That was a statement Terry Durbin made in a talk today at Suzuki Institute.  I like it!  After all, how many times have I written about my so-called patience, when I am clearly NOT a patient person.  I’m controlling and easily frustrated…aha!

I don’t have too much time because I have a little assignment to practice for class, but I wanted to give a quick update on how things are going here.  (Ottawa, Kansas for Suzuki Institute.)

This is my home until Friday.  (Apologies for the wrinkled bed, it’s tough to make a bed that is in the corner, plus I just don’t care enough).  I have my own room, but I share a suite with two other women taking teaching training who are actually quite fun and delightful!  We’ve been chitchatting quite a bit and eating meals together.  I always have an easy time making friends at these events since we all share a common bond—our love of teaching children to play violin and a constant desire to become BETTER at it.

This morning started early with an awful breakfast (the food is pretty bad…I am trying to take advantage of it and let this be a wonderful weight-loss/detox week.) The camp is a bit (understatement) disorganized this year and we still didn’t know what classes there were to observe.  The course I am taking requires 15 hours of class time and 8 hours of student class observations.  I always like to do MORE than the required observations since I’m here, so I really wanted to take up all my morning with classes.  We finally figured out some options and headed out. 

First I hit up Scott Conklin’s Book 5 Group Class.  I went to school with Scott back in the day and I think he was a bit unnerved by my presence.  Or just cause I was sitting next to my suitemate, Holly, who literally looks like Anne Hathaway (I’ll have to get a picture later…especially after Susan told us she couldn’t concentrate since we looked like models…Holly is like 6 feet tall, oh, and probably about 23 or 24…)

I decided to be a good blogger and snap some photos!

That’s Scott leading the class.  They were playing Bach Double when I got there (late due to the misinformation) and then Country Dance here.  The kids in the front didn’t know it yet so they were keeping an eye out for how the class was using their bows.

Next I went to Terry Durbin’s Class.  I just love Terry Durbin.  Last year he wasn’t teaching at the institute, but I know him from when I was a little girl attending Suzuki Institute.  He is a truly hilarious, crazy, inspiring teacher.  Part of my love of the violin came from classes with him.  Years ago, after institute, I told my sister Leslie I wanted to be a Suzuki violin teacher just like him.

She said, well, you aren’t funny enough.

I suppose she’s correct.

Anyhow.

After that was a class with Beth Titterington, and then the aforementioned lecture by Terry Durbin. 

I feel a little silly whipping out the camera, but seriously, why not?  I’m loving the quality of my new camera photos, and some of these things just need to be documented, right?  Like that hands on the nose/ear picture up there!

I am pretty funny, though, right?  Probably not as funny as I think I am…but still, funny, right?

Let me just give you a few more things I wrote down today.  These are for violin teaching, parenting, and life.

If you teach your children, you can change the world.

Understand the world on the child’s level.  Come UP to their sense of wonder and awe.

Children can only hear what they are ready, emotionally and mentally, to hear.

Support your child by being there and support them by truly being there when you are there.

You should not play the violin for accolades or to impress others.

I’m off to Kansas today for Suzuki Camp!  I am taking Teacher Training for Book 5 with Susan Kempter at Ottawa Mid-Southwest Institute.

Picture of the dorm last year.

What is Suzuki camp?  Well, firstly I should quickly answer the question, what is Suzuki?  The Suzuki Method is a way of teaching children (primarily) to play musical instruments.  The concept is that you learn your instrument the way you learn language—by starting early and hearing it all the time—and without pressure and with love.  That is how I learned the violin and that is how I primarily teach the violin.  I started at the age of five, and I listened to the music I was learning all the time.  Was there pressure?  Well, yes, but as you know I put pressure on myself all the time!  In ANY case I am not going into my childhood story here but simply giving you a little information as to what I am up to this week.

Here’s the link to the Suzuki Association’s page “What is the Suzuki Method?”

The camp part is the next part of the question.  Basically people come from all over and get together for the week for an intensive week of learning and camaraderie with other like minded people.  For me, it’s continuing education.  I am fully trained to teach the Suzuki method for all levels (there are 10 books), but I really wanted to take another class (here’s a link to last year) with Susan Kempter.  Taking courses makes me a better teacher (and frankly, a better person!).  I am really excited!

How many of you learned an instrument with the Suzuki Method?  How did it impact your life?

I woke up last night because of a giant thunderstorm/hailstorm.  The best part is:  today the high is 80.  EIGHTY!  (That’s really cold, in case you are confused.)

Yesterday I finished teaching all the students I was teaching while their teacher was on maternity leave.  It was sad to say goodbye.  I know I will see them all around at the school in the fall, but it’s not the same.  They were all great students, and great families too!

That’s part of why I am so excited to be teaching at my new job.  This is the first time I’m officially announcing this on the blog.  Starting in the fall I will only have one job away from the home—I will be teaching three days a week at the St Louis School of Music.  The other days I will be teaching out of my home (and am finally accepting new students again) and that is ALL the teaching I will be doing.  I will have time for gigs, working out, practicing, household errands, and wedding planning.  Oh, and mental health, of course.  This is the sort of place I can envision teaching at for some time.

Yesterday afternoon I saw “The Death of Klinghoffer” by John Adams, performed by the SLSO and Opera Theater St Louis.  It was great.  I’m not a huge opera fan–I get bored by singing…and it tends to go on and on…makes me think of this quote from “Sabrina”–

Linus Larrabee: And I want tickets to whatever Broadway show nobody can get tickets to.
[Mack looks inquisitively at him]
Linus Larrabee: I know, I seldom go to the theatre.
Mack: Seldom?
Linus Larrabee: So, I’m not a theatre buff.
Mack: Buff? The most difficult tickets to get will be for a Broadway musical.
Linus Larrabee: [distractedly] Okay.
Mack: That means that the performers will periodically dance about and burst into song.

But I am definitely glad I saw it.  The opera isn’t what you would typically think of for opera at all, though, and definitely covers difficult subject matter.  I recommend reading the Wikipedia article on it.  (Do you like when I give assignments?)  There was also a number in the second half where a woman sang and danced WHILE DRESSED IN AN 80’S COSTUME COMPLETE WITH PINK LEG WARMERS.  Wish I’d had that for my race.

from the riverfronttimes article about Klinghoffer

Here’s another interesting article about it.

Does the opera make me think twice about cruising?  No.

By the way, I am getting super excited about Suzuki camp—I leave a week from Sunday for Ottawa Mid-Southwest Suzuki Camp.  I’m doing Teaching Training on Book 5 with Susan Kempter—a true genius!

Also I love dorm living and cafeteria food.  😉