Graduated from Book 2 Today!

Yea!  I graduated from Book 2 today!  Played half the Book 2 pieces for a graduation recital and played pretty well.  A person can always play better though.  That's a maddening thing about music, you can always get better.

Heading home tomorrow!  I've missed my family very much and my new little puppy Cheyenne too!  I wonder how big she is by now?  Will see you  at lessons next week if you are in town.  If you are not and haven't told me, please let me know asap.  Thanks!

Almost Finished!

Today is the second to the last day of Book 2 classes and observations.  Still have to practice tonight so I can play 1/2 of Book 2's songs at a graduation recital tomorrow.  Sat out on Starbucks terrace for awhile to relax again.  Going to a concert tonight to listen to a professional string quartet.  No new pictures today.  Hope everyone is doing great!

Top of the Mountain

Yesterday, I rode the chairlift to the top of Beaver Creek Mountain. The weather was perfect: clear, cool, sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky.  The visibility at the top seemed limitless and the views were breathtakingly beautiful.  In some of the pictures, you can see that the tallest peaks are still covered with snow.  Some of the locals think that the highest snow probably won't even melt this summer.

Another person I talked to said that there are 58 mountain peaks higher than 14,000 feet in Colorado, and he belongs to a club that tries to climb all these high peaks.  He said that he had climbed 26  of these giants so far.  Colorado life sounds rugged and fun!

I continue taking Book 2 classes and observing many, many children's lessons.  We are currently going over a piece called Arietta that some of you will play soon.

Tonight I went to a concert with teenage students and professionals playing chamber music.  I listened to a Mozart string quartet, a Mendelsson piano trio, and a glorious Janacek quartet.  Going to concerts is one of my favorite things.

Scroll all the way down to see some pictures from the summit of Beaver Creek Mountain.

Started Book 2

We started Book 2 today.  Went through Eccossaise and A Short Story in Detail.  We also observed my teacher teach one of her own students.  This gave us a chance to hear what one of her students sounds like at the beginning of Book 2 and to observe the relationship she has formed with her student and his dad.  All the other students I've seen her teach are from all over the country and are not her students.  You can't see how she develops a student's piano playing or how she relates to students long-term when she only teaches the students for a week here, so I'm so glad we have the opportunity to see her teach one of her own students whom she knows really well and who knows her well too.

I'll have to practice my own piano playing more this week than last.  We always have to play all the pieces in whatever book we're studying in order to graduate and pass each Book as a Suzuki teacher.  Last week, I knew all of the Book 1 pieces, because I've been teaching them for two years.  I haven't taught Book 2 pieces to anyone except my daughter, so I don't know these pieces as well.  I practiced them for an hour tonight and found them rather delightful.  I think all of you will really like the songs in Book 2!

I'll include a few more pictures from my hike yesterday.

Graduated from Book 1 Today!

Well, it's been a long two year process, but I finally am officially certified by the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) to teach Book 1.  Don't worry - I have taken Book 1 before, but it didn't count at that time.  Just so everyone knows.  The first course every person who wants to teach Suzuki is "Every Child Can."  Once you have taken that course, then you have to submit a DVD of yourself playing a Beethoven Sonata and a Bach Prelude.  Once you send the DVD to SAA, then the SAA has to approve your DVD and give you a pass.  It took me about a year to work up those two pieces and for the SAA to approve my DVD.  Then, when you take Book 1, it actually counts.  So, I have now passed my DVD and taken and passed Every Child Can, and Book 1. 

Starting tomorrow, I will be taking Book 2.  This is a very important step for me as a developing Suzuki piano teacher because so many of you will graduate from Book 1 this fall.  When you do, I will be prepared to teach you well.  Next summer, I will take Book 3 and maybe 4 too.  In this way, I will continue to grow and develop as your children do.  There are 7 Suzuki piano books in all.

After my last Book 1 class, I went on a 2 hour long hike.  I went on what's called the Village Loop.  You hike up perhaps 1/4 of the mountain and hike all around the village.  I was above it looking down and seeing many beautiful views.  Took lots of pictures of flowers and trees on my hike too.  Maybe some of you can let me know the names of some of the flowers.  Scroll all the way down this blog past all of the written entries into the section with a brown background to see all the photos.

That's it for now!

2nd to Last Day of Book 1

I took the morning off because I had already completed my 15 hours of observing master Suzuki piano teachers teach the kids attending the Colorado Suzuki Institute.  I observed one more hour this afternoon and completed 2 more hours of class.  We are almost finished with going through each piece in Book 1 in class.  Today, we talked in detail about Christmast Day Secrets and a little about Musette.  We also gave some mock lessons according to scenarios given to us by our teacher.

This morning I hung out at an outside terrace table drinking Starbucks coffee.  Read a couple of magazines and watched the people walk by too.  I saw some kids climbing the rock climbing wall that is always here and do some bunjy jumping on trampolines.  I could also see some families playing miniature golf and take the chairlift up the mountain, which I plan to do tomorrow after our last Book 1 class.  All this from the terrace at Starbucks.  I think I'll do this another day.

The sky continues to be blue and clear although yesterday I did get caught in the rain.  I brought a heavier raincoat and wondered whether I would actually ever use it.  I did and without it would have gotten pretty wet.  Tomorrow it's supposed to be clear, cool weather again.

I miss my family terribly and my new little puppy Cheyenne too.  I hope all of you are doing well in Houston!  Scroll down to see some pics.

Over 8,000 Feet

I found out a little today about altitude sickness.  It can bring on a really bad headache.  We've been told to drink water constantly and it really does help.  I think the last time I spent a number of days at over 8,000 feet was at my honeymoon 19 years ago.

Otherwise, I am enjoying Beaver Creek very much!  It has been in the 60's and 70's each day with blue, clear skies.  I think it gets down into the 50's at night.  Opening the windows and letting the cool, fresh air into my suite has been awesome.

Have attended 19 hours of class and 11 hours of observing lessons by the end of today.  Saw a couple of very interesting lectures.  One was about how to beat the practicing blues.  I will type up the suggestions I heard and give copies of the list to all my students' families when I return home.  Also, learning more about how to run the business side of a private lesson business better.

Not adding any photos tonight to this blog. I plan to take the chairlift up to the top of the mountain in the next couple of days and will take more pictures then.  Take care.