Ravinia

We had a great studio outing to Ravinia to see Joshua Bell and the CSO. Thanks to everyone who attended! 

2014-2015 Suzuki Program Calendar

We have so many fun concerts and activities planned for the upcoming year! Please take note of all the events and mark them in your calendars. Participation in studio recitals is required for all violin and viola students. All other events are open to violin and viola students enrolled in the Suzuki Program. In addition to the events on this calendar, all students are encouraged to participate in the Adler Center's monthly Performance Night series held on the 3rd Friday of each month at 7pm. 

• Spooky Suzuki Play-In: Saturday November, 1 @ 3pm
• Fall Studio Recital: Sunday, November 16 @ 2pm
• Holiday group concert: Saturday, December 6 @ 5pm
• Spring group concert: Saturday, April 11 @ 5pm
• Spring Studio Recital: Sunday, May 3 @ 2pm
• Popcicle Play-In and potluck: Saturday June, 6 @ 3pm
• Outreach performances (tbd)
• Make Music Chicago: Sunday, June 21 @ tbd
• Libertyville Art Fair: Sunday, August 2 @ tbd
• Ravinia field trip (summer)
• Parent meetings (one per session, tbd)
• Graduation recitals

New Graduation Recital Procedure: 

Upon completion of a Suzuki book, students may give a graduation recital for friends and family in celebration of their accomplishment. In order to give a graduation recital, students must be able to perform every piece in the book at a high level. Students should continue to review older pieces as newer pieces are learned. Upon approval from the private instructor, parents may contact Heather Williamson at heather@adlercenter.org to reserve the ballroom for a graduation recital. Students are expected to perform the entire book at the recital. You may host your own graduation recital or partner with another student who is also ready to give a recital. Parents may want to create invitations to hand out to friends and family and host a reception following the recital. A graduation certificate will be presented to all students who complete a graduation recital. 

Parent Meeting Minutes

We had a successful meeting on June 17! Thank you, everyone, for your feedback and suggestions. Please see the minutes below if you weren't able to make it. 

Meeting minutes from June 17
* Parent education topic: Importance of review and daily listening. (2 articles provided)
* Listening: Learning by ear approach only works if you are doing the daily listening. Two types of listening: Passive and Active. Passive listening can be done in the car, during meals/snacks, at bedtime, while doing homework, ect. Active listening is when you listen for specific details in the music: articulation, bowings, accidentals, dynamics, tone, ect.
* Review: Review is an essential component of the Suzuki Method. Skill is developed through continued repetition of that skill. The Suzuki repertoire is designed as building blocks, each piece building on skills that have been learned in previous pieces. Each new piece is made up of about 80% of previously learned skills. By building skill through review, you are ensuring success at learning the new piece.
* Open discussion of successes and struggles of violin study/practice.
* Amy spoke about the vision for the Adler Center and how we can better serve the community, how we can get parents more involved in the center, and how we can create more of a community between families, teachers, and staff.
* Changes to the Suzuki Program and proposed Suzuki Calendar.
* Starting in the fall, we will be offering a Suzuki Package. Enrollment in the Suzuki Package will include a weekly private lesson and a weekly group class, as well as all Suzuki related concerts and activities. You can still choose to enroll in lessons as traditional student. Accompanist fees will now be included in your enrollment fee. You will receive a 15 minute piano rehearsal for all studio recitals.
* Group class schedule TBA. Discussed weekday evenings or Saturday mornings.
* Proposed 2014-2015 Suzuki Program Calendar
Spooky Suzuki Play-In (October)
Holiday Group Concert (December)
Spring Group Concert (April or May)
Popcicle Play-In and potluck (June)
Outreach performances (tbd)
Make Music Chicago (June)
Libertyville Art Fair (August)
Ravinia Field Trip (summer)
Parent meetings (scheduled Quarterly)
Graduation recitals (tbd)
Fall and Spring Studio Recitals (tbd)

Call for photos

Hi all! I thought it might be nice to share some photos from past recitals here on the blog. If you have any photos you'd like to share, let me know. I can create a new page to collect them all for easy viewing.