Sunday, November 4, 2012

Say Yes To What? A response to the recent Metro Parent article 11/1/12

In Sue Campbell’s recent Metro Parent article Say Yes To Music Lessons, the lack of mutually supportive conversation about the many approaches to music education saddened me. While I think it is fantastic to describe the options available, parents want facts, not opinion based in judgment and collegial partisanship. Because of this, Campbell’s article reads as biased, and I am pressed to understand how it helps parents make an informed choice?

photo by Hada Salinas-Pereyra
These two comments seemed particularly unhelpful: “Violin can be an option for young children, but it’s a very disciplined instrument [Fara] Heath cautions”(12). And Rachel Portnoy Bradley’s “I always shudder a little when a parent says, ‘I’m going make him play violin'"(12). The root of the word Discipline is from the Latin Discipula which simply means "student". The verb Discere means "to learn". The word discipline, however, is often confused with punishment or forcing, which the speakers and author of Say Yes To Music Lessons seem to have fallen victim to. There is no place for forcing or punishment in modern pedagogy.

Discipline means giving life to learning, a kind of learning that opens the door to creativity. Creativity blossoms when a container has been lovingly built over time, from which inspired artistry can eventually be expressed. Because playing the violin or any stringed instrument is an embodied, sensorial, cognitive experience, it requires a whole approach to create meaningful learning, making early childhood an auspicious and objectively proven time for creating meaningful knowledge of the musical language and the embodied expression of it.

In the Suzuki ECE classes, children learn in a loving, interactive, age appropriate way how to discipline or bring their body and mind to life in a way that will help them creatively express their thoughts and feelings through the musical language. Suzuki Early Childhood students experience the sights and sounds of different instruments to support both parent and child as they mutually choose an instrument that they will start after age 3. And because we are human, learning to play a stringed instrument at any age is a long-term process that is an ever maturing journey through the creative process where the full range of human emotions (including fun) are experienced as part of the whole approach to music education.

The comment Sue Campbell made under the auspices of "many music educators" agreeing to starting a child on an instrument at 4 or 5 years of age; and the views cited above by Heath and Bradley, are opinion. None is fact. 

There are many children who are ready much younger depending on their early childhood music education experiences. There is objective proof that babies can experience and understand complex rhythms, however, children who grow to be 4, 5 and 6 years of age who have not interacted with complex rhythms have difficulty understanding them. When students begin at age 4-6 without interactive early childhood music classes, they can experience difficulties hearing and understanding the complexities, so the teacher might suggest they wait until they are older, as Sue Campbell also did. 

It's time to move out of this paradigm and into one of deeper understanding of how musical knowledge is created. Music is a language and like any language, waiting until a child is 4 or 5 or older, doesn't make it easier to learn. 

My own comments in Campbell's article were perilously close to being out of context, so I also wonder about those of my colleagues? I hope for Metro Parent to find a way to represent all aspects of music education without maligning any one or supporting another. There are as many ways to succeed as there are different parenting philosophies. And it is my hope that parents will find the philosophy that best suits their educational goals for their children.

Catherine Whelan

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i1UtouAZ0H4

TEDx Conference, April, 2012, Portland Oregon; Performance featuring the Portland Youth Philharmonic including a number of students who received their foundational training in the SuzukiPortland Violin & Viola Program.
The Fiddle Workshop was fabulous.

"She found the instructor to be helpful, kind and appreciated his cues." Parent, 2012

"My daughter loved the workshop and is interested in joining again. Please let me know when the next workshop will be. Thanks!" Parent, 2012

Take a look: http://youtu.be/gK1EKvHKTTw

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Fiddle Workshop with George Penk and Heather Pinney

Hello Fiddlers and fiddling want to be's!

On Sunday May 27, 2012 from 4-6p the SuzukiPortland Violin & Viola Program will be presenting a fiddling workshop for children age 4-18 who can play by ear at a minimum level of early Suzuki Book Two. Instructors George Penk and Heather Pinney will teach a medley of three contra dance tunes and a waltz. Everyone welcome. To register, email Catherine Whelan at Catherine@SuzukiPortland.com.

