Orchestra teachers Back to School!

 Dear fellow orchestra educators,

 

If you are anything like me, summer has come to an end and you are excited planning for the year ahead! A week ago I got back from the TODA Convention in San Antonio, and so I’ve already been looking at new repertoire for each orchestra level, reviewing my Handbook, familiarizing myself with the new class rosters, making sure we have enough instruments for everybody, putting our 2024-2025 Orchestra Agenda together, etc. I think it’s so exciting to get things ready, and it solves so many problems later on, that I’ve learned to take these first few weeks seriously. Besides, I really like being in the classroom by myself, when kids aren’t there I’m the most productive teacher ever!

Anyway, in case it’s useful for any young teacher out there, here are the things I’m considering at this time (I work for an urban public Middle School, Title 1, in TX so adjust according to your situation):

• Instrument repairs: check all instruments for open seams, broken strings, missing bows, loose necks, etc. Change strings if needed, add new tapes, take instruments that need fixing to luthier. 

• Make sure all beginner bows are marked 

• Check that every case has a Name Tag (get new ones for beginners)

• Prepare Locker Labels

• Put up new decorations and laminate new posters 

• Review Orchestra Handbook and modify/add anything

• Make copies of Rental Agreement for students to take home before they check out home instruments

• Separate “Go Home” Instruments from “Stay at School” Instruments

• Request meeting with Bookkeeper to check Orchestra Activity Account balance (make sure all end of spring and summer charges went through)

• Request meeting with counselors to make any necessary roster changes 

• Invite parents to “Orchestra Back to School Night” (separate from regular school BTSN)

• Choose a day for “Classroom Beautification Day” (since the district did not change my carpets or fixed anything, we will gather the whole program and see what we can get done ourselves. This would not only be good to get things fixed, but it’ll be a great team building activity as well)

• UIL Uniforms (make sure everything is clean and ready. I did a lot of laundry this summer but we still have more to be washed)

• Regular Uniforms (new designs for T-shirts/Polo Shirts)

• Fundraisers (select dates. Should we do the same ones or try something different?)

• Music Library (make sure all music is neatly filed away, Holidays and Sight Reading Sections are organized, and that we have all repertoire that I’m considering for this year in stock)

• Method Books (insist with campus Textbook person, or make photocopies from old ones for Beginners Binders. Intermediate and Advanced Orchestra buy their own?)

• Check tuners, change batteries

• Calendar: ask for dates from other FA/PE teachers to see what’s available and to make sure there are no conflicts. Also, decide if we should continue with concerts (Cafeteria or Gym) in our campus or try to play at the feeding High School Theater

• Chaperones for Fall Festival, UIL, EOY field trips

• Update Private Teacher List and confirm who is coming to campus, for during school hours, for private lessons

• Private Lessons’ Scholarship: can we increment the number of recipients or keep the same number of kids as we had last year?

• Update list of Classroom Duties (one per class)

• Make sure online resources are ready (online metronome, timers, wheel of names, music theory sites, translators, etc.) 

• Make sure classroom apps are ready (Remind, Tuning, Metronomes, Practice Drones or whatever else you use)

• Check Google Drive Folders, previous Concert Programs, Newsletter format, Lesson Plans, Playing Rubric, etc. are ready for this year.

• Prepare “Lesson Plans” for the first 2 weeks of school

• Prepare “First 2 Weeks of School” slides (rules and procedures)

• Set up new Music Stands (take out of boxes and put together) 

• Look at PLED hours and get certificates from summer courses I’ve done to present to my district for credit

• Set Up Sectionals schedule for the Fall semester

• Get SUB materials ready

• Make sure your video library is organized and you have stuff for each instrument, with all technical, musical or historical concepts you are teaching.

• Make sure box of orchestra toys, puzzles, origami, coordination games, mandalas, etc is ready for Advisory or any other emergency situation (ie, reluctant or defiant students)

• Make sure your First Aid Box has everything you need!

