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Are You and Your Child Frustrated During Practice Time?

Do you feel like your child is resistant or allergic to practice? Does practice time seem an unproductive battle? Let’s pause for a moment and think about the reasons why you are studying an instrument in the first place. Why? As a teachers, the reasons why we teach are usually pretty similar. Our love of Read more about Are You and Your Child Frustrated During Practice Time?[…]

3 Reasons to Practice Every Day!

What a great quote from Dr. Suzuki! You’ve probably heard your teacher say something like this in the past. They’re simply trying to encourage their students to treat practice more like eating, rather than schoolwork. Right? The truth is, how you view practice, impacts how you play and perform. The performance is the outcome that Read more about 3 Reasons to Practice Every Day![…]

8 Rules For Caring For Your Instrument in the Hot and Cold Months

Emily Bauerlein, BSS Violin & Viola Instructor Caring For Your Instrument in the Hot and Cold Months   Taking care of our instruments is one of the most important things to do. When we are living in an area, such as Buffalo, we can never really know what the weather will be from one day Read more about 8 Rules For Caring For Your Instrument in the Hot and Cold Months[…]

How Do I Work on Tone at Home?

This questions came up in a cello lesson recently. I asked my student to work on finding a beautiful sound, and his grandfather asked, “how do we do that at home?” Dr. Suzuki said, “raise your ability with a piece you can play.” What does it mean? It means to work on HOW to play Read more about How Do I Work on Tone at Home?[…]

How Do I Know if My Teacher is Qualified To Teach The Suzuki Method?

All teachers trained in Suzuki Method go through a similar process, administered through the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA). First, each new teacher must submit a video of their playing, which is then reviewed by a committee to ensure that all teachers taking training classes are competent on their instrument. After being accepted, each Read more about How Do I Know if My Teacher is Qualified To Teach The Suzuki Method?[…]

When should classical guitar strings be changed?

Peter Zalocha, BSS Guitar Instructor When should classical guitar strings be changed? Nylon guitar strings are constantly under approximately 90lbs of tension when in tune. That, and daily practice can seem to wear the strings out rather quickly! Generally, bass strings wear out more quickly than treble strings, and it makes sense to purchase extra Read more about When should classical guitar strings be changed?[…]

Is My Child Progressing at a Normal Rate?

Emily Greetham, BSS Violin Instructor   “Is my child progressing at a normal rate?” I heard this question many times during parent-teacher conferences at Buffalo Suzuki Strings. I found this question difficult to answer. After pondering this question a bit more, I have a few thoughts to share. I’m not sure there is a “normal” Read more about Is My Child Progressing at a Normal Rate?[…]

Suzuki Early Childhood Music: Zero through 3 is so young!

Kela Walton, Suzuki Early Childhood Music & Harp Instructor Zero through age 3 seems so young, what can children possibly gain from the class?   These classes give children a big head start. Brain research tells us that much learning happens before age three. Science continues to prove that in these first years visual, spatial, Read more about Suzuki Early Childhood Music: Zero through 3 is so young![…]

What are Suzuki Early Childhood Music Classes?

Kela Walton, BSS Suzuki Early Childhood Music and Harp Instructor What are Suzuki Early Childhood Music Classes? Are they related to the Suzuki Method?   Dr. Suzuki believed that a great window of opportunity in a child’s life is opened between birth and the age of three, and he encouraged Dorothy Jones to create a Read more about What are Suzuki Early Childhood Music Classes?[…]