We started our Fall Semester on September 3rd, and this school year is already off to a busy start! Each student got to start off the semester with a sweet treat, made by my mother (and I helped)!
We have some exciting things planned for this month, including a trip on the 28th to the Grand Rapids Symphony where students will be able to participate in a “Play-In” in the lobby before the concert. This concert is especially fitting for my students to see as it’s titled “For the Love of Violin”!
Each of my students is also starting out the Fall Semester with one month of reviewing their old songs. Once everyone is done with their review songs, then each student gets to pick a prize out of my prize box! A key component of the Suzuki method is reviewing a unified repertoire and playing with others, and we are able to do that in group lessons and with lesson overlaps!
I’m looking forward to all of the opportunities this semester has in store for us!
I was so thrilled for my students to have an opportunity to play music outside of the Suzuki repertoire and to do so in such a casual setting. Before now, my students had only had recitals to perform at. My goal for the next school year is to increase the number of fun performance opportunities for my students so they aren’t all high-pressure situations like a recital.
Dr. B and I played duets for about an hour, and then we had our students play 6 group songs: Twinkle Variation A, Carnival in Rio and Bow River Fiddling from Magic Carpet Violin, Cabbages and Swallowtail Jig from Wee Violin, and Old MacDonald.
We are so thankful to the Ada Village Farmers Market for hosting us and can’t wait to go back next year!
Last month, we enjoyed lovely performances from nearly every one of my students. I am so humbled by the growth my studio has shown in the past three years. At my first recital, I had 13 kids perform. I had nearly 30 perform this time!
Since we have grown so much, we had to find a new venue for our recital this year. Thank you very much to St. John’s United Church of Christ for hosting us!
We had solos, duets, a trio, and even a quartet! I am so proud of the hard work everyone put into their performances. We were accompanied once again by the skilled Noah Seim and I even tried my hand at accompanying as well! Grand Rapids area teachers should consider hiring Noah for their recitals – he is fantastic at accompanying young students.
At every recital, my students start with the first variation of Twinkle. Everyone gets to play as a group regardless of how young or old they are. One of my students’ parents got a great picture of us playing twinkle, but there were so many of us that not everyone is pictured!
This year I started including Pre-Twinklers in performances. At the start of the show, we sang the Rest Position Song and “played” Pop Goes the Weasel. Later in the program, all of my Pre-Twinklers played an open string duet with me from the books Wee Violin and Magic Carpet Violin.
Towards the end of the program, my more advanced students played some ensemble music.
And now with the recital behind us, we are well into the summer. I’m enjoying slower days and sunny weather, while also looking forward to getting back into the swing of things next year!
What a year it’s been! I’m so thankful for all of the opportunities I’ve had this past year and it makes me feel very fortunate to look back on what I’ve been able to do. When we are caught up in the grind and just getting by day to day, it can be hard to remember how much we have accomplished. I encourage everyone to do a yearly reflection and give yourself some credit for your hard work too!
Below are just 5 (of many!!) highlights from this past year.
I performed at 26 wedding ceremonies.
I originally started the year with a limit of 24 weddings. After the whirlwind that was 2021, I felt that I needed to limit the amount of weddings I was doing for my own sanity and for the quality of my performances. I ended up adding on 2 more, but am proud of myself for sticking so close to the original number I gave myself! A lot of planning goes into each wedding, so limiting them ensures that I am consistently providing my best work.
I started the year with 15 students and ended it with 27.
This is especially crazy, because my goal was 20! I am finally at a point where I don’t need to rely on gigs to supplement my teaching income. The constant plugging myself and posting on wedding sites appear to be in my rearview mirror- and hopefully I can keep it that way!
I recorded an album!
Albeit small (only about 30 minutes of music), my string quartet worked very hard and hired a sound engineer (Chris Avison at McBride Studio) to record music for my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary. They have exclusive access to the full album, but you can listen to clips on my About Page.
I Completed Book 2 Training.
It seems so long ago that it wasn’t even part of this year, but in February of this year I completed my Book 2 training with Jenna Potts. It was a very thorough class and I learned so much about teaching and Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy. I’m really looking forward to continuing my education in the Suzuki Program!
