I just found these links... this quartet is awesome! You have to check them out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5MLNMgpywk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG6Ef-NQCi4&NR=1
Also, if you're interested in a really great concert this Thursday night the 31st at Park City, check out http://www.timeforthree.com (Different group, but still great!)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Awesome Violinist
If you haven't seen this video, you should really watch it... Don't get turned off by the "DJ" in the back. :) They do a great job together, and the technical ability of the violinist is incredible for how young he looks. I'm not sure how old he is, but you can tell he loves the violin and PRACTICES a LOT! (By the way... I encourage you to NEVER buy an instrument on ebay... you have no idea what quality you'll actually end up with.) :)
Check it out here! (I hope the link works.)
Check it out here! (I hope the link works.)
Friday, July 4, 2008
Students at ISSI
Here is a link to Ali's family page with their Institute experience. I hope it's ok to include this link- Steph, if not, let me know! :)
Ali at Institute
I'd like to include some of Cade's experiences too, so Ikuno, if you want to send me an email and/or pictures that would be great!
Ali at Institute
I'd like to include some of Cade's experiences too, so Ikuno, if you want to send me an email and/or pictures that would be great!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Joseph Silverstein
Excerpts from American Suzuki Journal- Winter, 2008
"I feel that the Suzuki Method has filled a very important void in the whole educational system of the United States. It has a very important function in sustaining the musical experience for young people. I consider the Suzuki approach to be a strong program that combines music, intelligence, and the family.
"My one strong piece of advice is to encourage the students to attend more live concerts and listen to great music. Encourage them to play chamber music and develop the bond with great music that will give them the view of what they can achieve through their studies."
I had the privilege of seeing Mr. Silverstein conduct the Utah Symphony a few times when I was in high school. He was just here in May, performing with the Symphony and I'm sad that I missed it! I am going to try to make it a point to go next time he's here... WONDERFUL musician. -Kayleen
Internationally acclaimed conductor and violinist Joseph Silverstein was Music Director of the Utah Symphony Orchestra from 1983 until 1998. http://www.utahsymphony.org/ As a conductor and soloist, Mr. Silverstein has appeared with hundreds of orchestras in the United States, as well as the Far East, Israel and Europe. He has been a member of the faculties at Yale University, the New England Conservatory, Boston University and the Tanglewood Music Center and currently is a member of the string faculty of the Curtis Institute and an artist member of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Institute Final Concert
Once again, a great performance experience! It's so fun to see how well all the children are playing. Every group had clear, beautiful tone, superb intonation, and expressive performance. I recorded the whole concert and am planning on having a party night with my students to come and watch it. Hopefully this will help them be motivated to attend Institute next year! I'm anxious to hear about the experiences of my students that did attend, and to see what progress they've made this week. I know that Macy has progressed a lot, and I'm excited to keep working with her!
Elise and Macy were mostly good during the concert. It's important for children to learn Concert Etiquette young as well, so it's good they were there. Their favorite song was "Witches Dance" and they were disappointed that the performers didn't actually do the dance. I think Macy had a hard time waiting until the very end to perform, but when she got up on stage she did well. Not so well with watching the teacher, but she played well. There was one little boy who was bobbing his knees to the beat in between every Variation of Twinkle... SO Adorable! The audience was cracking up. I saw his mother afterward, and commented on his cuteness, and she was clearly mortified. It's funny that we can all giggle at each other's children, but when our children are the "distraction", it bothers us. Oh well.
Thanks so much to all the teachers and people who contributed to the education of our children this week. It is a lot of time out of their schedule, but you can tell that they all love to be there, and I admire that selflessness. The love of Music, and of Dr. Suzuki's teachings and ideals is very apparent when you attend Institute. I know that I want Institute and Talent Education to be a part of my life as well as my family's for many years to come!
Institute Day Six
I brought Elise with us to class and the concert yesterday. I really hope both the girls can attend Institute next year- it's such a good experience! I would have signed her up if I had known that we'd have custody of her by this time.
