Perpetual Motion is one of the most notorious pieces in Suzuki Book 1. Just say the name to any violin teacher or Suzuki parent and you'll get a heavy sigh. "Oh, THAT one." When I tell people that I have 8 students all at some stage of Perpetual Motion, I get condolences.

It's true, Perpetual Motion haunts my sleep. Out of sheer survival instinct, I've developed a variety of ways to both prepare students for Perpetual Motion so that when they actually learn it on the violin, we get through the piece in a matter of weeks.

1. Singing

• The first thing students do is listen to Perpetual Motion and learn to sing it. 
  
• I always have my students write their own words to their Suzuki Book 1 songs. The rules are simple: one syllable per note, to keep the rhythm steady, and the words can be anything they want. This helps the student be expressive, connect to the rhythm and pitch pattern, and remember the order. If you assign different words to repetitive phrases, they'll be easy to remember. 
  
• Singing in solfege. I teach my students to sing solfege syllables on scales and other patterns from the first lesson. By the time they're at Perpetual Motion, singing their songs in solfege is a normal thing for them. Singing in solfege also helps them connect to the relationship between the pitches.
• IF your student is reading all the notes in the A Major Scale by this point, you can also have them sing note names.

2. Scales and Finger Patterns

• I make sure that my students can play an A Major one octave scale, the arpeggios, and the scale in broken thirds.
• I also do a ton of finger patterns featuring broken thirds and fourth fingers.
• We do the A Major Scale in two different bowings: martele in the upper half for the Perpetual Motion singles, and then detache doubles in the middle of the bow for the doubles. This prepares the bow strokes.

3. Basic Technique

• If a student is struggling with basic elements of technique such as left hand position, holding the violin up, or bow hold, I correct these through review songs or supplemental repertoire before tackling Perpetual Motion.

4. Awareness of Musical Form

• The large scale form of Perpetual Motion is A B C A (using 4-bar phrases). That can be broken down into a a' b b' c c a a' (using 2-bar phrases). I write this on the music for the student and sing through the piece with them so they can see where exactly each section is.
• I always point out that the difference between a and a' is that a ends on the note E and a' ends on the note A. The same goes for b and b'.
• Any awareness of patterns will help build the connection between the student and the piece.

Once you've prepared the student to sing the song in a variety of ways, trained their fingers to do all the patterns required in the piece, and trained the bow to do the different bow strokes, teaching them the actual piece goes much, much smoother.

I hope this helps students, parents, and teachers who are working on Perpetual Motion, and I'd love to hear any tips or tricks you have for teaching it!

Wow. I can't believe how many views I had on the first post in this series. That's what putting "Disney" in the title of a post will do for you, I guess. I hope we get just as many on this one, because just buying things with music and violins on them is only part of the practice puzzle. If you're just joining us, check out Part 1 here.

The second piece is having your children take ownership of their violin playing. If your child is old enough to play violin, they're old enough to be taught ownership. Sometimes, when you're a kid, you feel like your life is completely controlled by the adults around you (and let's be honest - it usually is). That can result in a feeling of powerlessness. If violin is something that a kid feels they have no control over, it will almost certainly be one of the things that they use when they start testing their limits.  I have quite a few students in my studio who are creative, intelligent kids who love violin but refuse to practice because it is something their parents want them to do, and they're at the stage where they don't want to do what their parent tells them, regardless of whether it's cleaning their room or practicing violin.

An important public service announcement: Violin should always, always be more the child's thing than the parent's thing. Being a violinist is the child's identity. We want our kids to play violin because they love it, want to make music, and want to play well. They should never feel obligated to play to live out their parents' dream or to fit into some pre-determined notion of what the perfect child does. Music is not a box to check on the list of well-rounded extracurricular activities. It is a passion, and creating art is one of the highest privileges of being human.

It's true that there will be stages where the parent needs to motivate the student and keep them practicing when they rather wouldn't, but playing the violin should at its core be something that the student wants for their life. There is a big difference between not wanting to play music and not wanting to practice.  

Violin lessons (like pretty much everything) start with the parent doing everything for the child and end with the child doing everything. This process takes years, especially if the student starts young. Remember that your eventual goal is to have your child driving themselves to lessons, practicing independently, organizing their own schedule - and one day, even paying for their own lessons (if they continue to play through college and into adulthood).

