I’m a parent of children enrolled in Suzuki music lessons. I’d like
to explain to other parents why I feel – quite strongly, actually -
that it is unreasonable of we parents to expect our teachers to make
up lessons we miss, even if I know as well as they do just how
expensive lessons are, and, equally importantly, how important that
weekly contact is with the teacher to keeping practising ticking
along smoothly. I think that it is natural for we parents to share
the point of view that students should have their missed lessons
rescheduled, but if we were to ‘walk a mile’ in our teachers’ shoes,
we might change our minds about what it is reasonable for us to
expect of our teachers.

Like many parents, I pay in advance for lessons each term. In my
mind, what this means is that I have reserved a regular spot in the
busy schedules of my sons’ teachers. I understand – fully – that if I
can’t make it to the lesson one week (perhaps my son is sick, or we
are away on holiday, or there is some other major event at school)
then we will pay for the lesson, but that my teacher is under no
obligation to find another spot for me that week, or to refund me for
the untaught lesson. And this is the way it should be.

In my ‘other life’ I am an economist and teach at our local
university. Students pay good money to attend classes at the
university; but if they don’t come to my lecture on a Monday morning,
then I am not going to turn around and deliver them a private
tutorial on Tuesday afternoon. When I go to the store and buy
groceries, I may purchase something that doesn’t get used. Days or
months later, I end up throwing it out. I don’t get a refund from the
grocery store for the unused merchandise. If I sign my child up for
swimming lessons at the local pool, and s/he refuses to return after
the first lesson, I can’t get my money back. So there are lots of
situations in our everyday lives where we regularly pay in advance
for goods or some service, and if we end up not using what we have
purchased, we have to just ‘swallow our losses’. On the other hand,
if I purchase an item of clothing, and get home and change my mind, I
can take it back and expect either a refund or a store credit.

So why do I believe that music lessons fall into the first category of
‘non-returnable merchandise’, rather than into the second case
of ‘exchange privileges unlimited’ (which I think is one of the
advertising slogans of an established women’s clothing store!)?
Speaking now as an economist, I would claim that the reason is that
items like clothing are “durable goods’ – meaning, they can be
returned and then resold at the original price – whereas music
lessons are non-durable goods – meaning, once my Monday slot at 3:30
is gone, my son’s teacher can’t turn around and sell it again. The
only way she would be able to give him a lesson later in the week
would be if she were to give up time that she had scheduled for her
own private life; and that seems pretty unreasonable – I can’t think
of many employees who would be thrilled if their bosses were to
announce that they couldn’t work from 3:30 to 4:30 this afternoon,
but would they please stay until 6:30 on Thursday, because there will
be work for them then!

Many teachers hesitate to refuse our request to shift lesson times
(because our busy schedules *do* change), because unless they keep us
parents happy, we will decide to take our child somewhere else for
lessons (or to drop musical study), and they will lose part of their
income. This is particularly true in areas with lower average income,
where it can be particularly difficult to find students. So rather
than telling us that ‘well, actually, the only time when I’m not
teaching and that you can bring your son for lesson is during the
time I set aside each week to go for a long soul-cleansing walk, and
I *can’t* do that on Monday at 3:30 when you should have turned up’,
they agree to teach us at a time that really doesn’t suit their
schedule. Teachers who are ‘nice’ in this way often, in the long run,
end up exhausted, and feeling exploited; they try to draw a line in
the sand. However, too few parents ask to switch only when absolutely
necessary, and too many parents want lesson times when it suits them
this week, which is not the same time that suited last week. The only
time that I would feel entitled to discuss shifting a lesson time is
if the reason I can’t make the lesson is because (i) I have to do
something for the Suzuki school and the only time at which that other
event can happen is during my lesson time; (ii) my teacher were to
ask us to participate in some other activity (e.g., orchestra, etc.)
and that other activity were to create the conflict. If the conflict
arises because my child is in the School play, and they have their
dress-rehearsal during his lesson time, then I feel that I must
choose between the two activities, and if he attends the dress
rehearsal my private lesson teacher doesn’t owe me anything.

During May, my eldest son will be missing three lessons because he is
going to accompany me on a trip to New Zealand to visit his great-
grandparents. I do not expect my son’s teacher to refund me for those
missed lessons, or to reschedule them by ‘doubling up’ lessons in the
weeks before or after our departure. Since there will be lots of
advanced notice, I might ask her to consider preparing a
special ‘practice tape’ for that period, or to answer my questions
via e-mail, but if she doesn’t have the time (the second half of
April is going to be really busy for her, and she wouldn’t be able to
do the tape until more or less the week we left) and so has to
refuse, then that’s fine. I certainly don’t expect her to credit me
with three make-up lessons; there is no way for her to find a student
to fill a three-week hole in her schedule during our absence.
Instead, I hope that she will enjoy the extra hour of rest during
those three weeks, and that we will all feel renewed enthusiasm when
we return to lessons at the end of the trip.