Mrs. Keddington started out Technique class with the "How Come?" game. She reminded the kids all the reasons we need to have bent thumb, round pinky, and flat knuckles- a good bow hold. She played them some examples of how songs sound when you have a bad bow hold, and a good bow hold. Then she went around the circle and asked each child, "Why is it important to have a good bow hold?" And each child that answered (all of them), got a Skittle as a reward. We were taught "Rosalie's Rule: Never play a note until you're ready!" Take your time to set up and make sure everything is correct before you start.
We had a race with violin hold and heavy heads- each child had a gummy bear placed on their violin, and they had to give the bears a boat ride across the room without tipping and letting it fall off. The kids all did well. Then Swiper from Dora tried to steal their violins... "Swiper, No Swiping!", and if Mrs. K. couldn't get the violin away, she'd say "Aw, Man!" Seth's mom and I got to be the posture police and look for secret things while the kids played, and if they were doing what we were looking for, they got a sticker. It was extra hard, because they didn't know what we were looking for. So they had to do everything correctly! The last game was differentiating between Staccato and Legato. Mrs. K. had a picture with dots on it, and a picture of a wave. The kids had to stomp, clap, jump for staccato, and twirl a scarf for legato. 
I missed the Rep class, cause I took Elise to get her hair done. I did see a few bits and pieces as I walked back and forth every 10 minutes or so while we waited for Elise's turn.
Once, James Hutchins' class was visiting Macy's class, on a "World Tour" and they were playing together. And I think they were mostly reviewing the same type of stuff they did on Friday. I took Macy out 5 minutes early to go get her hair done before the final concert.
Mrs. Keddington started out Technique class with the "How Come?" game. She reminded the kids all the reasons we need to have bent thumb, round pinky, and flat knuckles- a good bow hold. She played them some examples of how songs sound when you have a bad bow hold, and a good bow hold. Then she went around the circle and asked each child, "Why is it important to have a good bow hold?" And each child that answered (all of them), got a Skittle as a reward. We were taught "Rosalie's Rule: Never play a note until you're ready!" Take your time to set up and make sure everything is correct before you start.
We had a race with violin hold and heavy heads- each child had a gummy bear placed on their violin, and they had to give the bears a boat ride across the room without tipping and letting it fall off. The kids all did well. Then Swiper from Dora tried to steal their violins... "Swiper, No Swiping!", and if Mrs. K. couldn't get the violin away, she'd say "Aw, Man!" Seth's mom and I got to be the posture police and look for secret things while the kids played, and if they were doing what we were looking for, they got a sticker. It was extra hard, because they didn't know what we were looking for. So they had to do everything correctly! The last game was differentiating between Staccato and Legato. Mrs. K. had a picture with dots on it, and a picture of a wave. The kids had to stomp, clap, jump for staccato, and twirl a scarf for legato. 
I missed the Rep class, cause I took Elise to get her hair done. I did see a few bits and pieces as I walked back and forth every 10 minutes or so while we waited for Elise's turn.
Once, James Hutchins' class was visiting Macy's class, on a "World Tour" and they were playing together. And I think they were mostly reviewing the same type of stuff they did on Friday. I took Macy out 5 minutes early to go get her hair done before the final concert.
Institute Day Five
Friday morning at Technique class, Mrs. Keddington taught the kids to say hello in Japanese- if I could spell it I would, but it sounds like "Ohio Gozaimos". They said this as they bowed. Warm-up time with Twinkles, as the kids practiced the bow hand specifics- rainbow pinkies, flat knuckles, and bent thumbs. Out came the Magic Drum, and the children practiced clapping, stomping, and tip-toeing to the beat, depending on the sound the drum made. Macy had a GREAT time with the hand-slapping game. We paired up with our children, and listened as Mrs. K. played a song. Taking turns, if one person heard a wrong note they got to slap the other persons' hands. Then we switched. Macy just laughed and laughed. Professor Doggy visited us and he checked the children's posture while they played through some more songs. Then they got to practiced feeding a "Marshmallow" to "Little Foot" who lives in the screw of the bow. This helps coordinate which direction the arm should go while bowing. 
