2020 Updates! New year, new studio room, new makeup classes, deadline to sign up for piano accompaniment, recital details ...

Happy New Year!  

I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday break.  I had the pleasure of seeing a couple of you out and about during the break which was a fun surprise for me.  I'm taking a moment here to send you a few quick reminders.

• We are back to our normal schedule on January 2nd.
• I will be teaching in-studio lessons from room 9 now. It is right next to my former room. 
• All schedule related requests and make-up lessons for my students should go through me personally from now on. Email me directly at jill@griffinviolinstudio.com or text me at (858) 774-0179 if you will be missing any lesson(s), need to sign up for a make-up class or have any schedule related requests. I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can to address your request. 
• My first in-studio group make-up lesson is scheduled for Saturday, January 4 from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm in room 9. Email me to sign-up.
• I am also adding weekly group make-up lessons online on Mondays from 4:30-5:30 pm over Zoom, a secure online meeting space. Email me to sign-up and for directions how to find my online meeting room. For these meetings you will simply sign in to my online meeting space from your home. You will need a computer or device with a webcam and stable internet connection.
• The deadline to let me know if you would like your child to play with piano accompaniment for the recital is January 8th. Cost is $30 (includes a run through with the pianist on the morning of the recital and the recital).
• Attire for the performers for the recital is black and/or white (any combination as long as it one or both of those two colors).
• Tickets for the recital are on sale at the office. Contact the front desk. Cost is $10. Performers are free.
• Please refer to http://www.griffinviolinstudio.com/calendar.html for my calendar information. I also post my blog updates and other resources on my website for you to review.
• Next theory study hall is Sunday, January 12, 11:00-12:00 noon. Email me to sign-up. Cost is $25.

I'm excited to see you all soon! It's going to be a fantastic year! Wishing you all a safe and fun New Years Eve! If you haven't already, please pop over to my Facebook page and like my page (link below). It is encouraging for me to see you there.  🙂 

Ms. Jill

Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griffinviolinstudio/

Visit my website: www.griffinviolinstudio.com

December Update: Calendar, scheduling, recital, room change ...

There is a lot happening over the next couple of months. I want to do the best I can to keep you informed so we can all be prepared. Below you will find calendar information, recital information, and some important changes that will happen after the first of the year. Please review and respond as necessary ... and as always let me know if you have any questions. 

Music Theory Study Hall:

• Dec 21, 4:00-5:00 pm / Rm 9. Please send me an email or text if your child will be attending. This is mainly for my certificate of merit students to help them prepare for evaluations. However, if your child is working in the music theory workbook and they would like to attend they are welcome. The cost is $25 per study hall.

Holiday Break: 

• The studio will be closed from Dec 22 through Jan 1. There will be no lessons those days. Normal schedules will resume Jan 2.

Room Location:

• Beginning in January I will be teaching from room 9 (right next to my current room). This is also where my music theory, rehearsals and group makeup lessons will be held.

Missed Lessons / Group Makeup Lessons:

• Also beginning the first of the year I will be managing my own schedule, makeup lessons, etc. If you will be missing lessons, please contact me directly by text or email to let me know. When I am teaching I am transitioning from lesson to lesson quickly and I may forget; so sending me a quick text or email notice helps me out a lot. Also, I will be scheduling and conducting my own group makeup lessons monthly beginning in January. I will be posting makeup schedule on my website and also sending them out in my regular email communications. The first group makeup of the year is Jan 4 from 2:30-3:30 pm in room 9. Billing will remain with the office; but all my scheduling will go through me personally.

Recital:

• The recital is Feb 9, 1:00 pm / Cal State San Marcos. Tickets are on sale now at US Music Lessons front office for $10. Please contact the office to purchase tickets. Performers attend for free.
• Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like your child to play with piano accompaniment for the recital. The cost is $30. This fee includes a run through with the pianist the morning of the recital and the recital accompaniment.
• I will be asking all my recital performers to dress up in black and/or white. Any combination of those colors will be fine. 
• If your child is playing in an ensemble, I have assigned the groups, passed out all the music, and scheduled the rehearsals. This information is also posted on my website should you need to refer to the schedule.

Thank you for reading my email. I know there are a lot of details to consider. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful Holiday break and Happy New Year if I don't see you before then.

With Joy,

Ms. Jill

Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griffinviolinstudio/

Visit my website: www.griffinviolinstudio.com

Helping your child prepare for the Recital and Certificate of Merit Tests

With the recital coming up and for some, Certificate of Merit evaluations, parents want to know what they can do to help their child. We all want our children to do well and succeed. When we have success in accomplishing our goals, that is a such great feeling ... it really is fun and builds our confidence. But getting there takes a lot of hard work and practice. It doesn't happen by accident. 

The problem is that sometimes when our children hear the words; "go practice your violin, do your homework, do your chores... they respond with long faces, dragging feet, or sometimes even a fight. Does that ever happen in your house? They love playing their violins, they love coming to class; but practicing often times seems like something they are being forced to do. So how do you get your child to practice at home without a fight? Here are a few suggestions. 

Encouragement is probably the best way you can help your child. Ask them to “play” their pieces for you on a regular basis. Make practicing a fun game by doing pretend recitals or performances in your living room. Most importantly, just listen to them play. Tell them what you like about their playing. They really need to hear this and it is a great way to build their confidence. If they are playing for you, then they are practicing. Win! Win! And you get to enjoy hearing their progress and engage with them in the process. Don’t worry about correcting their mistakes; I will do that in class. You can, however, ask them if there are any specific areas that Ms. Jill asked them to work on and ask them to show you. 

If they are in my Certificate of Merit program they should be working in their theory books regularly. Check in with them and see how they are doing. They can give the best performance ever for their evaluation; but if they don't pass their theory test they will receive a RAL (Remain At Level). They are both equally important to succeed. They should be completing their workbooks by the end of December, if they haven’t already. That leaves January and February for review and practice tests (I have the practice tests). Also, they should be going through the sections in their books in the proper order and not jumping around or skipping sections. If they are falling behind, help them to come up with a plan to complete their books on time. Also remind your child that all the information they need to answer the questions is in the book. Encourage them by making sure they are reading all of the information prior to and in between the questions. If they are stuck have them come to my theory study hall or ask me in class. 

Help by working with them to put together a schedule for practicing and studying theory. Help them to stay accountable to what they have committed to. If your child is practicing 20-30 minutes a day they will improve significantly more then 1 or 2 days of lengthly practice a week. Students just starting do not need as much time in the beginning; but they do need time with their instruments on a daily basis. If you are listening to your child play regularly you will be able to tell if they are progressing. 

Below is an interesting matrix that I came across recently that demonstrates just how important practice and family support is in how students progress with their music-making; or anything they want to accomplish.

If you have concerns about your child’s progress in their violin playing or have any questions about how you can help, please feel free to contact me. I am here to help, and I care about every one of my students and want them to succeed.

Ms. Jill

Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griffinviolinstudio/

Visit my website: www.griffinviolinstudio.com