Flute & Friends Suzuki Music Academy

12/22/2025

08/10/2021

Memorizing pieces and returning to old pieces by memory are key aspects of the Suzuki method. Here are some tips for your student to increase music retention: 1. Say and Play. Say the notes aloud while you play them. For wind instruments, say the notes while putting down the correct fingerings without blowing. This helps solidify the connection between the note and the hand movements, so that it eventually becomes…...

Memorizing pieces and returning to old pieces by memory are key aspects of the Suzuki method. Here are some tips for your student to increase music retention: 1. Say and Play. Say the notes aloud while you play them. For wind instruments, say the notes while putting down the correct fingerings witho...

07/30/2021

Have you or your child been experiencing a “summer slide”? Has your child been losing some of their musical progress over the summer? This often happens during summer breaks, when we’ve booked our calendars with camps, vacations, and events, and practicing takes a backseat. This is a normal occurrence, but especially so during this summer as we are emerging from quarantine to enjoy the warm weather and time with our families....

Have you or your child been experiencing a “summer slide”? Has your child been losing some of their musical progress over the summer? This often happens during summer breaks, when we’ve booked our calendars with camps, vacations, and events, and practicing takes a backseat. This is a normal oc...

07/23/2021

⁣Silly faces are a great way to warm up before playing!🤪⠀
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These are a few of my favorites:⠀
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Lion Face! 🦁 ⠀
Fish Face! 🐠 ⠀
Bubble Face! 🛁⠀
Flute Face! 🎵 ⠀
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These are especially hilarious during online group classes!🤣⠀
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What’s your favorite flute warm up for kids? ⠀
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07/17/2021

The Benefits of Transition Time! “Time for flute!”…and your child is sitting in the middle of a mountain of Legos. Or maybe they are playing outside and don’t want to come in. Perhaps they are in the middle of a major meltdown. As teachers, we have seen it all and we get it! Transitions are really hard for kids. Parents pay good money for music lessons and want those finances to be put to good use....

The Benefits of Transition Time! “Time for flute!”…and your child is sitting in the middle of a mountain of Legos. Or maybe they are playing outside and don’t want to come in. Perhaps they are in the middle of a major meltdown. As teachers, we have seen it all and we get it! Transitions are ...

07/15/2021

When your student is practicing, they will likely come across tricky notes or phrases that require extra attention. They may be tempted to start over from the beginning and get frustrated when they hit the same difficult spot. While this instinct is natural, it can actually make overcoming the hard part more difficult. What they should do instead is to isolate the problem spot and work backwards from there....

When your student is practicing, they will likely come across tricky notes or phrases that require extra attention. They may be tempted to start over from the beginning and get frustrated when they hit the same difficult spot. While this instinct is natural, it can actually make overcoming the hard....

07/06/2021

Many of our Suzuki songs date back hundreds of years, to different eras of music. Because of this age gap within our books, some of our pieces can be performed in many different ways, and need to be studied and practiced differently. Some Suzuki pieces may be performed on modern instruments and with modern interpretive styles, while some of those same pieces may be performed on historic instruments and with “historically informed performance”, or performing it as close as possible to how it would have been performed hundreds of years ago....

Many of our Suzuki songs date back hundreds of years, to different eras of music. Because of this age gap within our books, some of our pieces can be performed in many different ways, and need to be studied and practiced differently. Some Suzuki pieces may be performed on modern instruments and with...

06/15/2021

We’ve all heard the age-old adage “practice makes perfect,” but what does it really mean to practice? According to the dictionary, there are three definitions: to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient, to train by repeated exercise, and to do repeated exercises for proficiency. The theme amongst all these definitions is that with repetition comes proficiency....

We’ve all heard the age-old adage “practice makes perfect,” but what does it really mean to practice? According to the dictionary, there are three definitions: to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient, to train by repeated exercise, and to do repeated exercises for proficien...

06/03/2021

Parents play a vitally important role in Suzuki lessons. You might be wondering how this role is best adapted for the online format. Following is a framework on how to participate in your child’s virtual musical journey, by age: Ages 3-5 This age group requires continuous parent involvement during the entire lesson and beyond. You will play an active role in your child’s musical journey by learning the instrument along with them and practicing together throughout the week....

Parents play a vitally important role in Suzuki lessons. You might be wondering how this role is best adapted for the online format. Following is a framework on how to participate in your child’s virtual musical journey, by age: Ages 3-5 This age group requires continuous parent involvement during...

06/02/2021

~Here are some fun music ideas to get the whole family involved, without your instruments! ~Try to pick a fun dinner recipe theme, and find music to listen to! For example, for a French dinner night with baguette and ratatouille, you could listen to Amaryllis, Melancholic Fantasy, Gluck Minuet from Orpheus and Euridice, Bizet, and many more. Watch a concert for movie night to see an orchestra!...

~Here are some fun music ideas to get the whole family involved, without your instruments! ~Try to pick a fun dinner recipe theme, and find music to listen to! For example, for a French dinner night with baguette and ratatouille, you could listen to Amaryllis, Melancholic Fantasy, Gluck Minuet from....