by Elise | Jan 30, 2023 | Blog
Teaching Young Children This article is a transcript of a tutorial video recorded in 2015, updated and edited for clarity. The original video is linked below. If you’ve never worked with young kids before, you may be feeling some trepidation about it....
by Elise | May 9, 2022 | Blog
“The shortest pencil is better than the longest memory.” —Anonymous At my most recent student recital, one of the moms (who happened to be a piano teacher) noticed I had my recital checklist sitting on my chair. She picked it up, began reading it, and a...
by Elise | Apr 29, 2022 | Blog
Staccato seems like a very basic skill. For Suzuki teachers, it is one of the first strokes we teach. Yet, why is it that “beginner staccato” most often consists of legato with jerks on the bow changes? I’ve witnessed this bowstroke over and over … even in the...
by Elise | Mar 10, 2022 | Blog
Inspired by Sally O’Reilly, I have been introducing more advanced bowing patterns while my students are still in Book 1 (rather than waiting until these patterns show up in the repertoire). After a few years of doing this, it has made a dramatic difference in my...
by Elise | Feb 20, 2022 | Blog
Earlier this winter I was scrounging around my good friend’s kitchen to write a quick memo. Doesn’t everyone have a junk drawer in their kitchen? An exhaustive search finally uncovered a pencil stub. It fit in my hand in an unexpected way. My friend came downstairs. I...