled with having to go there.... but that is a huge long vent)

 

The kids were actually pretty great - we got the laundry in the machines and going, then did our homeschooling (except our music practice), and read some books.   When the laundry was done, Delta helped sort (like he generally does) and found matching socks.   Oh, they loved watching the laundry in the dryer!   They had a ball - I was wiped out.

 

oh well, it was efficient anyway....

German

Just thought I'd mention that Mike has been doing some German with them... And today we listened to a kids story in German (with a book, a noise to turn the page....) It is one designed for kids learning the language. It was pretty good - he/we had the jist of the story at least....

Play In

Everything is still going good.  Just keep doing the same stuff.

 

Delta had a suzuki "Play-in" for starting the year.   All the violin players were on the stage (except the brand new beginners) - and they would announce a song, and those that could play it would play it, and the rest would watch.    they would change what instructor was leading it, and some of them would have them do something fun - like play the song with the bow backwards, or have the ones that can't play it stamp out the beat....

 

Delta and some others of his class were told they could play the twinkle patterns on an open E string, which he did.   ON a few of the patterns, he did the patterns very well.   On a couple, he didn't really, because (I was watching), he was watching the kid next to him and trying to do the fingerings!   Anyway, with that number of violins playing, you couldn't overly hear the mistakes.

 

The other funny thing, was Delta decided to play some of the other songs (fortunatly the easier ones, with most of the violins playing...)   Not sure how he decided, although if MOST of the kids were sitting,  he sat too....  if most were playing, he was more likely to try to play.

 

He really enjoyed it.

 

Tonight we watched a violin concert on TV (with full orchestra, and at times dancers etc - but it was with a main violinist whose name I've already forgotten.)   Delta loved it!

First Violin class this year

Things are still going pretty good.  I do want to add in another subject soon (just doing the basics but getting into the routine....)

 

Delta had his first Violin lesson for the year.... it went pretty well.   I don't think we lost a whole lot, although the teacher was basically just doing basics.   We need to fix up his bow hold a bit (which I had known...).   Looking forward to seeing how the group class will work - as it will be quite a wide range of skill levels in the Continuing class....

 

First Day

Just started the year today.   Did the schedule I'd made up, but not everything on it.  I decided ahead of time to start with a few topics, and add more.  (I tried 1 day on the schedule in the summer as a trial, and have done some non-scheduled stuff in the spring.)   As we are doing Kindergarten, it was light.

 

Delta and Echo played with Lego in the morning (they got stuff given to them by my sister when she visited this weekend...) - while I fed the baby.   Then we did a shortened devotional, which included reading from the Book of Mormon (which I had tried the 1 day in the summer), and scripture memorization, and other stuff.    Then they practiced the violin.   They did their reading instruction.   Then Delta  had his first lesson from me on the piano and Echo played a bit on it.  

 

Later we went for a picnic lunch - a "not back to school" picnic in the park by a local homeschooling group.

 

Overall, it went fantastic!   Tomorrow we do "Day 2" of our 2 day schedule.... Math instead of reading.   Next week, I'll add in the handwriting, and/or the Life Skills / Handicraft into the schedule.   Once I've decided on our next literature selection (have already read a few), I'll add in that... 

 

With the reading, Echo was trying to guess a bit much.  (we took a break for a couple of weeks) - so I may have to back up on the sentences and practice words for a bit.     For Delta, I tried to find out where he was comfortable on the letter combinations - and start about there - but it was a bit hard for him.... so we backed up a bit - and I was pleased.   He was reading the words quite easily, and was pleased with himself.

 

He is excellent with his new lego - very good at making stuff to the directions, and ALSO not bad at making stuff himself....

 

Also, on the way back from the picnic, we heard Delta and Echo playing a game they made up in the back seat - and I'm impressed.... They both had 2 different "Arthur" books.... and they were playing "go fish" with the characters.    So, Delta would be on a page in his book, and say "Do you have a D.W."?, and if she didn't, she would say "go fish".  One of them would then turn the page, I think.   Not sure if there is any way to win or anything - but it was very imaginative!