Why Take Summer Lessons?
We have all had to readjust our lives during this period of Covid-19. This summer will look differently than any summer we’ve lived through. I am so glad that the staff at Flute and Friends are committed to your ongoing music lessons! So many things have been shuffled...
Making the Most of a Zoom Recital
Though we are unable to meet in person, you and your child have accomplished something great this semester by learning and growing together in music — and there’s no better way to celebrate that than by gathering for a Zoom recital! Here are some tips for our recital...
Reasons To Get Hooked on YouTube!
Reasons to get hooked on YouTube YouTube is one of the sharpest double-edged swords that the internet has to offer. Despite the fact that it has melted my developing brain for countless hours, I would not be the musician or music lover that I am without it. The...
The Art of Listening
To play on Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “One Art,” the art of listening isn’t hard to master. The Suzuki guitar teacher and Suzuki violin mom Michele Horner advises listening to the recordings of current repertoire ten times a day. That may sound like a lot, but the...
Perfectionism
Your child may be a perfectionist if… - They refuse to work isolated sections and insist on always starting from the beginning of a piece. - Are self-deprecating and/or very upset when they make a mistake What can you do? How you can support and encourage your child?...
Online Music Literacy Games
Teoria.com website is free and excellent. https://www.teoria.com/en/exercises/ May the internet work for us, not against us, in these trying times. I strive in my personal teaching to be as engaging and addicting as online games, but now that we’re all stuck in our...
Practice Expectations During Covid-19
“To make a resolution and act accordingly is to live with hope. There may be difficulties and hardships, but not disappointment or despair if you follow the path steadily. Do not hurry. This is a fundamental rule. If you hurry and collapse or tumble down, nothing is...
10 Practical Posture Tips for At-Home Guitar Practice
Even without the support of a teacher’s presence, it is important for students to maintain both healthy posture and correct hand positioning in their home practice set-up. All musicians should sit or stand with a lengthened, relaxed back. Imagine being pulled upwards...
Progress, Not Perfection
Feeling burnt out? Don’t want to practice? Feel exhausted? You’re not alone – it’s hard to feel motivated and excited all the time. Our brains are actually wired to have productive and rest periods, both in small increments of an hour and larger increments of a full...
The Magic of Repetitions
Sometimes I tell my students that their fingers have brains. They get really excited & maybe even freaked out – and the best part is that I’m telling the truth. Noelle Perrin, a Suzuki teacher trainer, uses this explanation with her students when she talks...