Fall Break

This is a reminder to all in-home lessons that this week is fall break and there are no lessons. Lessons in Oberlin will proceed as usual.

Fall Recital

I was so proud of everyone today! Your playing was beautiful and uplifting! The residents at St. Mary of the Woods loved hearing your beautiful music and were impressed by your well-prepared and polished playing. They even broadcasted the performance to the rooms of residents who were not able to come down to hear it. Great job!

Great Concert Opportunity!

This week's "Friday at 7" with the Cleveland Orchestra is featuring the Tchiakovsky Violin Concerto! It is Friday night at 7:00 (one hour earlier than their typical concerts) and lasts only one hour. This is a fabulous opportunity! See more details at the Cleveland Orchestra link in the sidebar.

Avon Parents' Meeting Follow-up

Thank you all for coming to our parents' meeting, and thank you to Ellie Beckett for her willingness to host us. I hope you found the meeting worthwhile. Many of you expressed that these meetings are helpful to you and I will continue running them from time to time as long as you benefit from them.

One of the things we discussed at the meeting was having a "Parents' Corner" on the blog. Each month one of the studio families will share an experience (good or bad) from that month's Suzuki studies (lessons, practice, performance, group class, etc.). We can all benefit from hearing each others' successes and struggles. As Suzuki parents we are bound to run into the same scenarios and knowing what did and didn't work for others can be of great use to us. We will proceed in alphabetical order. Simply email me your text and I will post it on the blog. I think it will be wonderful!

October - Beckett
November - Bodan

That will get us going.

Oberlin parents: the meeting was in Avon for my away students, but I would love all Suzuki parents to participate. Please send me an email or comment here if you are willing to participate. Thank you!

Parents' Meeting

Reminder: This Thursday, September 29, we will be having a parents' meeting instead of group class. Please bring your child's instrument at a pitch pipe or electric tuner - whatever you use to tune your child's instrument at home.  I look forward to seeing you all there!

Fall Studio Recital

Our Fall Recital is coming up on Saturday, October 15 at 11:00 A.M. at St. Mary of the Wood's Retirement Center in Avon. Steve Huff has agreed to play piano for us again and has set aside rehearsal time in Oberlin (355 W College St.) from 10:00-12:00 in the morning on Saturday, October 9. You can send me an email or respond here to sign up for a rehearsal time.

Cooper International Violin Competition

Grace and Katherine attended some of the events at the Cooper International Violin Competition held at Oberlin Conservatory a few weeks ago.  They heard some of the semi-finalists play, the winners' concert, and masterclasses by David Cerone and my own conservatory professor, Milan Vitek. They had a fabulous time, learned many new things about violin playing, and were inspired by the beautiful music of the young performers. They are already planning to set aside the whole week when the competition returns in 2013.

Perlman Concert

I just returned from the Itzhak Perlman concert. It was fabulous! It is always a surreal experience to see such a legend in person. His arms were so loose and relaxed and his joy for the music he performed was nearly tangible.  He graced the standing audience with five encores!

Itzhak Perlman

Itzhak Perlman is arguably the most beloved violinist of the past century. He will be playing in Finney Chapel at Oberlin College on Sunday, September 11. Tickets just went on sale. If they aren't gone get one as soon as you can!

Concerts About Town

A few notes about the link list on the right:

One of the best things about living in this part of the world is the proximity to the Cleveland Orchestra. For those of you who are unaware, the Cleveland Orchestra is arguably the best orchestra in the United States if not in the world. Cleveland Orchestra concerts usually start at 8 P.M., which can be late for young children. If a violin soloist is being featured they will perform in the first half of the concert. If your child can't make it through the whole performance at least go to the first half. You'll still get more than your money's worth. Also the orchestra has a new program called "Friday's at 7" that feature shorter concerts earlier in the evening.

The Oberlin Recital Series is always fabulous and includes a concert by Itzhak Perlman on September 11 that no one should miss.  (More on that later.)

All Oberlin Conservatory events outside of the Artist Recital Series are free! There are often concerts earlier in the evenings and even weekend afternoons. This is a fabulous opportunity to hear exceptional musicians -- one that you wouldn't have in many other parts of the world. Take advantage!

Welcome!

Dear Studio Families,

I wanted to create an online forum where I can post information about upcoming events, and where we can discuss and share our triumphs and challenges. I hope this will prove useful to you as you pursue your Suzuki violin studies.