2014 Teacher Appreciation Week: A Reflection

     I am not sure if you knew, but Teacher Appreciation Week is here.  This year we celebrate teachers between May 4-10 in the United States of America. Many countries in the world celebrate this day to thank and honor teachers for the work that they do in educating their children.

As a private music instructor, I can say that the families I work with have been appreciative of what I do.  It is encouraging that there are so many parents that desire to honor teachers.  But I can tell you that the appreciation that means most to me is not during Teacher Appreciation Week.  As a teacher I feel honored by the respect parents show me whenever we interact by how seriously they take my perspectives, principles and attitude toward their family.  I do not know how it is in other countries, but educators are not the celebrities, stars, or the heroes in society here in the United States of America. The media focuses in on movie stars, sports heroes and artists, that is where a lot of the attention and money goes.

Thus, parents more intentional to teach themselves and their children to honor teachers, because it is easy to take them for granted.  I can tell you that I have taken and still take for granted the teachers in my life, and that is in part because of the society I live in.  This means that it is easy to look at a teacher as a waiter at the restaurant whom is there to please you, but that is not how I or many teachers approach our profession.  To me, teaching is a privilege and a serious calling to invest in other lives, molding their minds, character, attitudes, and view of the world.  This seriousness is done much of the time with lots of joy and fun.  I seek to engender a passion in my students to be better in character and in music.

So, how can you show appreciation to the teachers in your life? Speak respectfully, be patient, be kind, take them seriously, encourage them, point out the good things that are coming out of their teaching.  You can do it face-to-face (best way), call them, write them a letter, send them a card, or even email them.  I highly recommend that you be specific with your appreciation and encouragement.

Simplifying Relationships With Children

     I love working with children, don't you? There are times, though, when children are resistant to doing what they are supposed to do, but why? This is something that I am learning to deal with as a teacher, so I am always trying to relate to and teach children in a better way. Here is a key principle that I have learned and read about:

Giving children practice with the fact that life sometimes makes demands doesn't make adults mean. Much of growing up is learning to tolerate the demands that life itself makes on us. . When adults are  uncomfortable with taking control, they can confuse children by softening and blurring - and, thereby weakening - their demands. For example, while some children are ready to go when a parent or teacher says "Would it be o.k. if we do some [violin] bow exercises now?" other children hear it as a what it really is - a choice. They say "No," either verbally or by the way they react, and with good reason. The younger they are, the more children thrive on instructions and choices that are clear, concrete, and genuine - and demands that are straightforward. In other words, in this case, saying "Bow exercises are next." Young children need this clarity because they are not yet able to handle subtleties of language. But it's even good advice for adolescents. No matter what age the developing child, adults serve that child best when they are clear and up-front.[1]

                                                                               

     Notice that the key principle is clarifying reasonable demands from choices when trying to accomplish a task with a child (or even adult). Do this keeping in mind that people "of any age are human beings who deserve to be treated fairly with the care, concern, and courtesy you would normally use in any relationship."[2] Our desires to teat people fairly with care, concern and courtesy flows out of a convicting that people are very precious. Do you really believe that? Why do you believe this? These questions will determine how you will treat people, how you will relate to them, and how you will teach them. 

     Let me be honest, I am still learning how to do this consistently, it is an ongoing process. Giving clear demands is not some new discovery, this principle has been known for thousands of years. This has helped me that at times I make things more difficult for the children that I teach. So, do not give up working with your children, simplify things by being clear with what they need to do. They may not like it, but they need it to grow up to mature human beings.  

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[1]Edmund Sprunger, Helping Parents Practice (St. Louis: Yes Publishing, 2005), p. 94.

[2]Barbara A. Brinson, Choral Music: Methods and Materials .

Should I Rent or Buy the Instrument for Lessons?

     You have thought about private lessons for you or your child, you have found a teacher, but you do not have an instrument. So what should you do? Buy or rent, that is the question. Some parents are not sure if it is worth buying an instrument when they are not sure how long they or their child will be playing.