So, how do you teach your kids to take ownership of their violin playing? You start from the very first day.

• Have them carry their own instrument. Violins come in fractional sizes for a reason. If they're old enough to play the violin, they're old enough to carry the case responsibly. No matter how much they whine, no matter how much they drag their feet, make them carry their own violin. It's an important part of the bonding process between violinist and violin, and essential for ownership.
• Students should prepare their own violin and bow for playing. They should open the case, attach any shoulder rest or sponge, and tighten/rosin the bow. Very young children will need to be guided by their parents in this, but learning proper care and  setup of the instrument is critical. They need to learn it as soon as possible!
• Students should fill out their own practice charts. If your teacher gives you a practice chart, let the student take responsibility for checking off each item on the chart as you complete it. If your teacher doesn't give you a practice chart, check The Practice Shoppe and have the student fill in their assignments! If your child isn't comfortably writing yet, the parent can fill in the chart, but the child should check everything off. Let them choose a special pen or a colored pencil or crayon to mark off the chart. 
• Let students choose the order of practice. Let your child choose what to do first. The rule should be that they have to do everything on the chart, but they can pick the order.
• Give your child a choice about when to practice. Whether or not the student practices should not be a choice. Except in extreme circumstances, practice is every day. However, you can give the child a choice about when they are going to practice. One of my parents told me that she gives her son a choice: Either he can practice before his tv time OR he can practice right after dinner. If he chooses not to practice before tv time, then he must practice after dinner.
• Involve your students in the communication process with the teacher. As soon as they're old enough, the student should be the one emailing the teacher with questions or with scheduling issues. It can be from the parents' email account if they don't have their own, but the student should take responsibility for communicating with the teacher. If the student isn't old enough, they should sit with the parent while the parent contacts the teacher and give input. Again - ownership. It's their violin lesson. 

The point of all of this is to help your student feel like violin is theirs. Once a student really takes ownership of their violin playing, they will feel a sense of ownership and pride. Knowing that they can set a goal for themselves, create a plan to accomplish that goal, and execute their will build true self-esteem and confidence. They will be healthier, happier, and more responsible human beings and dedicated, creative, passionate musicians.

This project is designed for students at every level, from the five-year-olds in my beginning class (and their parents), to professionals. The reflection questions are very open-ended and relevant to all, and often, modifications are given for the more advanced practicer. For example, during Week 2: Putting In The Time, students are challenged to practice every single day. However, for a student who already practices on a daily basis, they might have a goal of practicing for a certain amount of time every day.

This Saturday, I'm launching a special project in my studio. It's called "28 Days of Practice," and the purpose of the project is for me and my students to explore our practice habits and to become more self-aware in our practice. Hopefully, we'll all learn one or two things about how we practice that we can incorporate into our regular routine.

The project is structured in four weeks, with a different focus each week. There will be reflection questions as well as specific tasks. I will be doing this along with my students and will post my answers to the questions on the blog! Talk about accountability - anyone who reads this will know if I'm practicing or not! 

So, just to whet your appetite I present you with the titles of the four weeks:

Week One: Starting Where You Are
Week Two: Putting In The Time
Week Three: Identifying Your Practice Habits
Week Four: Setting Goals

I'll post the guidelines for each week on the blog so you can follow along! Feel free to do it along with us and to post your progress and reflections in the comments!

We all want to get the most out of every experience we have, and music lessons are no exception. In order to make the best progress, we need to be well-prepared for our lessons and willing to communicate clearly with our teachers! I'm offering some suggestions here to help you improve your lesson experience. Some might seem like no-brainers, but hopefully everyone can find at least one tip to try.

1. Arrive five minutes early. One of the simplest things you can do to maximize your time with your teacher is to ensure that you get to your lesson on time - which means early. I know that most lessons take place after school and during rush hour when traffic is at its most frustrating. It is definitely worth it to find the best route to your teacher and to plan your schedule so you can arrive a few minutes early. This allows you to catch your breath, focus your attention, and unpack your instrument so that your lesson can start precisely on time. Most teachers won't give you extra time if you arrive late. In my studio, if you're scheduled for an hour-long lesson but you arrive 15 minutes late, you only get a 45 minute lesson. So, ensuring that you are on time and present for every scheduled minute of your lesson is one of the easiest ways to make the most of things.

