Suzuki Violin - Discussion
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Hi Ocean, wow, the teacher is sure strict! :shock: Your son sounds pretty motivated and has the aptitude for learning the violin. Give him your utmost encouragement and support, and I'm sure he'll be an outstanding violin player!
One good thing about concentrating on learning to play by hearing is perhaps the child can focus on mastering the techniques rather than keeping track of the notes? But Ocean, how old is your son (and his group)? I still don't understand why he would suddenly teach the group by reading notes for Minuet 1? Yes, Minuet 1 is more difficult than Etude (more complex fingering, \"slurs\" - two notes to a bow, etc.), but wouldn't suddenly learning to play by reading notes present a more difficult task for the children? IMHO I think that perhaps what makes teaching the group now a challenge could be the different learning pace each child is at. When songs get more difficult, individual learning pace would differ even more, so a teacher should \"tailor\" the session/teaching to each child, so 1-1 should be more helpful than group class in this case. Group class should still be on-going on top of 1-1 lessons though (for reasons based on Suzuki philosophy).
Hi charmonix, from Lightly Row onwards to Etude, I think kids can learn a new song every 1-2 weeks (depending also on various factors, such as age of child, and how much time parent is willing to work with the child). From then on, each song seems to have a new different technique to master, e.g. Etude is a longer song and has a new fingering (\"low-two\") and Minuet 1 has \"slurs\", etc. My daughter learnt the earlier pieces pretty quickly but reached a bump at Minuet 2, which took her almost 3-4 weeks before she could play it reasonably well. Sometimes I think Minuet 2 is more challenging than Gossec Gavotte!
If you would like some music accompaniment while your child is playing the violin, check this site for some MIDI files:
http://www.suzukiviolin.com/music/volume1.html
Not all of them have the melody (e.g. song of the wind, go tell aunt rhody, minuet 2, minuet 3, gavotte) , so keeping up with the accompaniment can sometimes be challenging, but I think it is good place to start! -
Hi Quiaxtion,
You are welcome.
Yup, a lot hinges on practices, practices and more practices in learning an instrument, so I realized. Besides parental support, a good teacher is also crucial. Sometimes the first teacher a child has will determine the level of interest. So, take time to look for a good teacher who can work well with your kid’s temperament.
Hi Ocean,
Ah, so our kids shared the same teacher. :celebrate: I must admit it’s not easy to be his students (or the parents sitting in). He takes music seriously and expects his students to adopt the same attitude too.
Maybe you can seek the teacher’s advice on what can be done to help your son to sustain his interest? Btw, even for 1-1 lessons, the kids will have 1 group session for every 3 lessons. But it's a lot more work on the parents.
In any case, it’s a good thing you exposed him to music since young. Even if he decides to stop, it’s likely he might pick up the instrument later on. Such is the case with my friend’s sons. So, all the past training do not necessary come to naught.
Hi MommyNg,
I also noticed the earlier pieces are much shorter and repetitive. Probably, the earlier songs are just training and preparing them for the more difficult pieces later on. Thanks for sharing your girl’s experience. Looks like I need to start learning the pieces myself soon. Ever since the graduation concert, my son has been asking when he can start learning Gavotte :roll: . Were you there at the graduation concert? A 4 year old girl performed Gavotte on solo. She's really cute, especially when she did the pizzicato!
Thanks for the MIDI files. Ever since he got over the previous bump, he now practices playing along with the CD music. So far he has no problem keeping up with it. It will be great if he can also practice along with a slower accompaniment, something we lacked of. It certainly makes practices more fun. Thanks! -
chamonix:
Hi,Hi Quiaxtion,
You are welcome.
Yup, a lot hinges on practices, practices and more practices in learning an instrument, so I realized. Besides parental support, a good teacher is also crucial. Sometimes the first teacher a child has will determine the level of interest. So, take time to look for a good teacher who can work well with your kid’s temperament.
Hi Ocean,
Ah, so our kids shared the same teacher. :celebrate: I must admit it’s not easy to be his students (or the parents sitting in). He takes music seriously and expects his students to adopt the same attitude too.
Maybe you can seek the teacher’s advice on what can be done to help your son to sustain his interest? Btw, even for 1-1 lessons, the kids will have 1 group session for every 3 lessons. But it's a lot more work on the parents.
In any case, it’s a good thing you exposed him to music since young. Even if he decides to stop, it’s likely he might pick up the instrument later on. Such is the case with my friend’s sons. So, all the past training do not necessary come to naught.
Hi MommyNg,
I also noticed the earlier pieces are much shorter and repetitive. Probably, the earlier songs are just training and preparing them for the more difficult pieces later on. Thanks for sharing your girl’s experience. Looks like I need to start learning the pieces myself soon. Ever since the graduation concert, my son has been asking when he can start learning Gavotte :roll: . Were you there at the graduation concert? A 4 year old girl performed Gavotte on solo. She's really cute, especially when she did the pizzicato!
Thanks for the MIDI files. Ever since he got over the previous bump, he now practices playing along with the CD music. So far he has no problem keeping up with it. It will be great if he can also practice along with a slower accompaniment, something we lacked of. It certainly makes practices more fun. Thanks!
Can you recommend any good teachers? -
quixation:
Hi Quixation,
Hi,
Can you recommend any good teachers?
My kids' teacher is famous for his strictness but he's in the West. Maybe MommyNg can help? Otherwise, you might want to try Mac's school at Forum. Heard they have one teacher who is pretty good with young kids. -
ha ha chamonix, I know this question will pop up sooner or later!
Actually I am also looking for a good Suzuki violin teacher in Singapore for my 6-year-old daughter, and so I can't really recommend one for you, quixation. Reason being my daughter's current violin teacher is not in Singapore - we are returning Singaporeans from overseas - not yet, but soon to be, and I'm a super KS mom (don't I feel a sense of belongingness in this forum?), so I already want to start looking for information...
I also heard Mac's school has pretty good reputation too! Keep the recommendations coming! -
Anyone has any comments about Mandaville ?
And particularly any teachers besides Sylvia Khoo for suzuki violin? -
Oh, when will you be returning? At the pace your girl is progressing, she might be in time to perform the Book 2 song in the Graduation Concert next March!
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quixation:
Do a search in the search box on our http://www.kiasuparents.com. There are some comments on Mandeville spread across our site.Anyone has any comments about Mandaville ?
And particularly any teachers besides Sylvia Khoo for suzuki violin? -
quixation:
Ms Yap Shu Mei
And particularly any teachers besides Sylvia Khoo for suzuki violin? -
chamonix:
Even with the tuner, you still need to tune it!!! I get frustrated myself with the tuning esp on the days that my ears seem to just have gone crazy.
Hi phankao,
<snip>
For a tone-deaf person like me, violin is definitely beyond me. In the beginning, I don’t dare even make my son practice b’cos the violin was frequently out of tune. I had no idea how to tune it. It was only later when I bought an electronic tuner that he started practicing more regularly. Hopefully, the tuner will turn out to be a wise investment for us.
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