West Michigan Junior Strings
Parent/Student Handbook
Table of Contents:
Welcome
Suzuki FAQs
Instruments and Materials
Preparing for your first lesson
Practice Guide
Sample Practice Session
Absence/Makeup Policy
Welcome
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to West Michigan Junior Strings! Congratulations on taking the first step toward a quality
musical education for your child. We know that stringed instrument study may be a new experience
for your family. In this handbook, you will find information about our program for violin and cello,
expectations, and how you can help make this a positive and successful beginning to a lifetime of
music enjoyment.
West Michigan Junior Strings (WMJS) is a beginning/intermediate string program that began in
January 2009 in the White Lake area. We extended into Oceana County in 2011 with our “It’s a
String Thing” summer mini-camp, building a very successful year-round string program for
children of all ages; and in the fall of 2015 we welcomed Mason County into our WMJS family!
Lesson Days and Times
Our instructors meet students for weekly private lessons and monthly group classes.
Private violin lessons are held in the White Lake area at the Whitehall United Methodist Church
(WUMC) on Mondays with violin instructors Becky Parks and Dr. Michelle Vallier, at the Ludington
Center for the Arts on Wednesday afternoons with violin instructor Becky Parks and at Hart Middle
School on Thursday afternoons with violin instructor Becky Parks and cello instructor ___________.
Group classes are scheduled once a month, and dates can be found in the semester schedule.
Your most important role: Parental attendance at lessons/groups is required for students
younger than high school, but fear not! You do not need to know how to play a musical instrument
in order for your child to succeed. The technical knowledge and skills are taught during lessons and
classes, but it is YOUR daily guidance and encouragement for each of the steps along the way that
provides the essential element to your child’s success. You will be very pleasantly surprised at how
quickly progress is made with your positive outlook, support and nurturing.
Performance: WMJS students perform two recitals each year—one in December, one in May. As
our students hail from several West Michigan counties, the December concert is held in the White
Lake area and in Hart for the May recital. Extra community performance opportunities also tend to
pop up throughout the year.
The Arts Council of White Lake is very excited to provide this opportunity to you. If you should have
any questions, please call us!
Contact Information:
For enrollment or payment: Director Sondra Cross 231-329-3056 [email protected].
For questions or scheduling: Becky Parks 231-750-0468 [email protected].
Michelle Vallier 412-414-3112 [email protected]
Suzuki Method FAQs
How does the Suzuki Method differ from traditional methods?
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Ear training from the beginning, as student learns the physical elements of playing
Listening to current and upcoming pieces is essential for learning by ear
Technique is learned through fun pieces rather than dull exercises
Parental involvement is essential, parent is the “home teacher”
Students learn in group lessons in addition to the standard private lesson, providing
additional motivation and listening skills
Review of all previous pieces is part of continuous technical development
How much should my child practice?
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Quality first! Healthy learning is the first priority. Length of practice will follow.
A benchmark for most beginners is 10-15 minute increments, as the child’s focus allows.
After students have had several lessons, the daily total may increase to 20-30 minutes.
“Practice only on the days you eat!” – Shinichi Suzuki
Why is it so important to get the Suzuki Book with CD?
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The CD is your gateway into easy ear-training and smooth progress.
You and your child need to listen to this enough to become entirely familiar the songs.
Much like commercial jingles, if you listen to it enough times it will get stuck in your head.
You will want the CD to easily copy onto all of your electronic devices.
What’s the purpose of group class?
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Peer motivation! Students have fun playing together, getting to know each other, and
performing polished pieces for each other.
Reinforces review of pieces previously learned.
Teaches ensemble skills of playing, watching and listening.
Provides additional support for technique.
What type of reward works best for motivation?
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Intrinsic rewards--beautiful sound, notes wonderfully in tune, ease of playing (which comes
from great posture), feeling of progress, pride in your child’s accomplishment (s/he will feel
your pride as well)--have the most long-lasting effect!
Encourage performing. Performances build confidence and motivate further practice.