2. Practice. This might seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many students show up at lessons without having practiced. A good teacher won't let you get away with this! I had a student last year who absolutely hated practicing her rhythm exercises. She wouldn't practice them at all at home, and in lessons she would often try and steer me away from the rhythm book. However, because I knew that developing her sense of pulse was necessary for her playing, I didn't let it slide. I gave her two options: either we would spend a lot of time practicing rhythm in her lesson and have less time for her pieces OR she could practice her rhythm at home and spend less time on it in the lesson. She opted for the second one once she realized that there was no way out of it.

Everyone wants the student to improve quickly and learn new pieces and new skills. This will only happen if practicing is happening consistently at home. Otherwise, the teacher will spend valuable lesson time explaining the same concepts over and over, which will lead to the student and their parents becoming very frustrated.

3. Record your lessons and watch them at home. Ask your teacher if you can record your lessons. I keep a digital video camera in my studio for my students' use. They can bring their own memory cards and record their lessons. Watching your lesson back at home will help you by allowing you to hear the teacher's instructions more times and by letting you see yourself playing from the outside. In your lesson, you might really feel that you are using a lot of bow and wonder why your teacher is so insistent on you trying to use even more. However, when you watch yourself, you may see that you really aren't using much at all.

4. Tell your teacher how you feel. Despite how it may seem at times, your teacher can't actually read your mind. If your teacher says that you don't understand, say out loud to your teacher, "I don't understand what you're saying." It is your teacher's job to find a way to explain things to you in a way that makes sense for you and your learning style! Don't just nod and smile - say what you're thinking and feeling. If your teacher is going too fast for you, say "Can you give me a second to process what you said before? I'm still trying to figure it out." 

Two other important things to tell your teacher: "This makes me feel really uncomfortable"  and "My hand/wrist/finger/back/neck hurts when I do it this way." Teachers are trained to be on the lookout for tension in your playing, but it makes things go a lot smoother if you can communicate with them clearly.

It is especially important to communicate clearly and directly with your teacher when you are new to each other. The teacher might use a metaphor that doesn't work for you, or they might start changing aspects of your playing that you thought were just fine before you came to them. Please don't just go home and complain to your parents about it. Give your teacher a chance to explain something in a different way or to tell you their reasoning behind something. 

5. Write down questions for your teacher as you practice and bring them to your lesson. As you practice during the week, keep a notebook or a practice journal and write down questions for your teacher. If you run into a problem area, such as a shift that you consistently miss, or doublestops that just don't feel right in your hand, write it down and ask your teacher about them in your lesson.

6. Clarify any confusion with your teacher before your lesson. If you're unsure about a fingering, or even just an illegible word in your notebook, send your teacher an email or give them a call during the week to ask. Don't practice confused! 

7. Keep your instrument in good working condition. It's critical to keep your instrument in shape just for your own playing. This means changing strings and getting your bow rehaired at least twice a year. It means taking your violin to the shop and having the pegs worked on if they're consistently slipping or sticking, and having any other needed repairs completed promptly. Chances are that your teacher is not a repair technician. Speaking from personal experience, I can put on strings and fix a bridge that's fallen over and that's really about it. Time that your teacher has to spend fighting with your instrument to tune it or fix anything with it is time taken away from your lesson. I've had experiences where a student purchased a very cheap instrument that had horrible pegs that wouldn't hold a pitch. I routinely spent 5 to 10 minutes of his 30 minute lesson just trying to get his violin to stay in tune, which wasn't how either one of us wanted to be spending the time. So, schedule repairs and maintenance in a timely manner!

I hope at least some of these tips are helpful to you as you continue your studies! Feel free to comment with any of your own suggestions for getting more out of your lessons!

The process of learning - not just in violin, but in most things - looks something like this, as described to me by researchers and psychologists:

Stage 1: Unconscious incompetence
Ignorance is bliss - the student is unaware of their mistakes. 