Here is the quick answer: buy the instrument.

Why? Because in the end it is cheaper, at least for violin, viola, and cello. How so? Because the money you pay for renting the instrument is lost, the money invested in buying an instrument can be won back if the instrument is kept in decent shape. The only hardship that you have in buying the instrument is selling it. But that is not a problem, because there are plenty of people looking for instruments, you can even sell it at a music store. In the end, you win out if you buy the instrument.

It may be different for brass, woodwind, or percussion instruments, so you may need to ask questions of different sellers. It takes a little work, but you can save more money than you think.

Suzuki Violin Book 1: Twinkle Theme

Focus Points:

• Now that you know the notes and can play Twinkle with different rhythms, it is time for the Theme.
• Get into a good playing position: violin on the shoulder to the side, curved fingers for the bowhand, stand tall, left thumb by the first finger.
• Place the bow at the middle between the bridge and the fingerboard.
• Concentrate on keeping the bow flowing and smooth throughout the piece.

Suzuki Violin Book 1: Song of the Wind in A, D, G Major with Preparation Exercise

Focus Points:

• Keep polishing the Twinkle Variations & Theme and Lightly Row.
• Get into a good playing position: violin on the shoulder to the side, curved fingers for the bowhand, stand tall, left thumb by the first finger.
• Place the bow at the middle between the bridge and the fingerboard.
• This piece starts on the A string, just like the Twinkles. 
• There are rests in the pieces during which you do a bow circle, watch for that in the video.
  

We're Gone on Vacation Over the Summer, Should My Child Take Lessons Anyway?

     Taking lessons over the summer is one of best things you can do for yourself and your child.  Many students forget more than half of what they learn in school that year over the summer; the same goes for music skills, sports skills, you name it.

So do not stop lessons over the summer, keep it going even if there is vacations and camps somewhere in there. Most teachers are flexible during the summer because they are gone at times as well. If your teacher does not teach during the summers, ask for a recommendation on someone in the area that you can study until the Fall.

Still not convinced, here are some more things to consider:

1. Progress: If you stop lessons over the summer, some students and parents come back with bad habits formed and songs forgotten. Some people just quit their instrument instead of coming back.You do not want to lose the investment you made and pay extra to make-up for the loss. For some students it takes a few weeks or even months to get back to where they were at the beginning of the summer. If you keep up with lessons over the summer, you will continue to move forward with musical skills, motor skill development, consistency, time management, etc. You will not fall behind, which will keep you encouraged when other subjects seem to be lagging at the beginning of the school year.

2. Opportunities: Throughout the summer, there are great camps you can participate in. At camps, you can meet parents and other students, which will motivate everyone to enjoy the music they learned, learn new music, be challenged to play better, and more (more information about camps here).

3. Teacher Availability: The summer brings new students for some teachers, which may cause you to lose your slot or even not be able to fit in the Fall schedule. Along the same lines, some parents want to switch teachers and use the "summer break" line as a way to evade the issue. I want to encourage you to use this kind of situation as an opportunity in character development. Your character is on display to your child and others as you deal with harder situations. You can lose more than you know when you just make up excuses or evade issues. Face hard situations with respect and humility, and good things happen in your family.

Summers are wonderful opportunities to invest in the growth of the family. It is easy to just drop everything, but if you take advantage of what school breaks offer, you will win out in the end!

Bow Circles: Good for Tone

          This is one of the simplest ways to build your tone on the violin. It even works with viola, cello, and bass. So what you want to keep in mind:

• the bow needs to be placed gently on the string at the frog (bottom of the bow).
• then pull the bow gently watching that the string resonates (wiggles really fast).
• then circle back to the middle of the bow! 
• keep the bow off the fingerboard and use as much of it as you can.
• start by doing 5 bow circles per string, then every week keep adding 1 more bow circle per string.
• after 2 weeks you can experiment with slower and faster bow circles.
• you can even do bow circles up bow

This warm-up exercise is good for the rest of your life, just like marriage, so keep at it and be creative.