Suzuki Baby Class teaches music as a mother tongue

Suzuki Baby Class is an interactive, structured, unique and beautiful experience for babies with their parent to learn western tonality as a mother tongue. While I don't have any scientific evidence to prove that humans actually inherit genetic tone deafness (as so many people want me think of them) there is now scientific evidence that babies can learn music as a mother tongue from the moment they are born through interactive rather than passive musical experiences. Dr. Laurel Trainor, director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind says,"Our results suggest that the infant brain might be particularly plastic with regard to musical exposure."(Science Daily) This study can be found at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120509123653.htm.

Science Daily goes on to quote Trainor, "'Babies who participated in the interactive music classes with their parents showed earlier sensitivity to the pitch structure in music, says Trainor. Specifically, they preferred to listen to a version of a piano piece that stayed in key, versus a version that included out-of-key notes. Infants who participated in the passive listening classes did not show the same preferences. Even their brains responded to music differently. Infants from the interactive music classes showed larger and/or earlier brain responses to musical tones. The non-musical differences between the two groups of babies were even more surprising, say researchers.'"

Science Daily reports, "Babies from the interactive classes showed better early communication skills, like pointing at objects that are out of reach, or waving goodbye. Socially, these babies also smiled more, were easier to soothe, and showed less distress when things were unfamiliar or didn't go their way."

Suzuki Baby Classes are offered every Wednesday morning at the SuzukiPortland Studio.

Catherine Whelan
503 244 6190

Monday, September 20, 2010

In collaboration with Rose City Music Academy, Valdine Mishkin, director of SuzukiLakeOswego and Catherine Whelan, director of SuzukiPortland will be bringing Ed Sprunger, author of Helping Parents Practice to Portland for a Suzuki Violin Workshop on January 22-23, 2011. The first day will be devoted to supporting and inspiring parents and teachers, the second day to inspiring students.

Workshop Outline

Saturday January 22 (For Parents and Teachers)
Every Child Can! will be offered. Every Child Can!© (ECC) is an introduction to Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy and its application to Suzuki education. For parents, teachers, prospective teachers and others, this course provides an inspiring, in-depth look at the Suzuki approach to teaching and learning.

In addition to exploring the elements of the Suzuki approach and its far-reaching goals, it includes an introduction to learning styles, history of the development of Suzuki education, the role of parents, the importance of Suzuki pedagogical training, and an overview of the SAA’s role in supporting teachers and parents. A fast-paced, engaging and inspiring program, ECC includes video materials and SAA-developed courseware, and provides each participant with useful reference materials (manuals) for later study. For teachers, ECC serves as the first course in the Suzuki Association of the Americas’ Teacher Development Program.

Taught by Ed Sprunger, author of Helping Parents Practice, this class is sure to be lively and thought provoking. Parents from any Suzuki studio are welcome as are all Suzuki teachers be they prospective or practicing.

Sunday January 23 (For Students)
Three hours of Master Classes will take place at Lewis and Clark College in the Evans Music Center with Ed Sprunger. We will add a fourth hour if there is a demand.

The workshop will also include a one hour multi-level group class taught by Ed Sprunger. There is a fun-filled learning opportunity for participants to sign-up for the group class only. This is a multi-level class and is sure to be inspiring.

The multi-level group class will be open to any Suzuki student who wishes to attend so feel free to sign-up together with your friends in various studios.

Fees

The fee for the Every Child Can! class for parents and teachers is $100.

The fee for the student workshop is $45 for the masterclass and group class. The group class only is $20.

For an application, email catherine@suzukiportland.com

I look forward to seeing you at the workshop!
Catherine

Tuesday, August 10, 2010


Dr. Laurel Trainor, of the McMaster Institute For Music And The Mind presented groundbreaking research on the Suzuki Baby Music Class and its impact on infant development.

“The results indicate that active musical participation accelerates musical acquisition compared to passive listening when appropriate pedagogical approaches are used.

Participating in the Suzuki Baby Class is a unique and special opportunity for Portland children unlike any other early childhood music class.



Call Catherine at 503 244 6190 for more information or read http://www.suzukiportland.com/earlychildhood.html



SuzukiPortland Baby Class
Wednesdays 10-11 AM
1/5 - 4/20, 2011

SuzukiPortland & SuzukiLakeOswego Early Childhood Violin & Cello Program
Fridays 10-11 AM & 6-7 PM
1/7 - 4/22, 2011
503 244 6190 - violin/Catherine Whelan
504 635 3742 - cello/Valdine Mishkin