I held my first studio recital!
Words cannot express just how much pride I felt when I watched my students, aged 5-adult perform songs that they had worked so hard to prepare. My heart was bursting to see even my most nervous students perform so well. Each student put in so much work and the reward was a beautiful performance.
I’m looking forward to using these experiences to help me grow in 2023!
The Boho-Chic style is known for its earthy tones, natural textures, eclectic combinations, and a Beauty-in-the-Natural-Chaos vibe. If I could use three words to describe this style, I’d take them right from the Beatles: “Let it Be”. With a style so easily detectable to the eye, you wouldn’t think it’d be so tough to nail down what the specific “sound” this style would have, but it’s actually pretty broad! When I sat down and really thought about it and started reading about this style and how it could relate to music, I found that I was drawn to songs with more of a walking-tempo, a simple melody, and an acoustic-feel rather than electronic or pop. The 5 songs I have listed below are what I think would be a lovely addition to your Boho-Chic wedding, all of which are on my repertoire list!
Love Someone – Lukas Graham
Perfect for some prelude music before the ceremony!
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
This would be a great song for parents, grandparents, and the wedding party to Process to.
Speechless – Dan + Say
I have done this for Bridal Processions and I think it’s just the perfect song for it!
Better Together – Jack Johnson
This classic would be the perfect song to recess to.
I had my first ever student recital. We started the event off with a group rendition of Twinkle Variation A, then 13 of my students gave beautiful performances. All of them played so well, and it’s so impressive to think that about half of them couldn’t even play the violin this time last year!
My grandma played the piano for 13 of the 14 who performed (one played solo). She also was great! I am so thankful to her for sharing her skill with us and helping make the day special. She committed lots of time to rehearsing, as each of my students got to rehearse with her in a lesson, at a dress rehearsal, and at my June group lesson.
Thank you also to Davin with Sound Check at Lowell United Methodist Church for allowing us to use this space. It was the perfect size for us!!
Buddy & Bean Flower Farm put together a beautiful arrangement to honor my grandma, and I really recommend her work !
I can’t forget my mom, who made cookies and fruit kebabs for everyone!!
And lastly thank you to my students and their families!!! I am so proud of everyone who performed and I am so happy with how far you all have come. Happy Summer!!
Traditional Weddings are classy, elegant, and a lot of couples’ dreams come true! I’ve done lists of unconventional music before, but here is a list of my favorite elegant, traditional music for a classic wedding.
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, by JS Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring is great, because it can be used for prelude music, processional music, recessional music, or even for a unity candle! This timeless melody flows effortlessly and is perfect for weddings because there are multiple places to stop without feeling abrupt. That means your quartet can cadence and end a song gracefully, regardless of when your party is finished processing down the aisle or whenever you’re done lighting your unity candle!
Wachet Auf, by JS Bach
Another classic, this piece has another versatile melody that will flow well wherever you place it! Its tempo is perfect for a relaxed march down the aisle, and the melody is simple enough to set the mood for a unity candle without distracting from what’s going on. Perfect for classy wedding ceremonies!
Trumpet Voluntary, by Jeremiah Clarke
No trumpet needed to play this iconic wedding piece! This march was composed for royalty, and who doesn’t want to feel like a prince or princess on their special day? This is a great processional piece that will have your wedding guests feeling like they’re attending a royal wedding.
Solomon: Entrance of the Queen of Sheba, by George Frideric Handel
This fun, upbeat piece is great for a recessional! Handel wrote this piece as part of his oratorio, Solomon. The Queen of Sheba had taken a long journey to arrive at Solomon’s Court. Triumphant and Joyous, this piece is the perfect song to signify that you, too, have arrived at the end of your long journey of engagement and will leave the ceremony newly married.
Canon in D Major, by Johann Pachelbel
I’d be crazy to leave this off the list! Pachelbel’s one hit wonder, Canon in D, has survived centuries because of its soothing, beautiful melody. This is truly the staple of a traditional wedding ceremony, and it will fit wherever you place it. Like Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, this is a great piece for processionals or unity candle lighting because there are many places where your quartet can cadence and end gracefully when music is no longer needed.
