Honeybee Awareness Day!
I enjoy finding creative ways of helping students to connect with their Suzuki piano solos. When Phinizy Swamp Nature Park announced that they would be having a National Honeybee Day, I knew that it would be the perfect event for students practicing The Honeybee solo in Suzuki Piano School Bk.1! They had already been doing research about honeybees in preparation for this piece! Their assignment is posted here: Suzuki Letterboxing blog
In the spirit of this event, students read books about Honeybees from our studio library and did various honeybee piano theory homework assignments. For piano practice, beginner students worked on learning the piano solo in its original form from the Suzuki Piano School book. Students further along and learning scales were assigned to play The Honeybee in various key signatures. More advanced students composed fun variations to The Honeybee theme. (Jazz, Country & Western, etc.) Students shared their results during Performance and Theory class on Honeybee Awareness Day. After their performance, we played honeybee themed theory games created by the lovely and talented Georgina Wilson, owner of Greenside Studio in the UK! She did such a wonderful job tailoring these games for our event! My students had so much fun playing them, they went additional rounds!
After performance and theory class, parents worked together in preparing bagged lunches and we eagerly headed for Phinizy! Here are pictures of our adventurous day!
In the spirit of this event, students read books about Honeybees from our studio library and did various honeybee piano theory homework assignments. For piano practice, beginner students worked on learning the piano solo in its original form from the Suzuki Piano School book. Students further along and learning scales were assigned to play The Honeybee in various key signatures. More advanced students composed fun variations to The Honeybee theme. (Jazz, Country & Western, etc.) Students shared their results during Performance and Theory class on Honeybee Awareness Day. After their performance, we played honeybee themed theory games created by the lovely and talented Georgina Wilson, owner of Greenside Studio in the UK! She did such a wonderful job tailoring these games for our event! My students had so much fun playing them, they went additional rounds!
After performance and theory class, parents worked together in preparing bagged lunches and we eagerly headed for Phinizy! Here are pictures of our adventurous day!
Suzuki Piano Earth Day Master Class and Concert
I am grateful for my beautiful and hard working students, and the loving parents that have molded them into being this way! Each of you touch my heart even at the thought of you. I speak of you in fondness and pray for you often.
I am also thankful for my Suzuki mentor, Robin Blankenship, who was also my student's master teacher for the Earth Day Suzuki Masterclass! We thoroughly enjoyed her visit with us from Atlanta, GA, and appreciated the encouragement and wealth of knowledge that she shared with us! She is absolutely AMAZING, and demonstrates what it means to be patient and nurturing in working with students. It is evident that she is deeply passionate about what she does. I also love how she pays attention to details. ♥
I am also thankful for my Suzuki mentor, Robin Blankenship, who was also my student's master teacher for the Earth Day Suzuki Masterclass! We thoroughly enjoyed her visit with us from Atlanta, GA, and appreciated the encouragement and wealth of knowledge that she shared with us! She is absolutely AMAZING, and demonstrates what it means to be patient and nurturing in working with students. It is evident that she is deeply passionate about what she does. I also love how she pays attention to details. ♥
Robert's Ensemble Performance
Robert's special performance at an event held for his dear grandfather.
Way to go, Sweetie! I am very proud of you, and I know that Mom and Dad are also bursting with joy! Keep up the awesome work! You are setting such a fine example.
Way to go, Sweetie! I am very proud of you, and I know that Mom and Dad are also bursting with joy! Keep up the awesome work! You are setting such a fine example.
Suzuki Piano Graduation Concert
CONGRATULATIONS Suzuki Graduates Zhengyu Lu and Robert Green!!!! There were 2 lovely Suzuki concerts held on the same day. Zhengyu Lu performed at 1:00 PM, and Robert Green performed at 4:00 PM. The concerts took place at Spivey Hall - Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia.
Star Wars Week
The Force was indeed with us! Students and I had a blast at Graham's Suzuki Piano Studio for Star Wars week!
Robert's Suzuki Graduation Party
This student is absolutely EPIC!!! His performance was so beautiful that I felt tears of joy. His dad beat me to it! *giggles* We were all emotional! After he gifted us with his beautiful playing, he bowed and expressed his sincere thanks to the audience for attending his Suzuki graduation recital, and for being so supportive of him. What?!! Be still my heart! What outstanding parents to raise their children with such manners and values. To anyone viewing these picture, please understand me when I say how blessed I feel to be working with families who are ((((cream of the crop.)))) *touched* I ask myself, "How did this happen?!"......and I look to the sky above and say, "Thank you my Heavenly Father!"
Keep up the excellent work my intelligent, well-mannered, and hard working young student! He has already told me that he can't wait to start working on Suzuki Piano School bk 2! I feel exactly the same!
Suzuki Bk 2, here we come!!!!
Zhengyu's Suzuki Graduation Party
Zhengyu -people in the area call him Jerry- has successfully completed Suzuki Piano School book 1. What an accomplishment! When students press forward and stick with their studies, it is a means for celebrating! Before my students proceed on to their next book, they show what they have learned by performing all of the pieces by memory in the book that they have completed. To make it fun and entertaining, students use their imagination and create a story using the song titles from their Suzuki book throughout the story. Jerry's mom animatedly read the story during the program. When she would come to the title in the story, Jerry played the song. They created lovely pictures to share, throughout the story, with those attending. The atmosphere was like a "Musical Storytime".
Jerry did an outstanding job, playing with such beautiful touch, tone, and technique. He is the type of student that any piece or special goals I ask him to work on, he comes back the next week with the task accomplished. I love his nurturing and supportive family....and feel blessed in knowing them. It will be an honor working with Zhengyu and family on our next adventure as we joyfully dive into Suzuki piano book 2!
Suzuki Institute at the University of Louisville
My students - Robert, Mariah and their families had the joy of attending the U of L Suzuki Institute in Louisville, KY (Monday, July 21 - Friday, July 25, 2014)! Information about this event can be found here: http://www.suzukipiano.org/Institute/Index.html. On Friday, Mariah and Robert performed in the formal recital at Comstock Concert Hall. They were outstanding!!! Have to admit......I was so proud, I teared up. Will also mention that this was Robert's first recital! Here are a few photos of the event. More to come!
Many thanks to Bruce Boiney and his outstanding faculty, family and friends for all of their hard work! I am also highly appreciative of all the teachers that attended, volunteered, and were open to sharing studio tips and ideas. (((((Love you all))))) and look forward to seeing you again next year!
Japanese Piano Basics Workshop
Workshop presented by the Atlanta Area Suzuki Piano Association featuring master teachers Keiko Ogiwara and Keiko Kawamura from Matsumoto, Japan. The workshop took place at Steinway Galleries of Alpharetta. Students previously selected had the opportunity to perform in the Friendship Concert located at the beautiful Spivey Hall (Clayton State University) in Morrow, GA. My student, Mariah, performed, and I was excited and proud of her!!!