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  • youth ages 3-18 learning to play violin and cello in order to grow RICH Changemaker Skills:

    • Resilience

    • Innovation 

    • Collaboration 

    • Higher Order Thinking

    • cultivating a Studio Culture & Teaching Approach using the world-class Suzuki method & social justice practices aka "Equity Pedagogy".

    • ​studying genres with historical significance to our cities during annual Place-based Music Celebration workshop series, performance, and an album release. We do this to develop positive cultural identities in our students as city residents and as Black, Indigenous & Youth of Color (over half of Youth Volume). 

    • making quality arts education accessible to families experiencing systematized oppression with grassroots student recruitment strategies and by maintaining a community-supported fund for financial aid.

    • striving towards racial and economic justice, both as a community of people and a non-profit, through our practices inside and outside of the classroom.

    • queer-owned and operated.

What We
Offer 

        The Suzuki Method

 

  1. Private Lessons & Group Class - both are required. This allows for a rich music education in which students get individualized instruction and also learn to play with a group, developing empathy for others.

 

  1. Parent participation - one caretaker is required to attend every lesson, take notes and facilitate home practice until child is able to practice independently. This job can be shared by more than one caretaker but they must communicate with each other consistently to best support the child.

 

  1. Early beginning -  traditionally between 3 & 5 years old but children can begin anytime.

 

  1. Positive learning environment - teachers use nurturing language and strategies to encourage confidence and emotional resilience which leads to will for mastery. Parents are guided to use the same language and approach at home during daily practice.   

 

  1. Ear before eye note-reading - students learn to read notes after they have a solid foundation of musicality,strong posture and are reading words at school

 

  1. Repetition - often skills are learned by practicing a section or exercise over and over

 

  1. Review - we play the songs we know every week during practice and performances. Songs are not “done” and forgotten after they are memorized. This allows students to keep all of their techniques sharp to support them in learning new songs. It also keeps confidence up for children to hear themselves play songs beautifully while they are learning more difficult songs simultaneously. 

 

  1. Step-by-step & layered learning - students given small, achievable sections of the new song each week, instead of the entire piece. Before they have memorized this song, teacher begins a “preview” of the next songs. The child sees themselves constantly progressing with this approach and develops a will for mastery, always excited and happy to learn more because they are confident they can do it.

 

  1. Internationally-used repertoire - Songs from Suzuki books 1 through 10 are played by children all over the world!


Listening - students are expected to listen to the Suzuki songs daily to support their learning

When I really play my violin just right
I feel apart of the audience.

Ashanti Norwood

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