Violin Book 1: Lightly Row in A, D, G Major with a Preparation Exercise

              You are ready for Lightly Row, so other than a pretty melody what will you learn? Check out some of the focus points:

• This piece starts on the E string, not the A string like the Twinkles.
• Playing position. Get into a good playing position: violin on the shoulder to the side, curved fingers for the bowhand, stand tall, left thumb by the first finger. Place the bow at the middle between the bridge and the fingerboard.
• Hopping. Practice the hop between the 1st two notes, the E string to 2 on the A string, with different rhythms.
• Once you can play the piece without stumbles, you can try playing it starting on the A string and then starting on the D string, just like in the video.

Picking the Right Instrument to Learn

     You like so many things about music and you have seen so many cool things played by professionals, but you do not know which instrument to choose for yourself (or your child). This is actually good news!

Here are some things that will help you make a decision:

1. Size. Some instruments these days come in different sizes, like the violin and the guitar, so these instruments will work for ages as young as four 3 years old. Other instruments require that you wait until you are in middle school, like the trumpet.

2. Free Trial Lesson. If there is an instrument that you or your child have some interest in, contact a music academy, a music store or an online teacher (I am available for instance) where they offer lessons to see if you can come in and give an instrument a try (more about this here).

3. Band & Orchestra. For students all the way up through college there is the possibility of taking a class to learn an instrument in the United States of America. One thing that will help you here is to look for the instruments that are few in number because you will get more attention and it will open up opportunities towards learning other instruments as you progress. For example, you may start out with viola in the orchestra, but then make the move towards the violin since they are so similar. Whatever instrument you learn will give you skills to learn other instruments as well.

Parents and students, it is important to remember that whether it's the piano, the cello, or the saxophone, you (and your child) will gain a musical education, some discipline, and it can be enjoyable. I have noticed parents being very concerned when their child does not like a certain instrument. Sometimes students are looking for a certain feeling towards an instrument. Feelings come and go, so if you hold on and keep playing your instrument, over time your affection for the music you play will transcend the up-and-down feelings that all musicians experience.

If the reason you want your child to really like the instrument is because you think that will keep them motivated to practice, let me assure you that the hype of something new is very transitory. It is more important that you and your child value and enjoy the learning experience, that you learn to practice even when the feelings are not there, and find ways to get inspired (more on inspiring to practice here). So, definitely take in consideration that you (or your child) likes the instrument, but remember that we all grow to love things as well.

I admire the approach that some Asian parents take towards music lessons. They see private lessons as a part of the overall education of their children, so viola lessons are next to Math and Science.
I encourage you consider music lessons as building you and your family into a well-rounded people, try a free trial lesson, find a good teacher (more about this here) and give it a year!

More information on picking out an instrument here

Don't Got Money For Lessons

       With the economic problems in the last few years many of us have had to give up some things, cut back on luxuries and prioritize our spending.  Now you have heard about private lessons – tutoring, but you are not sure you can afford it.  You probably can.

Prioritzing.  Many of us are not very disciplined about our finances, we live to spend.  So we need to take time to prioritize things in your life. After necessities are settled (food, shelter, transportation), we need to consider: Where do private lessons fall?  Are they crucial to you or your child’s overall education? Are music lessons another hobby, like soccer? 

The cost for lessons can run from $15-30 per thirty-minute lesson every week. For some people this is the cost of eating out one night a week. So you can think of it as giving up one trip to the restaurant per week.

However you think about it, husbands and wives need to talk through these important issues so that they can discern whether or not to proceed with private lessons.  It is a team effort planning out education.
 
Are the benefits of private lessons-tutoring worth the cost that you will incur? Yes! Whether they are cello lessons, ACT and SAT prep, helping yourself become more well-rounded, or helping your child bolster their math skills, it is worth it. Private lessons always affect other areas of life, like concentration, self-discipline, confidence, comprehension and verbal skills.

