Rethinking Genius

Quick (but informative!) summary/review of The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.  Link to read the full book here .

This is a question that often gets asked or, more commonly, "My baby can't even walk yet!  What could he possibly get out of a music class?  Shouldn't we wait until he can do more things?" The short answer: the earlier you start, the better! The long answer: While the nature of this question is completely  understandable, it is flawed logic.  It would be like asking, "Well, shouldn't we wait before she can read more words before reading books?" or "Shouldn't we wait until he can take more steps before we can try walking?" I make this point not to sound snarky.  As I said, it is completely understandable why parents should ask this question.  You paid money for the music class and all your child is doing is sitting there, or maybe even crying through the whole session!  My point is to underscore the fact that children--especially babies--learn by observing and then by doing .  Presenting the book to the child and letting her flip the...

I am always continually surprised how playing an instrument is always somehow "different" than other arts and pastimes.  Assumptions we would never make about other intellectual pursuits somehow become reasonable logic when learning music.  Like how the number of pieces a student knows should somehow be a reflection of the student's proficiency. Even though we must spend countless hours practicing, playing an instrument should not be a solitary activity. Nothing opens up a student musically more than playing with a group. Now, this is not to say that we cannot find enjoyment in playing alone. However, this enjoyment usually bubbles up in our adult years when music becomes a relaxing break from the stresses of real life. Children, on the other hand, need the social interaction. A good private lesson should be a mix of flexibility and correctness. A private teacher needs to be flexible enough to address the individual needs of individual students on a day-to-...

I am pleased to announce that my latest short ebook manual is now live and available for purchase! Muscle Mechanics for String Players: Achieving Proper Control While Playing a Stringed Instrument is a brief overview of muscle function and how these functions apply to a musician's body. Includes suggestions--with pictures--for stretches that will help prevent musical injuries. This work was a collaborative effort with Dr. Mark Gomez. Dr. Gomez is an expert in the field of biomechanics. He started working in the field in 1977 and has conducted extensive research, published books and given lectures and seminars in the area of biomechanics. This booklet is up for sale at most major ebook retailers.  Amazon link here .

The goal of any music teacher should not be to train a batch of perfect robots.  As tempting as it is to think that if we just went to enough training or read enough manuals we could formula the perfect  system that cracks out perfect musicians every time.  Unfortunately, this is not possible.  Because we are human and we are working with other humans.  And the only consistent thing we can count on is that humans change over time. Consider a young student just starting out on the violin.  Even IF you managed to get this four-year-old to have a flawless bow hold due to diligent practicing, this bow hold cannot possibly remain the same.  This four-year-old will eventually turn five.  He's going to get taller, his arm length will change, he will eventually need a different sized instrument, and, even if none of this happens, his bow hold will change regardless as he gets more comfortable holding it.  The way you hold and pen to sign your name ...

William "Billy" Fitzpatrick  violinist -- educator  "Process. Life is a process. Process is from birth to death. It's about how you conduct that process, not about 'will I be successful' or 'will I be famous' or 'will I be rich?' Those are irrelevant to the process. If you are clear in doing the process well, if those things happen, that's just the way it is."  William has had a truly remarkable career, having graduated from the Juilliard School of Music, been first violinist of the New York String Quartet, and served as the director of Chamber Music at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France.  His musical experiences throughout Europe, Japan and the United States have led him to positions as conductor of the Nashville Chamber and Symphony Orchestras to conductor (and founder) of L'ensemble des Deux Mondes in France, and collaborations with l'Orchestre Symphonique Francaise and The American Symphony...

...it’s about the skills you bring to the piece. This is always an interesting topic for me because not only is it something that changes with where you are in your teaching career but is also highly dependent on each student.  As a teacher I have grown to consider it my job to "hold back" the student. That's not to say that I won't move a child on to a more challenging piece when he/she is ready.  But as school becomes more and more competitive and parents, naturally, want to make sure that their kid is "keeping up," it's almost too easy to focus on the numbers.  Music doesn't have any truly quantifiable measurements... except number of pieces. What piece is YOUR child on? I'm on the FOURTH piece in the book.  I've learned THREE Vivaldi concertos. It makes a certain kind of sense why the piece number becomes the area of focus.  It represents linear progress which is easier to grasp than holistic progress.  But taken out of co...

I was contacted by the company nSpireMe to conduct a review on a new app called "Let's Play Violin."  I'd like to preface that this review is coming from the perspective of a Suzuki teacher.  So the pros and cons that I go over will be from the viewpoint of that particular approach to teaching rather than, say, a teacher leading large school classes. At first glance the app does a good job of conveying a cute, game-like quality to practicing.  There's a a monkey that gives you helpful tips and a 90 second tutorial will give you all the basics you need to know.  I noticed that there was a built-in tuner so I decided to start with that.  Suzuki students generally start lessons at a very young age so the parents are the ones in charge of tuning the instrument for quite some time.  What I liked about the tuner was that it not only registered if the string was flat or sharp but also showed you which way to turn your tuners to fix it.  This would be extre...

Hard to believe that we are already in our third year!  Early bird registration is now open for SDSI's 2019 session.  This will be our biggest year yet with lots of new class options. Here is a sneak preview for 2019 offerings: +Every Child Can (ECC) -introduction to Suzuki philosophy, prerequisite for all training +Violin Unit 1 with Cathy Lee -amazing chance to work with a world-class violin pedagogue +Cello Unit 2 with Alice Ann O’Neill* -one of the best in the cello biz *Cello Unit 1 is being offered at LA Institute this year; timing is such that you can do both! +Supplemental Viola repertoire for intermediate students with Elizabeth (Betsy) Steuen-Walker -Betsy specializes in the rare field of viola pedagogy +Teaching Alternative Styles—from improvisation to rock n’ roll—to Suzuki students with Avi Friedlander -Avi is a highly sought-after clinician who integrates jazz/pop/rock into his classical Suzuki teaching +Suzuki Early Childhood Education, Stage...

Dr. Molly Gebrian touched on a concept called "the illusion of mastery" in her Rethinking Genius interview.   Basically, it's what psychologists call it when you do something over and over again, giving yourself a false sense of mastery. Wait... if you do something over and over again, shouldn't it be mastered? Well, not always. The true test of mastery is internalization.  If you're still having to follow the directions for how to make chicken, you haven't mastered chicken cooking.  Mastery means that you've cooked chicken so many times you're no longer worried about the basics.  It also means that you are confident enough in those basics that you are able to add extra elements with some degree of certainty.  For example, you know how the chicken should be cooked even after adding a sauce or extra seasoning. In other words: you can complete the task under pressure. The physical and psychological leap from the practice room to the stage is th...