October 2013

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** Time to Fall Back into Music Making at G.S.A.
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Hello to all G.S.A Families, Friends and Faculty-

We hope you have all had a wonderful summer- full of relaxation, love, and music! It’s hard to believe that Sept is just around the corner. This newsletter will have a lot of information about the Fall, the 2013-2014 school year and our goals for this year. I hope you like the new format to the newsletter! It’s been an interesting experience to bring G.S.A. up to speed and we hope you have found the ease of online registration to be a great new feature.

A little note to our Tardy Registers:
What are you waiting for? Get on it! It’s super easy: go to www.GreenwichSuzukiAcademy.COM and click on Register for classes. Fill out the registration form online and pay online (if you want to use the Bill me Later option, you must have a PayPal account). You few slowpokes are making our fall planning slow and tricky so please do register or we will assume you are not returning (even if you happen to be one of my closest friends and I know you are coming back). Get in the system. 😉

** Practice Revolution!
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The act of practicing with your child is an expression of love: No parent would choose Suzuki if they didn’t love their child. Being a Suzuki parent is hard work (huge rewards sure, but hard work). I had a realization this summer: If we do this because we love these kids, then it should feel like an act of love. If you think about teaching or practicing as an expression of your love, it changes things. It’s changing how I teach and I want it to change how we practice. This year is the year of the Practice Revolution! We are going to provide new resources for parents to help them practice, and we want people to feel revolutionary. This year, practicing is going to be great!

** Tuesday, Sept 3- Annual Parent’s Meeting 7:30 pm
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We will meet in the Parish Hall at Christ Church: This is our once a year meeting for all parents. We will be handing out information on the whole year along with practice folders and lots of inspirational tidbits. You don’t want to miss this! Plus- we keep all those room assignments top secret until this meeting so if you want to know where to go for your lessons and classes, you need to come to this meeting! It’s going to be an exciting year for G.S.A. and we can’t wait to share it all with you!

** Groups!
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Visit our website for the complete Group Schedule (https://greenwichsuzukiacademy.com/gsa-calendar/group-class-schedule/) : Here is a quick overview!
Violin, Viola, Cello Pre-Twinkle:
Wed. at 4:15
Guitar Pre-Twinkle:
Friday at 4:00
Viola Book 1-3:
Tuesday at 3:45
Viola Book 4 and up:
Saturday mid-morning, TBD
Cello/Violin/Guitar Books 1-10:
Tuesday afternoons (specific times on website (https://greenwichsuzukiacademy.com/gsa-calendar/group-class-schedule/) )
Flute:
TBD
Orchestras:
Tuesdays at 5:30

Most of the group class times have remained the same as last year.

** A moment of Inspiration!
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An honest illustration of how out-of-sorts a Suzuki parent felt in the first week of lessons with her young daughter. Only a few years later, she would have all three girls in Suzuki, full-swing.

http://www.violinist.com/blog/karenrile/20138/14924/

**
Painting Party!
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We will be painting the Suzuki rooms this next week. If you want to come and help, email me and I will give you the details! We might even try to make it fun… 😉

** Practice Tip
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Make it feel like you are discovering/exploring together. Try not to give commands (“Do this 10 times.”), instead make it feel like a discovery ( “How many times can you do that?”). Not only will this engage your child more, it will get them to DO more as well. And it’s always more fun to feel like a team (instead of being ordered around). Think about what other speech can you change to better engage your child!

** Scholarship Non-Profit
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Let’s make a difference! Having music in my life enhanced it in numerous ways. It created a world for me that otherwise would never have been possible. And I benefited greatly from scholarships and people believing in me. My first “real” cello teacher (besides my mom) gave my family a scholarship so that we could afford lessons (although the discounted rate was still $50 a hour and this was about 25 years ago). My parents made huge sacrifices so that all 4 of their children could get a musical education. I will forever be grateful to them. I got a full ride to college for music and that alone was awesome. Music truly can make lives better. I’ve had a hand full of people offer to help start a non-profit to raise scholarships for students. If you would like to participate in some way, please let me know. Let’s really spread Dr. Suzuki’s message of “Every Child Can.”

** Building G.S.A.
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If you know a family that would enjoy Suzuki, please forward this newsletter to them! Any interested parents are welcome to attend our Parent’s Meeting on Sept. 3 or attend any parent education class. As G.S.A. grows it allows us to offer more classes, events, and opportunities to our current students. Thanks so much for your help with building G.S.A.!

** Calendar!
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Visit our website for the full Calendar (https://greenwichsuzukiacademy.com/gsa-calendar/) : Here are some upcoming dates!
Sept. 3, 7:30 pm Parent’s Meeting in the Parish Hall at Christ Church
Sept. 6: Lessons and Classes begin
Sept. 10, 10:00 am: Practice Revolution! (Free coffee and tea!)
Sept. 11, 8:00 pm: Practice Revolution!
Sept. 13-14: Yom Kippur, No Classes
Sept. 29, 2:30: Back to School Solo Recital

Parent Classes: If you are the parent of a student in one of our Pre-Twinkle classes, please note that there are no group classes for the children until Oct. 9. This gives us time to offer some special parent classes (ALL parents are welcome and invited to attend- not just parents of little ones). In response to some stated needs, we are going to offer these classes at times that are easier for parents to attend (without children). The parent class dates and times can be found below or on our website (https://greenwichsuzukiacademy.com/gsa-calendar/parent-classes/) . I hope everyone can attend at least one! Parents of Pre-Twinkle students are expected to attend once a week.

Week 1
Sept. 6, 4:00 pm (with Michele Horner)
Sept. 10, 10:00 am (with Heather W. Hardie)
Sept. 11, 8:00 pm (with Heather W. Hardie)

Week2
Sept. 17 at 10:00 am (with Heather W. Hardie)
Sept. 18, 8:00 pm (with Heather W. Hardie)
Sept. 20, 4:00 pm (with Michele Horner)

Week3
Sept. 24, 10:00 am (with Heather W. Hardie)
Sept. 25, 8:00 pm (with Heather W. Hardie)
Sept. 27, 4:00 pm (with Michele Horner)

Week4
Oct. 1, 10:00 am (with Heather W. Hardie)
Oct. 2, 8:00 pm (with Heather W. Hardie)
Oct. 4, 4:00 pm (with Michele Horner)

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Copyright © 2013 Greenwich Suzuki Academy, All rights reserved.
August 2013 Back to School Edition
Our mailing address is:
15 E. Putnam Ave. #176, Greenwich, CT 06830
Lessons and Classes held at:
Christ Church Greenwich, 254 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830
“When Love is Deep, Much can be Accomplished”
–Dr. Shinichi Suzuki