So, there it is! I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. I've been teaching music all my life and I love the work I do with my students, and even though society has very little regard for our profession, I take music education seriously and I feel passionate about the purpose and deep impact that our work brings to the world. Also, as I’ve gotten older, I’m very aware of the beautiful learning opportunities that I receive through the kids and families I work with, they teach me a lot and my world is bigger because of them. I wish you the best year possible, and remember to breathe and pause every day😌

© 2024 Cecilia Calvelo

¿Por qué la postura importa tanto?

Muchas veces los maestros de instrumento/orquesta, en el afán de mejorar las piezas que estamos enseñando, o por intentar alcanzar metas de repertorio mas avanzado, o simplemente porque tenemos pocos ensayos hasta la fecha de un concierto, dejamos de insistir y trabajar el tema de la "postura". O sea, nos detenemos para señalar defectos de afinación, articulación, o matices, etc, pero pocas veces corregimos la postura antinatural o tensa que nuestros jóvenes músicos demuestran. Y a pesar de que sabemos que el trabajo con el cuerpo es un objetivo a largo plazo que nunca acaba, dejamos este importante tema de lado, a veces incluso confiándonos en que los profesores privados corregirán este problema, o que conforme los estudiantes vayan avanzando la postura se corregirá sola. Pero no, la postura no se corrige sola y por lo tanto se debe trabajar a conciencia o nos enfrentamos a problemas serios que incluso pueden acarrear problemas de salud (escoliosis, tendinitis, síndrome del Túnel Carpiano, tortícolis, etc).

Entonces, la postura es muy importante porque:

• Está presente en todo lo que hacemos con el instrumento

• Es inherente a la parte técnica y expresiva del trabajo físico e intelectual que hacemos al tocar.

• El prestar atención a la postura nos ayuda a concentrarnos en el momento presente porque al pensar en ella nos conectamos con las sensaciones físicas que nos envia el cerebro, lo cual anula los pensamientos que a veces nos distraen. Esta conexión cuerpo-mente es absolutamente necesaria para poder tocar bien.

• Una buena postura es sinónimo de equilibrio y fluidez, por lo tanto promueve la agilidad necesaria para desarrollar velocidad.

• La buena postura garantiza que no nos lesionemos y por lo tanto es sana para los músculos, tendones y huesos.

• La postura ayuda a producir mejor sonido.

• El practicar con un enfoque en la postura nos hace pensar en la "calidad" de lo que tocamos, en vez de la "cantidad" que tocamos.

• Toda práctica que tenga como enfoque la postura nos permite pensar en la expresión musical y la parte artística de la ejecución.

• La postura es, además, parte de un contexto histórico y social, y por ende forma parte de la tradición musical del instrumento.

Cosas que podemos hacer para abordar con más facilidad el tema de la postura:

1. Durante los ensayos, debemos hablar de la postura tanto como hablamos de la afinación, la articulación, los matices, etc. Podemos incluso marcar las sillas de nuestros jovenes con una marca para indicar que hay que sentarse hacia el frente del asiento, con los pies planos sobre el piso, y sin recostarnos sobre el respaldo.

2. Sostener el instrumento sin tocar un par de minutos al día con la intención de conectar con la información sensorial que recibimos de nuestro cuerpo (“The Power of Holding”)

3. Hacer ejercicios de arco, de acuerdo al nivel y edad de cada alumno, para facilitar la sensación de que el arco es una extensión del brazo derecho, igual que cuando escribimos el bolígrafo es una extensión de la mano, no nos molesta, simplemente lo utilizamos con naturalidad.

4. Asegurarnos constantemente de que el instrumento y los accesorios que el alumno usa son los correctos para el tamaño/tipo de cuerpo de ese alumno. Sujetar el instrumento es lo suficientemente complicado como para agregar la dificultad de un instrumento demasiado grande o pequeño, o un soporte muy bajo, o una silla muy alta, o un sujeta picas de cello que no alcanza, etc.

5. Podemos caminar, mientras sujetamos el instrumento sin tocar, sintiendo como si el instrumento fuera una extensión del cuerpo. Cellos y pueden hacer ejercicios de movimiento (swing side to side) en el lugar.