Article Copyright © 2001Vicky Barham

I. Music Score: Student can announce first and last name, song title and composerʼs name clearly.
II. Tempo and Rhythm: Student can play with the correct tempo and rhythm.
III. Articulation: Student can play all the articulation. This includes slurs, phrase marks, staccato, accents, and legato.
IV. Dynamics: Student plays music with dynamics, referring to the volume (ƒ or p) of the notes or ensemble. Also student can execute the correct dynamic changes (crescendo and diminuendo, etc).
V. Accuracy in Performance: Student has realistically practiced enough to be accurate and confident on stage.
VI. Memorization: Student has song memorized. Student has it
completely memorized a minimum of 2 weeks before the recital date.
VII. Appearance: Student has put thought into what he or she will wear the day of recital. Student has practiced the song at home with the same clothes and shoes. Remember to limit accessories because they can become distractions and may prevent you from playing your best.

Welcome in the holiday season by coming out and listening to the Rock Bands on the main stage at the Festival of Lights. This is located at the beautiful Desert Foothills Park. There are no tickets to the Kick-Off Party — admission is free. Come and enjoy the festivities.

Location: Desert Foothills Park in Ahwatukee, Main Stage
When: Sat, Nov. 26th from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Our Rock bands will be playing a holiday concert at Club Red this December, 2011

Time: Sunday, December 18 · 4:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Club Red
2155 East University Dr
Tempe, AZ

Cost: 10.00 pre-sale, $12.00 at the door

Music Makers Presents a Holiday Concert Bash!

come check out all our bands perform in the final show of the Fall Tour!

Rock, Ska, Punk, Hard Rock, and Alternative style bands performing.

Also note a special guest Headliner! TBA

If you woudl like a studio quality copy of this live performance, please let us know. The CD will have 3 songs per band professionally mixed and mastered.

Language skills
Literacy
Listening
Problem solving
Social skills
Self-esteem
Musicality
Do you want a nurturing environment full of energy, imagination, music, dancing, and playful delight for your child?

Kindermusik provides the time and tools to bring the power of and music into your family. As the world’s leading publisher of music and movement classes for parents and their children, ages newborn to 7 years old We’re in the business of changing the world one child at a time.

Fall 2011 openings in Kindermusik Classes: Tuesday Our Time class @ 9:30-10:15 and Thursday @ 9:00- 10:30 (ages 18 mo – 3 years), Village Class on Friday @ 11:00- 11:45 (babies) and Imagine That Classes on Thursday morning from 10:00-Noon or Friday afternoon from 12:30-2:30 p.m. (ages 3-5). Imagine That Classes are 2 hours long and a drop off program. Go enjoy your morning or afternoon while your child has a fun time at Kindermusik!

Research: Music plays a significant role in developing spatial-temporal reasoning. Spatial-temporal reasoning is mental imaging, which is the ability to see and manipulate pictures and patterns in your mind. It is crucial for success in math and science and the educational implications are profound. For example, with children, in one preschool study, “those who had received the music training increased their spatial-temporal reasoning by an impressive 46 percent” (Habermeyer, 15). Gordon Shaw, Ph. D. reports in his research that children in music training scored significantly higher in spatial-temporal reasoning tests, and that the effect of music on higher brain function was lasting days, not seconds, meeting the tests where one could postulate the changes taking place were permanent, long-term changes.

Spatial-temporal reasoning uses a different process to solve problems than the more commonly recognized language-analytical approach. In a study in 1988 conduct by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, fourteen year-olds were tested for science proficiency. Hungry, Japan, and the Netherlands were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively. The United States placed 14th out of the 17 countries. The distinguishing element the successful countries was music. The Hungarians, for example, weave music into the curriculum from kindergarten through high school because of the close correlation between music, math and science (Habermeyer, 127-130).

Studies also show that music influenced some of our great scientists. “Einstein explained that music was in some ways an extension of his thinking processes, a method of allowing the subconscious to solve tricky problems. ‘Whenever he felt that he had come to the end of the road or into a difficult situation in his work, ‘ his eldest son has said, ‘he would take refuge in music, and that would usually resolve all his difficulties;.” (Shaw, 7) Music seems to be a kind of universal language with lasting implications on the way we think, reason, and create.

There are too many studies to quote in this paper, but the mounting evidence on the role of music in the developing intelligence of children is enough to get anyone’s attention. Source Material:

Habermeyer, Sharlene, Good Music Brighter Children, Prima Publishing, 1999.

Shaw, Gordon L., Ph. D., Keeping Mozart in Mind, Academic Press, 2000.

Dr. Frances Rauscher’s research: www.amc-music.com/brain.html