Nurturing and encouragement (What child doesn’t like having their parent’s affirmation?)
Quality time spent with you!
Find a thorough description of the method at: www.suzukiassociation.org
Instrument and Materials
For your first (and all subsequent) lessons, your child will need
1) Instrument and bow of proper size and quality
2) Appropriate shoulder rest or cello stop
3) Appropriate Suzuki book, with CD (Book 1 for all beginners)
We strongly recommend renting an instrument for your student, as opposed to buying one. As your
child grows, s/he will need to advance to larger instruments. If you purchase an instrument now,
the need to purchase one or more larger instruments in the near future is likely. When you rent an
instrument, the “size-ups” are free.
We have a wonderful partnership with Meyer Music near The Lakes Mall in Muskegon—1664 E.
Sternberg, Muskegon, 49444 (231-865-7000). They will fit your child with the correct size
instrument and handle the rental agreements. You will find that Meyer Music offers very reasonable
rental programs for their instruments, so you do not have to pay for an instrument all at once.
Monthly payments are applied to the purchase of the final instrument and cover all repairs
throughout the rental program. Examples of rental price ranges** are as follows:
Violins: $10-$18, Cellos: $24-$45
(**Meyer’s price ranges may vary according to size of instrument and store-pricing updates.)
Beware: there are many instruments for sale (especially on the internet) that seem like good deals,
but are actually very bad investments. As a general rule, you get what you pay for. If an instrument
seems considerably cheaper than what the music stores are charging, it probably resembles a toy
more than an instrument and may actually be unplayable. If it makes more sense for your family to
purchase a series of instruments for several children who will be playing, the safest way to do this
is to buy local, so you know what you’re getting!
If you already have an instrument that you would like to use, please have one of our instructors or
Meyer Music check it out to make sure it is a suitable option for your child.)
Instrument care and cleaning
Please wash your hands before handling your instrument! String instruments should be wiped
down with a soft cloth to remove rosin and fingerprints after each practice session. Bows should
always be loosened before being put away. Wooden instruments are susceptible to changes in
climate, both indoors and out, and these should be minimized whenever possible.
***If the climate is not suitable for you to leave your pet in the car, it is not suitable for your
instrument either!***
Preparing for your first lesson
First Steps for Success:
1) Purchase your Suzuki Book 1 and CD as soon as you decide you want to pursue study.
2) Copy your CD into every electronic music format you use. You will be listening to this A LOT
in the coming year!
3) Set aside a time each day for active listening—being fully engaged in the music: dancing,
tapping out rhythms, singing along, or just focusing only on listening. Learning the songs by
ear from the beginning is essential for good progress, and this listening time can be
expanded to include physical practice once lessons have begun.
4) Gauge your energy and your child’s patience during these “practice” times. Each family has
its own rhythm, and it’s imperative that practice time be during the most productive time of
the day, when capacity for patience and creativity is at its highest. Beginners will need 15
minutes a day, and that will quickly expand to 20-30 minutes as more music is learned. Start
small, and your child will learn to love this time!
5) Find other times during the day when passive listening—playing music in the background
while the listener is engaged in other activities—is appropriate: in the car, during
homework time, during breakfast or dinner, before bed.
6) Obtain a copy of Nurtured By Love, by Shinichi Suzuki. Read it one short chapter at a time,
and really digest his message. This will put you on a good track for being a nurturing Suzuki
parent.
Many children are eager to open their new violin case and begin playing right away! Soon after,
they realize it is very difficult to make any sort of music, and can become disenchanted. We strongly
encourage you to leave the violin in the case until your first lesson, so that your teacher may guide
those first experiments in playing, ensuring that your child feels confident and supported and can
make a beautiful sound from the start. This also takes the pressure off of you! You and your child do
not need to know ANYTHING about playing for that first lesson, and embracing the “baby steps”
approach of learning will make the journey more rewarding.
How much listening is appropriate? Every family has their own limit. Two things are important
to note:
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Children LOVE repetition, and rarely tire of hearing the same songs over and over. Typically,
a change in that positive attitude only happens when parents voice their own boredom.
