Swan's Music Studio

Listening to the recordings is a key element in the Suzuki Method, as this is how we all learn to speak our native tongue- by hearing it, often, daily! Without hearing our language spoken repetitiously, our ability to speak well will be diminished. Besides practising daily, listening is just as important- and can sometimes be the most difficult to fit into the day! Here are the benefits and “why” of listening, as well as some practical tips to make it work in your daily sched

Here are the foundational milestones I am working to develop and looking for in your child's musical journey! 1). Able to execute all 8 Twinkles with accuracy and finesse at a Twinkles Party at Group (complete with goodies and a certificate- about half way through Book One hands together!) 2). Able to play all of Book One hands together 3). Able to play all of Book One hands together with balanced hands, dynamics, phrasing, articulation (staccato/legato), great endings, soft

In short, the Twinkles are a fantastic way for a young child’s hand and arm “get into shape” and become strong enough to set a firm foundation in technique for the rest of the child’s pianistic life; they also teach great concentration! Here’s a quick list of the benefits of learning all those Twinkles and why we must not give up on them so easily! 1). To play one entire Twinkle all the way through, with consistent staccato, accurate note placement, good hand position, form,

I have found over the years that there are certain characteristics of families whose children thrive in piano lessons and those that do not. Some of these points could easily be said of any musical instrument, or even sports! So what does it take to be successful at music lessons? 1). An involved and informed parent- one who has decided that this is what she wants her child to do and is willing to invest the time and energy required to practise. And it does take time and ener

1). Learning an instrument takes time. Lots of time. Years, in fact. Quite a few years to get reasonably proficient! Sometimes the short view can threaten to take over and a parent can feel overwhelmed, discouraged, start comparing their child with someone else’s, or wonder why this takes so long and why is teacher seemingly fixated on certain techniques? Take heart. Just as we have preschool through Grade 12 (13 or 14 years of education), what a child is doing for math conce

Learning to play the piano is not easy! Muscles that have never been used before are suddenly expected to jump into action and not only that, just be naturally strong, too! But it is not so easy. It’s all about balance and alignment to help the body be able to move naturally and healthfully as we gradually practise and become small muscle athletes. Feet: Foot support is important. If the feet do not sit firmly on the floor, then a supporting foot rest is needed. This stabiliz

The students only ever learn to play by ear? They can’t read music? They all learn the same music- or worse- all sound the same? I will admit, the idea to teach Suzuki Piano struck me out of the blue. I had been sorting through stacks of music from my mother and saw a few yellowed copies of the “Suzuki Piano School” volumes tucked neatly between Alfred’s “Creating Music at the Piano” music books. I opened the Suzuki books, took them over to the piano and was surprised to find