Jenna Michael, violin, Krista Archambault, violin, Jamie Listh, viola, Kevin Sweers, cello
What are your favorite wedding songs? Let me know in the comments below!
New Year’s Day and the first few weeks of January are always great times to check in, reflect, and set new goals. I’ve found that I grew more from the teachers who set clear goals for me than the ones who played things more by ear, and I strive each year to be a better teacher for my students! So, in addition to more personalized goals for each individual student, here are three goals I would like to see allof my students reach this year.
Practice and Listen More Often.
When you teach 3-12 year olds, it can be hard to find a good practice/listening and life balance. Even harder when you personally have struggled with debilitating burnout in the past. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve gotten a bit lax with my practice requirements and I haven’t always been persistent in having my students listen to their music each week. I struggle a lot with seeing where the line is between encouraging a love of music by keeping lessons fun and doing a disservice to my students by not encouraging them to meet their full potential. I also think that telling each student to practice every day is not realistic, and it’s kind of a cop-out. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could practice every day, work out every day, work on our jobs and our side hustles every day (or go to school!), and never experience an ounce of stress, burnout, or injury!
Practicing every day will surely help you improve faster than the students who don’t. I’m sure Ray Chen, Hillary Hahn, and other famous violinists do, in fact, practice nearly every day. I had many college professors who insisted we practice every day. But, I’ll let you in on a secret: I’ve never met an adult musician who has spent their life practicing each and every day at the expense of sleep, rest, and sometimes their health, who is also consistently happy, has appropriate social skills, and doesn’t hold an unhealthy resentment towards those who don’t fit their idea of what it means to “work hard”. So, even though I realize I’m in the minority when I say this, I don’t think my students should practice every day. Instead, what I tell them is that they should practice most days. I think you should take a look at a student’s work load and work together towards practice goals that make sense for each individual student.
That said, my strong feelings against the side hustle and burnout culture have made it very hard for me to understand where I need to draw a line. I think it’s possible to acknowledge and encourage my students not to overdo it and also set firm boundaries on how much they should be practicing and listening to their music. This is also an expectation that needs to be stated clearly with the parents. Kids are just that: kids. They need reminders. It’s my job to make sure the parent knows what is expected of both them and their children. My goal for them is to establish a workable practice and listening routine so that my students are practicing more.
Explore New Music.
I love the Suzuki books. They’re set up in a way that makes sense to me and I believe that as you continue through each book, the skills you learn from each song build on each other. But they’re not diverse. I think most, if not all, of these songs were not even written in the same century that our students are growing up in. Classical music is great, but it’s far from the only thing out there and it would be silly to think that all of my students go home and blast Tchaik 5 or the New World Symphony. I want them to listen to music that is being made today, whether that is from contemporary violinists, jazz musicians, or pop artists. Being able to listen to music and not do anything else, just listen and enjoy it, is totally underrated and personally, I think it’s healing and a very healthy thing for us all to do. My goal is to help them eventually take self-guided explorations with new music without me encouraging it. But for now I can send home some fun assignments! 😉
Have More Confidence
This is something I ALWAYS have on my list of goals for my students. Life has a way of getting you down, and social media can make it easy to compare ourselves to others who seemingly have it together more than we do. If my students only do one thing in 2022, I hope that they become more comfortable with their instrument, are proud of themselves for doing so, and in turn, have the confidence to keep playing.
Traditional Celtic music is a broad genre that evolved out of the folk traditions of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. While there is a lot of diversity in the genre, it’s often easily recognizable by its care-free lilt and whimsy. If you’re looking for a romantic, yet natural and whimsical atmosphere for your wedding, setting the mood with music is an absolute must! Here are my top picks for Celtic-Style Music for weddings!
August 19 by April Verch
April Verch is a Canadian Fiddler who wrote this song for her friends’ wedding. This song was literally written to be played at weddings!
Si Bheag, Si Mor
Michael Kelly explains the meaning of the title (and then some) translates to “So big, So little”. This song is particularly special to me because I walked down the aisle to it at my own wedding!