Stage 2: Conscious incompetence
The student receives feedback that makes them aware of the things that need improvement. They may attend a concert that makes them realize they don't play as well as the performers, or a teacher might point out things that need work in the lesson. This is often a very frustrating stage. It's crucial for parents and teachers to be supportive of their student and to be aware of the frustration while urging them to stay the course, because soon they'll get to...

Stage 3: Conscious competence
The student has practiced in a focused and intentional manner, and they can now produce the results they desire with a lot of mental focus and attention. 

Stage 4: Unconscious competence
The student has worked for some time on how to play well and can now produce their desired result without thinking about it.

Let's take the piece "O Come, Little Children" in Suzuki Book 1 as a case study. This piece presents the challenges to a student of having to use their full bow, and having to start each musical sentence on an up bow for the first time.

Stage 1: The student plays "O Come, Little Children" with any bowing they want, unaware of up bows and down bows and their bow distribution.

Stage 2: The student learns the difference between up bows and down bows and realizes how frequently they go the wrong direction. They may also be aware that their bow hold doesn't allow them to go all the way to the frog, which means that they can't play with their whole bow.

Stage 3: The student now thinks to him/herself "Middle, up" as they place the bow in the middle and start each musical sentence in the piece with an upbow.

Stage 4: The student plays the piece with perfect bowings and bow distribution without having to think about it. Now it's ready to perform!

A side note: as a teacher, my goal is to start the students at stage 3, by carefully explaining and demonstrating the goals of each piece. I have specific "preview" spots that students learn before they learn the whole piece and many ways to practice their skills so that they can stay confident in the whole learning process and not have to go through the pain of conscious incompetence.

Creating a healthy foundation is one of the most important and crucial aspects of learning to play the violin. In the first years of a student's lessons with me, my goal is to build fundamental musical skills as my students learn how to listen to music critically and to discern what makes a good sound and to build fundamental technical skills, which means that I focus a lot on how to hold the instrument and bow. Even as a student reaches the intermediate and advanced levels of playing, I am constantly monitoring their fundamental skills. Often, I find that simple changes to the angle of the violin or hands and arms can make a dramatic change in the quality of the sound and the ease of the playing.

Playing the violin doesn't involve motions that are inherently natural or easy for the human body. It's not symmetrical at all, which means that we have to do different things with the right and left sides of our bodies. It takes years to feel completely natural with the violin, and that's why a student's first lesson with me, regardless of their level of playing, will almost always include some changes to their basic setup. Even as students grow and develop, I'm always keeping an eye on those basic technique things, seeking to refine their skills to an ever-higher playing level and finding easier and more efficient ways for them to play.

Without a healthy foundation for their playing, a student will inevitably run into problems. It might be immediately, if they are struggling to make a sound or reach a certain note on the violin. Sometimes it will take years for it to catch up to them, but it does. Even a mostly healthy foundation with just a few cracks can be cause for a visit back to basic technique.  The simplest problem a student will run into as they advance is that they'll hit a piece they can't play with their current setup.  A student may not be able to play in all parts of the bow because of their bowhold, or they'll struggle to play fast enough with their fingers because of an incorrect angle in their left hand. 

If a student plays and practices for years with an inefficient setup, they can develop tendonitis, repetitive strain syndrome, or carpal tunnel syndrome. Too much strain and tension on the wrong muscles can cause these injuries, which are physically and emotionally painful and and can require months of physical therapy to recover from.

The positive benefits of having a healthy playing foundation are many! They include but are not limited to: feeling physically free when playing, not having to worry about how to create a certain sound, having a natural, ringing, and free sound, and being able to solely focus on the creative process of bringing their music to life.

Summer is the season of outdoor concerts, month-long festivals, and more available practice hours!  For students, the summer can be a totally transformative time for their playing.  This blog post will examine five ways to make your summer work for your music!

1. Private Lessons.  If you've been learning music in an ensemble class setting, the summer can be the perfect time to explore private lessons. Group classes and school orchestra are good, but the way to really make individual progress is by taking private lessons.  You'll have one teacher's attention completely devoted to you, able to make custom-tailored suggestions and lesson plans just for your playing. If you've been taking private lessons, you might ask your teacher if you can have two lessons a week to intensify your study. Summer is also the time when most teachers have openings for students, since anyone graduating will just have left. (See the Studio page of my website if you live in the DC area and might be interested in studying with me!)

