On Sunday, June 5, 2022, our Suzuki Violin, Flute, and Bass faculty, students and families all got together for our Spring Recitals. We had five recitals spread throughout the day showcasing the hard work of our students and their wonderful playing.
Our Suzuki Piano Department had their Spring Piano Festival on Sunday, June 5th. This concert is a fun one full of collaborations with their teachers, parents, siblings, and friends. It also includes lots of music outside of the Suzuki repertoire.
Pieces performed included: The Typewriter, Over the Rainbow, Zorro’s Theme, Linus and Lucy, Watermelon Man, Take Five, Let it Go, and much, much more!
We are so proud of all of the wonderful performances by our Suzuki Piano Department!
The Suzuki Program’s cello, bass, and piano students performed at Open Stages 2022, BKCM’s huge outdoor fundraiser, on Saturday, May 21st, 2022.
We had piano students performing solos, the cello and bass students performing a Play Down Festival, and the advanced cello and bass students performing ensemble pieces like “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter, “The Pink Panther Theme”, and “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey.
Before our Mid-Winter break (no classes Sunday, February 20 – Saturday, February 26) please register for our upcoming Suzuki Practice-A-Thon, which begins the day we come back from the break, Sunday, February 27, and culminates with the outdoor Suzuki Benefit on Saturday, March 12!
The two-week period of the Practice-A-Thon and Suzuki Benefit is an incredibly exciting and important time for the Suzuki program. This period is a chance to encourage and celebrate our students for their admirable growth and unparalleled commitment. It also allows us to raise financial aid for the program, so that a wider range of students might experience the benefits of the Suzuki method.
The entire Suzuki program will work together this year with two goals in mind: first, to beat last year’s Practice-A-Thon participation rate, then, to practice a certain amount during the two-week period in order to unlock perks for the in-person Suzuki Benefit on March 12.
We’ll be tracking student participation with a Cooperative Sundae, and there are exciting perks at each level! The more participation, the better the party (and the more ice cream)!
So, download the Suzuki Practice Tracker, register for the Practice-A-Thon on Do-Jiggy, and invite your friends and family to sponsor your child’s work! You can also visit the event website to make a donation, access a social media toolkit and more.
Nora Friedman led an insightful Practice Strategies conversation with parents on Zoom on Wednesday, February 2nd.
One of the main topics discussed included doing your best to find empathy for your child when they’re having trouble with something. It can be tough at the end of a long day, when you’re trying to squeeze in a practice session to try to empathize with your child and how they might be feeling. We also discussed ways to show more empathy during practice time, and how to navigate times when kids are feeling anxious about doing something that seems challenging. Parents shared experiences with their children, and teachers offered advice and insights.
One idea that seemed really helpful: During practice time, imagine that your child is a friend who is telling you about an important experience they just had. Imagine what your reaction would be with a friend. This will most likely lead to a less critical perspective, and a friendlier demeanor than we might fall into with close family members, with whom we might feel frustrated or have very high expectations and hopes for. Sometimes an enthusiastic “WOW!” or “Do that again!” is a great way to buy more time.
There were also a number of resources that came up that might be useful:
We were so happy to have the parents and teachers who joined us, and are looking forward to continuing the conversation to discuss other facets of practicing in the near future!
On Saturday, October 30, 2021 our Suzuki Piano students performed in a spooktastic Halloween themed concert at St. John’s of Park Slope. Here are some pictures from that event!
Photos by Joseph Cochran. For more photos from this event, visit our Flickr Page!
On October 24, 2021 we held a Halloween themed Performance Class! Performance Classes are an opportunity for students to practice performing in front of people in a more informal setting. Every year, we hold a Halloween themed Performance Class where the students are encouraged to dress in costume! Enjoy these pictures taken by Pam Wong!
On October 17, 2021, the BKCM Suzuki Community celebrated Dr. Shinichi Suzuki’s birthday with cupcakes, snacks, and music performed by our faculty members!
Cupcakes for. Dr. Suzuki’s Birthday! Photo by Pam Wong
Families gathered to celebrate and even sang “Happy Birthday” to Dr. Suzuki.
Some of our Suzuki families enjoying some snacks. Photo by Pam Wong
Paloma Ferrante, one of our Suzuki Cello Faculty members performed some solo Bach for our families.
Paloma Ferrante, Suzuki Cello faculty. Photo by Pam Wong
Here is Shayna Dulberger, our Suzuki Bass teacher performing “Go Tell Aunt Rhody”, a Suzuki classic.
Shayna Dulberger, Suzuki bass faculty. Photo by Pam Wong
And some of our Violin and Guitar faculty teamed up to perform some Telemann Violin Concerto for four violins. Ty Citerman gave this piece a new sound by jumping in and performing the fourth violin part on guitar!
Nora Friedman, Julianne Carney-Chung, Rebecca Chaqor, and Ty Citerman, Suzuki Violin and Guitar faculty. Photo by Pam Wong
We hope you all had a great time, and look forward to celebrating Dr. Suzuki’s Birthday again next year!
Suzuki families celebrating Dr. Suzuki’s birthday. Photo by Pam Wong