In Rep class, the kids first practiced singing "A", "D", "D goes up to A", and "A goes down to D". Then they got to play "Suzuki Says"... just like "Simon Says". The cup game was next- passing the cup down the line with bows while teacher plays a song to see who is faster. Mrs. White talked about watching the leader at the concert, and following whatever she did, whether it was to point the scroll a different direction, or turn around in a circle, etc. Then they practiced heavy heads, and Magic Bow- teachers' bow can magically make the students bow copy what it does. Some children played Allegro while others did the actions- kind of like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Then we got to play the slapping game again- Macy was thrilled. :) Kids took turn rolling the dice to see how many times to do certain Circle Bows. They worked on dynamics and echoes in Song of the Wind. Then they did a harder version of the cup game, using ponytail holders. After that, she divided the room, and half played Var. A, while half played Var. B. That was sort of tricky at first, but they got the hang of it. The last thing was the Perpetual Motion game- kids did a different action on the last two beats of each phrase.
Macy finished a couple more lessons and games in theory, but not enough to get more treats. She is doing really well with the pitch games, and finding the notes on the staff and on the piano. The rhythm games are harder. I really like the program we used.
In Master Class, Mrs. Yong started out with a Tuning Bar. Each child got to take turns hitting the bar and singing what their favorite food was. She talked about hearing the sound waves when you hit the bar, and trying to hear them when you play your violin. All the kids played Song of the Mosquito- every time there is a circle bow, you slap your leg or tummy, or other shoulder. Then Mrs. Yong played, and the kids just practiced doing the circles on the shoulder, without violin. I bought a little bunny puppet to use with my students, and Macy was excited to show Mrs. Yong, so she used it during Macy's private lesson. We did 4 long bows, with the goal of stopping at the frog tape, and if Macy went past it, the bunny nibbled her arm. If she stopped at the tape, bunny would kiss her cheek. Macy loved that!
In Rep class, the kids first practiced singing "A", "D", "D goes up to A", and "A goes down to D". Then they got to play "Suzuki Says"... just like "Simon Says". The cup game was next- passing the cup down the line with bows while teacher plays a song to see who is faster. Mrs. White talked about watching the leader at the concert, and following whatever she did, whether it was to point the scroll a different direction, or turn around in a circle, etc. Then they practiced heavy heads, and Magic Bow- teachers' bow can magically make the students bow copy what it does. Some children played Allegro while others did the actions- kind of like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Then we got to play the slapping game again- Macy was thrilled. :) Kids took turn rolling the dice to see how many times to do certain Circle Bows. They worked on dynamics and echoes in Song of the Wind. Then they did a harder version of the cup game, using ponytail holders. After that, she divided the room, and half played Var. A, while half played Var. B. That was sort of tricky at first, but they got the hang of it. The last thing was the Perpetual Motion game- kids did a different action on the last two beats of each phrase.
Macy finished a couple more lessons and games in theory, but not enough to get more treats. She is doing really well with the pitch games, and finding the notes on the staff and on the piano. The rhythm games are harder. I really like the program we used.
In Master Class, Mrs. Yong started out with a Tuning Bar. Each child got to take turns hitting the bar and singing what their favorite food was. She talked about hearing the sound waves when you hit the bar, and trying to hear them when you play your violin. All the kids played Song of the Mosquito- every time there is a circle bow, you slap your leg or tummy, or other shoulder. Then Mrs. Yong played, and the kids just practiced doing the circles on the shoulder, without violin. I bought a little bunny puppet to use with my students, and Macy was excited to show Mrs. Yong, so she used it during Macy's private lesson. We did 4 long bows, with the goal of stopping at the frog tape, and if Macy went past it, the bunny nibbled her arm. If she stopped at the tape, bunny would kiss her cheek. Macy loved that!
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