So exciting! I have a new student!! I am particularly thrilled about this as his mom contacted me after another of my student’s parents referred her to me. They are in the same class at school and had been chatting about violin lessons, and the other parent said how pleased she had been with her daughter’s lessons with me. I never want to outright assume they are happy just because they are still coming to lessons so it’s nice to have a confirmation once in a while. Oh happy day!!
He is seven years old, and I know going into it that little boys are generally a bit more of a challenge for me than little girls. Other people say this also, so I feel okay concurring with their opinions, and that I’m not the only one! I had a few more boys than girls when I taught in Sitka, and it was then I started noticing a pattern in the differences between both attention span and physical activeness. Those kiddos definitely sharpened my skills at directing focus, giving clear expectations, and keeping it a balance of interesting, educational, and fun.
He has already taken a few months of lessons before, which sometimes is great and other times maybe not as great. I can usually tell at the first lesson after I hear the first few measures of whatever he chooses to play for me. The Suzuki Method is very particular and does a wonderful job of setting the student up for success; the foundation is solid for whatever avenue of music he decides to pursue as he grows older. At the beginning stages I look for a lot of things relating to posture and technique. I make a mental list of strengths and good habits, and a list of things I perceive as needing attention. (Afterwards I’ll write these things down, but I try not to have my teaching binder out during a lesson since it can often seem intimidating or distracting with me jotting notes as it’s happening.) That first lesson is so important in setting the tone for the student-teacher-parent triangle, I do my very best to connect with both the student and parent so we can start building trust in our relationships. We do a lot of chatting – mostly about why we are here and what we’ll be doing – and I hand out a welcome letter and a few articles they may find interesting. Then we do some bow races and get straight to work!
That Violin Vibe 