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Responsibilities
for the Suzuki Parent
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- It is not required, but recommended, that all children enroll in an Early Childhood class or classes before beginning private lessons on any instrument. EC classes introduce the importance of listening, following directions, singing, steady beat, and even some early note-reading. Students who participate in Early Childhood music classes are better prepared to begin private lessons. Please see our Early Childhood page for further details and schedules.
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Parents who wish their children to take Suzuki violin or cello lessons are required to attend a Parent Orientation meeting prior to starting lessons. During this meeting, the core aspects of the Suzuki philosophy will be discussed and an outline for the semester will be presented. Registration forms and fees must be received prior to the Parent Orientation meeting but will be returned should you decide you do not wish to continue in the program after the meeting. Fees can be returned up to one week after the Parent Orientation meeting. From that point forward, no refunds will be given. The next Suzuki Parent Orientation meetings will be held
Monday, August 30th at 8pm
Please contact CMS director for room information
- In addition to the initial tuition and registration fees, Suzuki students will need to include a separate check for $50 made out to UGA School of Music with their registration form for materials needed to begin lesson. These materials include a music book/CD set, shoulder rest (violin only), cello rock stop (cello only) and a parent orientation packet. These materials will last the student at least 1-2 years of study.
- As part of the Parent Education process, parents will be asked to learn the basics of playing the violin or cello themselves and may be required to rent a full-sized instrument for a few months. Reasons for this will be presented at the Parent Orientation meeting. Please do NOT purchase or rent a violin or cello for yourself or your child prior to the Parent Orientation meeting.
- All Suzuki students are required to attend an assigned weekly Suzuki Group Class in addition to their private lesson. Group classes give the child and extra "lesson" per week while motivating the child, allowing them to interact with other children doing the same thing. Group classes are conducted in a positive, non-competitive atmosphere and teach the children to focus, follow directions, evaluate their own performance as well as others while engaging in group activities not possible in the private lessons.
- Parents of the Suzuki student are expected to attend all activities with their child and play an active role in their training. It is imperative that ONE parent be responsible for attending all Suzuki related events rather than alternating between parents. In addition to teaching your child, the Suzuki teacher will be teaching the parent HOW to teach the child at home during the other 6 days of the week. Please do not have care-givers bring your child to lessons or classes except in an emergency. It is best if younger siblings are not present during the weekly private lessons unless they can be well-occupied and self-sufficient. The parent needs to be attentive during the lesson in order to better help the child at home.
- It is the parent's responsibility to set aside time to practice with their child each day. As parents, we dream of the day our children will ask us to practice, however, that day rarely comes until the child has developed a certain amount of proficiency and can recognize their success. If practice is treated as an everyday event from the beginning - like brushing teeth, eating dinner, etc... - few arguments will arise. Suzuki teachers excel in using games to make practice fun and strongly encourage parents to use those games at home.
- Suzuki students are expected to listen to the Suzuki recordings as often as possible (at least once a day). For the most part, the students do not need to be attentive during the listening time. It can be mostly treated as background music to eating, riding in the car, doing a relatively quiet activity, sleeping, etc... Listening to the recordings not only helps students learn the songs faster, ,but also serves to motivate the child. Children like to listen to and play things they know. The more they listen, the more they like it AND the more excited they are when they can finally learn to play what they have been listening to!!
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The job of a Suzuki teacher is to train the child and parent to the best of their ability. With young students, concentration levels vary significantly from day to day. Some lessons may not be the full length - especially in the very beginning. The teacher will make every effort to engage the child for as long as possible but if concentration is low that particular lesson, the teacher may spend the bulk of the time working with the parent while the child watches, colors, etc. This one-on-one time between parent and teacher is equally valuable in the child's training since the parent will go away better equipped to teach the child.
Please be sure to read our Policies For All Students page prior to registering for Suzuki Violin lessons.
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CMS REGISTRATION FORMS
CMS CALENDAR
Suzuki Main Page
Violin Purchase/Rental
Suggested reading material about
the Suzuki Method:
Nurtured by Love, by Shinichi Suzuki
Ability Development from Age Zero, by Shinichi Suzuki
both texts can be purchased from CMS or amazon.com
CMS now has a Facebook Page!
Search for UGA Community Music School
and become a fan!!
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