Isabelle went to the Northern California Suzuki Institute in Santa Rosa in the middle of July. To be honest, initially we were a little overwhelmed by being in a violin-intensive environment. It was one thing to practice with a group of people you get to know over the years and then continue with the rest of your life -- play dates, school, etc. I wondered if I had made the right decision for us to attend.
Once we got our footing however, it turned out to be a fantastic experience. We stayed in the dorms, which was a good decision. You really get to be part of the whole environment when you stay there. The teachers were terrific -- passionate, dedicated, and talented. And of course, the other children were inspiring.
It was a long day of violin. First we had a master class with Mrs. Hirata who trained under Suzuki himself. Then we had a Repetoire class, then a Dance class. We then broke for lunch. After lunch was the Pre-reading Music class and finally the Technique class. The hours ran from 9 a.m.-3 pm.
At around 4 pm, we headed straight to the pool for some well-deserved R & R. That was really the best time to bond with the other children. We had dinner at 6 pm and then just relaxed together on the grass the rest of the evening with some other folks. We turned in at about 9-9:30 pm to the sounds of violins.
After the week, I noticed Isabelle took much more pride in her playing and more ownership of the instrument as a whole. I think we'll go back next year, and I would definitely recommend Santa Rosa. If you can, try and tag a couple of extra days on to the trip to drive to the coast, visit San Francisco. It all so close.
