Scotia Suzuki School of Music

By Christy | The Practicing Pro www.ScotiaSuzuki.org I love this fun Easter Activity. A great way to get to know your child or your student better is by asking them fun questions. Better yet inside of easter eggs. Who doesn't like to choose an easter egg and open it up! There are two kinds of questions you can use for this activity. The first kind is open-ended “get to know you” questions that require a full answer. The second kind is “would you rather” question s that requi

By Christy | The Practicing Pro www.ScotiaSuzuki.org Using Feelings Sticks in Practices Does your child come to music practice “grumpy” as a habit? Do your kids regularly have a negative attitude about practicing before they even start? Sometimes it’s a HABIT how you approach something. I’d like to share with you a personal example. I have anxiety whenever I go to the dentist. But it's every time and even when I go to my bi-yearly cleanings. But what am I afraid of? Well, t

If you are new here and do not already know, I am a Grandma! I have a sweet little grandson named Daniel who lives far away and in another country, so right now I can’t see him at all! We talk on Facetime every few days. It kills me to not be able to hold him and hug him, and giggle and play with him! I am worried about having a relationship with him as he gets older so I had an idea. I made him some “feeling sticks”. They are faces that represent: Happy Sad Mad Weird Ang

By Christy | The Practicing Pro www.ScotiaSuzuki.org What to do when your player asks to study a second instrument? Can I play the guitar? What do you do when your child expresses interest in learning a second instrument? Let’s talk about the younger player first. When a young child expresses interest in a second instrument there are a few things to consider: Are they currently having success practicing daily with ONE instrument? If not then definitely stick to ONE instrume

By Christy | The Practicing Pro www.ScotiaSuzuki.org Check out the third and last article in the metronome blog series!. 8 Reasons Why Your Metronome is Your Friend What are My Favorite Metronomes and Why I Like Them and now 6 Fun Ways to Use Your Metronome! 1) My favorite way to use my metronome is to make something faster effortlessly and quickly! A metronome makes playing faster and faster PERFECTLY, and not a task at all but fun! I use a metronome chart, or write the nu

By Christy | The Practicing Pro www.ScotiaSuzuki.org What do you love about your metronome? Is there anything you don't like? Let me share with you all about metronomes, which is my favorite one, and why! There are two types of metronomes. Digital - electronic Analog - that’s the one with a weight on the pendulum arm that you move up and down to change the speed. It’s the classic kind that we think of in our mind when you say the word metronome. Digital or Analog I personall

By Christy | The Practicing Pro www.ScotiaSuzuki.org A fun and easy way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your kids this year is to check out this Practice or Listening Practicing chart for kids! Listen to your Suzuki CD for the Suzuki Book (or songs) you are presently working on 10 times or for 10 days. Check off 10 hearts for a Valentine’s treat! Learning music through the Suzuki Method can be compared to learning a language. Before you begin speaking, it is very import

By Christy | The Practicing Pro www.ScotiaSuzuki.org Here is a fun Christmas "Play-by-Ear" and Charades activity that you can use for your practicing! You can play it as a family activity or with your practicing parent. How to Play: Find your level: - Beginner - Intermediate - Advanced Download the cards for your level (see below) and cut them out along the dotted lines. Fold each card and put it in a hat or bowl. Randomly pick a card which will tell you which Christmas so

By Christy | The Practicing Pro www.ScotiaSuzuki.org You may be asking yourself, how do I fit in time to practice this week, or the next, or the next...maybe we’ll just wait until January. Well I’m here to tell you DON’T WAIT! Right now is the PERFECT time for some amazing practices and I have lot’s of ideas for you on how! Everyone is different Some players work so hard every day during the regular school months that a much-needed break in all areas of your life might be ju

By Christy | The Practicing Pro www.ScotiaSuzuki.org Why is it that children just can't stop playing a video game? Did you know that we can use the knowledge of video games in our home music practice sessions and music lessons? We can use the exact same strategies in both! Super Mario Effect Have you heard of the Super Mario effect? There was a study done by Mark Robber where he looked at how to motivate people to use the Super Mario video game. He had 2 games that were al