The going rate is about these days is about $20-25 for 30 minutes a week, which means that if you cut out one trip per week to a restaurant, the movie theaters, or other forms of entertainment, you can take private lessons! Try them out for a year and you will see that it's worth the investment.

How have you dealt with the financial part of private lessons?

Copyright © 2013 Mircea & Daniyela Ionescu. All rights reserved.

Free Trial Lesson

     So you have contacted some universities and tutoring places, now what? Some teachers-tutors offer to meet so that they can explain to you what they have to offer, you can ask questions and see if you connect well. Also, if your child is taking the lesson you will get a chance to see how they get along as well. 

Take advantage of it!

Here's what I typically do in a free trial lesson:

1. Introductions. I tell a little bit about my background, why I teach lessons and then I ask the parent about his or her background, and how they became interested in lessons. Then, I ask the student about their experience with the subject or instrument. 

2. Go over my teaching approach and policies with the parent and student.  It is important to talk through all of this, so that there is no misunderstanding.  That sounds good to you, but maybe you are wondering why have the student there for this part?  The student needs to hear about my expectations and it gives us the opportunity to interact.

3. I work with the student.  Now it's time for some action, we work on something together.  If they have never played, let's say the violin, then I will teach the student the parts of the violin and bow, how to care for the instrument, playing and rest position, how to hold the bow, play some rhythms on the open strings, and some educational games to put in practice what has been learned.

4. Demonstration. I usually finish demonstrating a piece of music that the student will learn in the course of their study with me.

It does not have to be very complicated and the free lesson only gives you a glimpse, so there's no need to have high expectations. Everyone tries to make good first impressions, we all have good days and bad days, it's part of life.  Take your time and visit a few teachers, so that you can compare and contrast.

Now it's your turn, what have you done in free trial lessons or meet-and-greets? 

Copyright © 2013 Mircea & Daniyela Ionescu. All rights reserved.

The Right Teacher for Your Child

      "How do I choose the right teacher-tutor for my child?"  This question is one of the most important questions that I have been asked by parents over and over again.

So here are some things to consider when choosing a teacher or tutor:

1. Goals.  What exactly do you want to get out of these lessons?  Remember, that a teacher cannot replace you, he or she cannot take over a parent's responsibility.  A teacher-tutor can partner with you to raise your child, influencing, inspiring, bringing resources to both you and your child, but it's on you.  What I mean is that dad and mom are the most important and influential people in the life of their child, they need to embrace that role with their whole hearts and minds.  A child needs both, dad and mom, to raise him or her, so make that a priority no matter what kind of lessons-tutoring you are looking for.  Tutoring-private lessons are not quick fixes, they are another form of investment in your child's education.

2. Time.  A lot of people rush to just find someone quickly. This usually leads to a loss of time, money and not much grown in the child. It's a loose-loose situation. Be patient and you will win in the end.

3. Looking. You can contact universities in your area, look online for academies or centers that offer these services. These places may have the kind of teaching that will beneficial to your child.  Another place to consider is online lessons.  It's new, but it can be done. 

4. Interviewing. Ask the potential teacher for a meet-and-greet so that you find out more about him or her.  

• Credentials. Where did they go to school? Do they have video samples of their teaching? Why do they teach lessons? You are looking for someone that has some training, but that does not guarantee anything.  You will want to hear them play for you or if it is math, to show you some of their work. Also ask about video clips of them teaching.  Ask them to sit in on a lesson to see how they teach. You are looking for training and results.
• Administrative. Ask about make-ups, lateness, what if they cancel or they are late?
• Scheduling. What time and day of the week will you meet?  How long are the lessons? why?
• Teaching approach. What material-methods do they use? What goals the teacher has for students? How do they handle discipline? What expectations do they have of parents? 

As you take these lessons seriously so will your child think of them as more valuable.  



 Now it's your turn: What has helped you find a good teacher to work with you and your child?                                            

Copyright © 2013 Mircea & Daniyela Ionescu. All rights reserved.