The Ashgrove
This lovely song is also the tune to a Christian hymn. Played by yours truly!
Give Me Your Hand
Being a little more lively and rustic-sounding, this song provides a great beat for you to either walk down the aisle to or use as a recessional song.
Danny Boy
This is perhaps one of the most iconic Irish Ballads. This gorgeous melody would fit anywhere in your ceremony as processional music, music for a unity ceremony, or even the recessional.
Honorable Mentions:
Ashokan Farewell
Red Red Rose
A River Boat’s Gone – Also by living composer April Verch
Did you know that violins come in multiple different sizes? It’s true! While most adults play on full size violins, there are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10, and even 1/16 size violins for children. Whether your child is 3, 7, 14, or even if you’re an adult student yourself, getting the right size violin is crucial to learning the instrument. For children who need a fractional sized instrument, getting them the right size violin will allow them to handle the violin much better than they would with a violin that is too big.
Won’t my child grow into a full size violin?
While, yes, your child will very likely grow into a full size instrument, there are several reasons why this logic will end up hurting them in the long run. First, when I say “hurt”, I partly mean that quite literally and physically. Holding the violin is not natural – meaning no other time in life are you likely to hold up your left arm over to the side of you in the way you would to hold a violin. Even without an instrument to hold up, your arm is probably going to get tired after a few minutes of holding it up if you’ve never done this before! Violins seem like such little things, but they’re heavy when you hold one for extended periods of time. If your body hasn’t developed the necessary muscles and endurance to comfortably hold a violin for extended periods of time, we risk injuring the student by overusing the muscle. The smaller the violin, the lighter it is. If your child has the benefit of being able to start on a smaller size instrument, you will be doing them a favor as they will be able to develop their muscles slowly over time rather than rapidly putting stress on them.
Second, a smaller child is set up for failure if their instrument is too big to handle. We need to be able to move around freely on the fingerboard in order to play the instrument. There is a lot of work in the first year (and many times longer) with posture (holding the instrument correctly). The most common thing I see when a child has an instrument that is too big for them is that they’re not able to hold it properly. They need to have a straight left wrist in order to comfortably access every note on the fingerboard. If they’re struggling to reach the top of the neck of the instrument in the first place, they don’t have a chance of keeping that wrist straight. This will cause (on top of constant nagging from their teacher) them to play out of tune, making it extremely difficult for them to develop their ears. Playing in tune is a challenge when everything is set up right – it’s near impossible if the student also has other factors working against them.
All of this is sure to frustrate the student, and in my experience, they will be more frustrated than they will have fun. They will hurt, their teacher will be nagging them constantly about their posture, and they won’t be able to make a nice sound with their instrument. No child wants to fail. Having an instrument that is too big for your child will likely result in them losing interest.
Buying multiple instruments for my child as they grow sounds expensive.
I have great news! In a lot of areas, you can rent string instruments. When your child outgrows theirs, you turn in the violin for a bigger one. I recommend renting your first instrument to everyone, even if they’re an adult student who will be starting on a full size instrument to begin with. Here’s why: how many times have you or your kid been ALL about something, totally invested, can’t get enough… just to lose interest in a few months? I love the violin, but I’m not foolish enough to believe that it’s for everyone. It’s a rewarding, but very challenging, skill. To put it bluntly: the violin is too hard to enjoy if you just “kinda” like it. Renting an instrument is a smart option financially if you’re unsure of the commitment.
In Grand Rapids we’re lucky to have Meyer Music – your one stop shop for getting sized, renting, and helping with repairs for your instrument. If you go during normal business hours during the week, they’ll even change a broken string for you while you wait. All included in the rental fee! If recommend Meyer Music to all of my new students. If you’re not in the Grand Rapids area, Shar Music does online rentals. Even though they’re based out of Ann Arbor, they will ship you a rental instrument. They’ll help guide you through the process of measuring your child to see which size violin is right for them as well.
I would love to hear from you! Let me know what your thoughts are about this below!
She committed lots of time to rehearsing, as each of my students got to rehearse with her in a lesson, at a dress rehearsal, and at my June group lesson. 
!
