Colorado Suzuki Institute Day 2 With Students

Day Two at the Colorado Suzuki Institute was lovely.

I figured out a girl I'm working with, was in Calvin's masterclass four years ago. What a treat!  We both remembered the same class and each other and we had our little reminiscence.

The biggest challenge is having four Book 4-5 kids in a 50 minute class.  In principle they are working on the same repertoire and so they should be gaining experience from observing the other's lessons.  Most of the main points apply to multiple students.  It's still tricky.  Especially as the pieces get longer, you really have to pick snippets to work on.  I see the parents taking notes on each student's lesson and that is the best way to be efficient.  I know what it feels like when my own child is last in a masterclass and they get a shorter amount of time.  I'm trying hard to cycle the kids so that when one gets a shorter lesson on one day, they get to be first the next day.  And I run the class over time. . . consistently. . . but everyone knows their assignment and they are following through!

Tonight the grown ups got to have a Dalcroze class with the very dynamic Eurhythmics teacher Jeremy.
The class was on recognizing harmony.  I loved it.  There is a whole science to this and people get degrees in it, but the main point is for the listener to recognize the chord changes as they are going by, and react to them.  The teacher is improvising at the piano and the students have different tasks they are to perform as they hear the harmonies passing by.  By the end of the class we were able to recognize the chord changes going by on a basic pop tune.  We also laughed a lot at ourselves. . .

I used to do this for a living.   When I played in top forty and country bands we learned a new song off the radio every week.  Obviously, I got to be very comfortable with this--to the point where occasionally I would learn the tune in the car on the hour drive to the gig.  Note for note, chord for chord, exactly like the CD.  That was fun.  When the drummer counted off the tune we ran it live with no rehearsal.

But, like most skills, you use it or lose it. . . so I was listening intently again tonight to hear the I, IV, V, vi and ii chords going by.  Another couple nights of this and I'll be ready to hit the road with the band again.  Just kidding, Bill. . .