Suzuki Jingle Bells Strings

Did you know that you are a member of the Godfrey Studio awesome holiday performing group, Suzuki Jingle Bell Strings?  Every Christmas season we prepare for our December concerts by learning and reviewing the repertoire beginning in October, sometimes sooner if there is a cool new advanced piece to memorize.  It's okay if you don't participate maybe because you are going out of town, or you are a young beginner, or you simply can't add the commitment to your schedule.  But it sure is fun, practicing the pieces at group lessons and playing two concerts for all of our family and friends and many other people.

I have given you all a Christmas book ($5) and this you will have it forever until it wears out!!  In the meantime every year you will learn a few new pieces from the program until eventually you are playing every single piece!!  When we do music on the concert that you don't know, you can either stand in rest position or I will have you exit the stage until that part of the program is over and it is time for the next song that you know.  The dress for the concert is black trousers black socks and black shoes for the boys with a white shirt and long tie or bow tie, red vest; black skirt black tights and black shoes for the girls with a white 3/4 sleeve blouse for the girls and red vest.  Remind me that you need a red vest and I will fit you with one ($20).  This you will keep and wear every year for the concert until you grow out of it or graduate. When you need a larger size just bring it back and we will exchange it.  If I don't have your size our wonderful Kari Child will be making extra vests for us so we will all be looking good!!  Try on your Christmas vest now so to make sure it fits for this year.

The mystery performer is our Jingle Bell player.  Who will it be?  Every year I invite a young person not in the Godfrey Studio to play the jingle bells with us on several of our fun pieces.  Soon we will know!!  The final Jingle Bell Strings rehearsal is December 14 from 10am to 12noon at my ward building.  I will give you directions that week.  The Jingle Bell Strings concerts are on December 21 at 11am at the downtown library auditorium and at 2:30pm at the Parklane Senior Apartments on 1st South and 6th East.  I will have invitations so that you can invite all of your family and friends to the Library which seats 200 people.  Let's fill it up with all of the people we love to play for!!  Happy Holidays!! 

Excellence and Fun From the Start!

Isn't it great to play the violin or the viola?  When we first start with the Suzuki method it is SO exciting.  To hear the sound of beautiful violin or viola tone, see the teacher demonstrate and after learning many essential pre-twinkle skills to finally replicate the magic--please Mom can I do it again?  That is the moment we want to have over and over, progressing with each repetition, motivated by each small success.  I love putting myself in the child's shoes and experiencing this with each new beginner.  Difficult as it may be at home to find the perfect time of day to practice and re-create this bubble in yours and your child's life, whenever you do, it is like adding another day of sunshine or rain or good earth to the growing seedling.  While working hard on the essential skills such as posture, bow hold, sound of bow on open string, or doing a whole pre-twinkle song perfectly many times,  remember to take a break and play a bow game, or do the marble test, or some cross crawl brain gym (such as marching while crossing hands to opposite legs).  Or, just stop and run around the room!  Remind yourselves how many skills you are learning, and learn to identify them to your child and praise them for success whenever you notice it.  Recently I perused a list of skills learned in Twinkle, and Book 1.  31 Twinkle skills and 44 Book 1 skills, quite amazing!  Remind me to give you a copy of this list for your reference.  Below are the first several Pre-Twinkle Violin and Viola skills:

1. Rest Position
2. Bow
3. Holding Steps
4. Stance: endurance+focus
5. Sidedness
6. Finger numbers
7. Bow hold
8. Up+Down
9. Arm circles
10. Rhythms: clap, tap, soap
11. Bow on violin
12. Quick finger placement

There are many more!  Please enjoy these photos of our newest Twinklers and their Great Starts!!

Olivia's best bow hold

Aubrey's perfect posture

Chantelle has a beautiful bunny!

Isabella starts her Twinkles

The Marble Test is great for Ethan's posture!