If you are looking for ideas to teach Suzuki Violin group class, you have come to the right place. I have dedicated a section of this blog to share all of my experiences and Suzuki Lesson Plans.
I needed a piece of humor in my life today. And I feel you may relate to these Suzuki group class scenarios. Am I wrong about them? Then by all means share in the comments!
So here are the three things I am actively working on changing in my own practice!
Parents Come To Suzuki Group Class But Are Not Involved
This is so common. These days we simply cannot get separated from our electronic devices. So you have your supportive and involved parents come to the group classes…only to see that they are on their cell phone the whole time.
Instead of having to talk to them about it, a much more supportive and effective way is to involve them better in the lesson. This way they will simply be too busy to sit down and use electronics.
This article provides lots of useful tips, tricks and games you can play with the parents during the Suzuki group classes. Try them out:
Students Keep Plucking During Suzuki Group Classes
Have you seen that? I must say, it is annoying… The Suzuki group class is about to start and one kid or more start plucking their violins excessively.
I teach a Suzuki violin class on a Friday afternoon. Students come very tired after a long week. And as we know young children often act out when they are tired. So before class starts they would engage in…plucking their violins and going crazy instead of getting ready for class. After a semester of this I really had to think about a strategy for fixing it!
If that may be a problem in your class, check out the article below. It has lots of specific ideas about how to start the class and what to do during the transitions between the group class activities so that never happens.
Note: this happens quite a bit if you are a teaching a school string class. So the article is written with attention to both scenarios and types of instruction!
You Have the One Kid Who Keeps Getting Off Track Or Needs Firm Discipline
We all have them. The Suzuki method guides students and parents to supportive approach, lots of involvement, lots of practice, lots of positive reinforcement. And yet we always have the one student or the one parent who does the complete opposite of what we ask of them.
Unfortunately the answer to this question can be very different depending on your situation. I am hoping that you can comment with specifics so that we can do a part two of this post!
But here is one thought
“Patience is the lack of expectation” Suzuki once said…
If you guide the whole class with your expectations and pay no attention to the negative behavior of the child, eventually they will start woking with the group. The main trick is not to pay attention to the ONE child that spoils the discipline and not to let that affect your teaching.
And think that this one student probably needs your support and patience the most. They also serve as your best teacher: it is through them you need to bring up your game.
And if you have the one parent who acts out during group classes..this is a topic for a whole new post my friends! This is why I need your help to continue…
I am Working On Part Two of This Post!
What Are the Frustrations You See in Your Suzuki Group Classes?
Share in the comments
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One problem I find in my small group classes is when teaching something new there will be one or two children struggling to understand it and I wanted to know if you have any tips on helping them without drawing everyone’s attention to the fact that they are struggling and then making them uncomfortable.
Hi Ella, thank you for your comment. Yes this is very true. One way to make this happen is to involve the parents more and create activities where the kids can practice the new skill as a fun activity. However, instead of writing a long reply here, I actually went ahead and started writing a blog post answering your question. Please check back on the site by Mon and I will have it up. I will also post it on this page’s comments.
Best of luck in your teaching!
Here are some ideas:
//www.musicteachingandparenting.com/suzuki-group-classes-how-to-reach-the-lower-performing-students/