Progress in the Suzuki Method is reliant upon listening. Dr. Suzuki recommended that
parents keep a tape recorder with their child all day long so passive listening could happen
several hours a day. This may not be the balance you want for your lives! An hour a day of
passive listening to the entire CD is ample.
Practice Guide
Learning to play a string instrument is very different from many activities you and your family may
have experienced. Weekly lessons with your teacher serve as guideposts for home practice, and
home practice is where the bulk of your child’s learning will take place. This means commitment to
a regular daily practice time is crucial to your child’s development. Much of playing a string
instrument involves small muscles, which must be trained daily to maintain strength, flexibility and
response. Learning music requires repetition—mastery plus 10,000 times! Through this process,
students learn life-changing skills of discipline and perseverance, and see the results of working
daily toward a long-term goal. We invite you to embrace this lifestyle, and watch your child enjoy
amazing results.
For young children and busy parents, timing is everything. Choose a time of day when you are both
well-rested, and most likely to be at your peak level of patience. Some families find that breaking
the practice time into 2-3 sessions works best, especially for younger children. Start small, and your
child’s attention span will naturally increase.
Sample Practice Session
Step 1: Find a quiet space in your home, free of distractions. Find a quiet time in your day when you
are both ready to focus on learning.
Step 2: While getting out your instrument and rosining your bow, listen to your current piece. If you
are still working up to playing the Twinkles, pick a couple of variations.
Step 3: Consult your lesson notes, and decide which teaching point to work on.
Step 4: Use this teaching point to direct your review. Reviewing your polished pieces builds
confidence and memory, reinforces technique and is a wonderful way to warm up!
Step 5: Follow any specific advice or direction given by your teacher to practice your current piece.
Step 6: Practice any preview spots for your upcoming piece.
Step 7: When cleaning and putting away your instrument (remember to loosen your bow!!!), listen
to your upcoming piece.
***During this process, incorporate encouragement,
games, laughter, creativity, and excitement!***
Absence/Makeup Policy
Student progress is contingent upon receiving regular lessons. We want to see all of our students
succeed to their fullest potential, and we believe parents have this same goal. For this reason, we
have a very strict policy for absence and makeup lessons.
Students must miss lessons from time to time, for various reasons. Please notify your teacher as
soon as possible if you know you will miss a lesson, as a courtesy. Please understand that your
teacher’s schedule is likely full, and our makeup policy is very strict: makeups are given for
serious emergencies only (car accident, trip to the hospital, etc.), and only if there is room in the
schedule to accommodate them. Makeups will be given at the discretion of each individual teacher,
and are not an entitlement of enrollment in the program. Understand that your teacher has
contracted with you for the specific times listed in the semester schedule, and should not be
expected to accommodate changes.
One snow-day makeup is built into our spring schedule. If lessons or group classes must be
cancelled due to inclement weather, you will be notified by your teacher.
Sometimes teachers get sick! If this happens, teachers will make every effort to make up lessons
they have missed. Families are asked to be flexible with this process.
Sometimes families know of certain dates during the semester when lessons will not be possible,
due to travel, sporting events or other plans. It is our policy to charge non-prorated tuition for each
semester, which ensures payment to our teachers who have committed to the published schedule.
We hope that every student will receive the full benefit of this arrangement, with lessons and group
classes as often as logistically possible. We understand family plans can conflict, and we ask families
to understand that those lessons will not be rescheduled or refunded, but will be paid to hold space
for their child in the schedule.
We require that you seriously consider whether or not your student should commit to this Junior
Strings program. We consider music education to be of great value and importance, on a par with
all other academic subjects and sports programs and hope that you will give this program the
serious commitment it deserves. We know that there are special circumstances which may cause
you to have to leave the program so for that reason there are a few exceptions to this policy:
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Serious illness in the immediate family
Death or unemployment of a parent
Family moving more than 50 miles away
NO exceptions are made for students who tire of the program. We have made commitments to our
instructor and their salary continues, even if the student does not.