Practice Requirements
In order for students to be successful, it is necessary for practice to be a regular part of their schedule each week. The following is a guideline for achieving successful results for the student and the parent.
- Practice is to occur at a minimum of three days per week, however five to six days per week is recommended for greater success and progress.
- Twinklers: Preferably two short sessions per day lasting 10-15 minutes each.
- Book 1: A minimum of 30 minutes per day.
- Books 2 and 3: A minimum of 45 minutes per day.
- Books 4 and 5: A minimum of 60 minutes per day.
- Books 6 and 7: A minimum of 90 minutes per day.
- Books 8 and above: A minimum of 2 hours per day.
Equipment
Each student will need a properly sized, good quality student violin, bow and case. Please do not purchase a violin off of the internet. We recommend renting a violin from a local shop (see recommended list below). The shop will size your child accurately and will provide a quality violin. We also recommend adding the monthly insurance they offer just in case something happens to the violin or bow.
Students will also need a shoulder rest (Kun or Fom are recommended brands), rosin, Suzuki Violin Book and the corresponding CD.
The instrument must be maintained in good repair at all times.
Student must bring his/her binder and all music books to every lesson.
Listening to the CD
Listening to the Suzuki CD must take place every day. It is important for the student to spend some of the listening time focused only on the current song he/she is working on. The rest of the listening time can be more relaxed with the CD on in the background while you are in the car, eating dinner or doing homework. It is also very beneficial for students to listen to other classical, folk, fiddle or bluegrass recordings they might have in their music library.
Parent Responsibilities
Students must practice every day, as successful, satisfying music study depends on consistent, daily practice. Practice length will depend on the length and the difficulty of pieces assigned each week. To help them with their daily practice students under age twelve must have a parent or a guardian attend their lessons, at least once a semester, and practice daily together. We encourage a dialogue between teachers and parents about issues that may help the student learn.