2. Music Day Camps. Many organizations run music-themed day camps. Music camps and workshops are generally a week or two weeks long. It's a wonderful way to make new friends and to learn more about your music! In the DC area, we have some wonderful opportunities - links below!

Levine School of Music Summer Camp (Locations in Arlington, DC, and Bethesda)
Potomac Music Academy Ovations Summer Strings Academy (Fairfax, VA)
See this list of opportunities for students in Virginia: 


3. Long-Term Music Camps
For older students starting to get more serious about their playing, a longer festival or workshop where you stay there for its duration might be the right choice. A month-long or even longer summer festival can be especially helpful for teens in their early high school years debating whether or not music school might be the right choice for them in college. The application process usually starts in late fall or early winter. There are several options around the country, and I am listing ones that are primarily in driving distance of the East Coast, along with the most well-known programs.  This is by no means a comprehensive list and I urge you to also look for other camps and programs that might benefit your studies.


Aspen Music Festival and School (Aspen, CO)
     For the most serious and dedicated music students at the highest level. Primarily for college-age students, but some younger students are admitted.
Interlochen Arts Academy (Northwest Michigan, near Traverse City)
     One of the best arts education schools in the country. Summer programs for students of all levels in grade 3 and higher, ranging from intermediate to extremely advanced.
Credo Chamber Music (Oberlin, OH)
     For students ages 13 - 23. Emphasis on chamber music.
Virginia Governor's School Summer Residential Program (Radford, VA)
     This month-long program functions through the Virginia public school system and holds auditions and applications annually. For high school students.
National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute (Washington, DC)
    For students ages 15 - 21. A four-week intensive orchestral experience at the Kennedy Center.
Brevard Music Center (North Carolina)
    For high school and college students.
Eastern Music Festival (Greensboro, NC)
     Comprehensive music festival for students ages 14 - 22 that also features special programs for children as young as 3.
 
4. Summer Concerts
Summer is also the time of wonderful outdoor concerts! I love sitting and listening to music outside on a beautiful summer night. Orchestras frequently retreat to their "summer" concert halls - Tanglewood in Boston, Blossom in Cleveland, and Wolf Trap for the National Symphony. I grew up in the Washington, DC area so my family and I were blessed with many different concert opportunities. A few are listed below...

Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
    Free concerts at 6 pm.  Every day of the year.
A Capitol Fourth
United States Air Force Band (has strings and singers, too!)
Jazz in the Garden
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

5. Traveling with your instrument.
A few little logistical issues if you take your instrument with you on vacation. As a violin teacher, I highly recommend making every effort possible to bring your instrument.  Even if a student only manages to play 10 minutes a day, that little bit will help maintain your skill level. It's very hard to get back into shape after you take a practice break for more than a few days. 

• When flying with your violin, never check your instrument . The higher pressure, altitude, and being tossed around the cargo hold can cause irreparable damage to your instrument. Whatever the gate agent and flight attendants may say, your violin will fit in the overhead compartment. Even on the smaller planes, my violin case always fits. If the overhead compartments are full, ask if they can store your violin in the attendants' locker. I repeat, never check your instrument. Make sure you make arrangements to board the plane early to ensure that there is room in the overhead compartment. You are legally permitted to carry your violin on board - in addition to a personal item and a carry-on bag.  See the official TSA policy here.
• Never leave your violin in a hot car. If you're on a road trip or even just running errands around the neighborhood at home, take the violin into stores, restaurants, and rest stops with you. Heat and humidity are extremely bad for violins.
• Create a built-in security system. When traveling with your violin, always keep it in physical contact with you. Rest your arm on it as it sits beside you. If it's on the floor, keep it between your feet or have at least one foot next to it. Accustom yourself to always being in contact with your violin, so that if you leave it somewhere or it gets picked up by someone else, you'll realize it immediately and be able to take action.
• Insure your instrument, if you own it. Musical instrument insurance is available through a number of organizations, including the American String Teachers' Association (which you can join as a student).

That's it for now! Have a great musical summer!