6. Tocar cuerdas al aire por varios minutos al dia, con el objetivo de producir un sonido resonante y lleno, con absoluta facilidad física, y observando que la postura sea óptima al hacerlo.

7. Mirar videos o fotos que hemos tomado durante clases privadas o conciertos pasados para analizar y entender donde exactamente tenemos tensión en el cuerpo, o donde nos falta equilibrio o fluidez de movimiento.

8. Tocar las piezas de repaso en cualquier habitación que tenga espejo para poder vernos bien mientras tocamos.

9. Sacar fotos o hacer videos mientras practicamos y luego observar las imágenes obtenidas con especial atención a la postura. Muchas veces no somos conscientes de cómo nos sentimos o movemos mientras tocamos.

10. Siempre ajustar el atril a la altura correcta, para no causar problemas de espalda.

11. Recordarles a los violinistas y violistas que practiquen de pie y no sentados, para así favorecer la libertad de movimiento corporal.

12. Analizar, estudiar, y hablar sobre la postura de intérpretes famosos que admiramos. ¿Qué es lo que más nos gusta de su postura o movimiento corporal?

Además, para aquellos directores que como yo trabajan en orquestas juveniles de bajos recursos (Title 1 schools, in English) casi nadie puede darse el lujo de tomar clases privadas y por lo tanto somos nosotros mismos los únicos maestros de nuestros adolescentes, y no nos queda otro remedio que prestar atención a este importantísimo elemento. Sin buena postura no hay buena técnica, y sin buena técnica no podemos desarrollar la expresión musical, por lo tanto colegas ¡manos a la obra!

© 2023 Cecilia Calvelo

“Pause” a powerful SEL tool in the orchestra classroom

Out of all mindful practices I have tried implementing in my orchestra classroom, I believe PAUSE has the most impact among my teens, and it is the one that I have encountered less resistance with. When we experience stress or feel in a rush, we can easily get agitated, become closed off, experience increased performance anxiety, trip over an instrument, bump a music stand, say something that may offend someone, or even do something we might regret. 

I myself have learned that before I jump to correct someone, or before I get worked up about something, I have to remember to take a breath and PAUSE. It helps with bringing awareness to an emotionally charged situation, it also helps with self regulation, with posture, with remembering an intention, with allowing others an extra moment to process something that was said, to relax and align a body that’s experiencing tension, to approach a sight reading passage carefully with strategy in mind, etc.

When I first introduced this idea, I told the kids I was doing it myself, to keep things cool from my end, but little by little I started asking them to do the same before they recorded a playing test, or played in front of others, or before they walked away from a charged emotional situation. With some kids it happened more naturally and with some others (normally with the students that are more impulsive) it is way harder but I keep reminding them to pause (and I will take points away from a play test if I notice the performer starts right the way without a moment of silence while checking bow hold, posture, or even just breathing) and even though this is an ongoing challenge, I think we are getting a little better at it.

I know there are plenty of SEL strategies and self reflection ideas that can be implemented not only for overall classroom management, but also for specific performance oriented ensemble settings. Have you chosen one that works for you and your students? Which one is it? Regardless, we have to have a plan, as the music classroom is the perfect ground for working on SEL. I hope we can educate a new generation of people who can get in touch with their emotions and let go of undesired stress. We don’t really need to react to every judgment we hear about our playing. The effects of stress and anxiety among performers is devastating and has to be talked about. When I was growing up no one talked about it or gave me any ideas of what to do to overcome the emotions and frustrations that performance brought to my life. Let’s change that discourse and start educating the hearts as much as we try to educate the intellect and bodies of our students!

©2023 Cecilia Calvelo

Thoughts on the New Year

For most of my adult life I remember writing new year resolutions on agendas, notebooks, small pieces of paper, sheet music (partituras), etc. I would sometimes even make small signs or decorated posters that I would display on my desk or kitchen window to be reminded of these noble aspirations every time I passed by. Undeniably, these good intentions showed my best but naive desire to be a better violinist, a healthier person, a more organized parent, a faster reader, a more organized teacher, etc. 

However, after the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020, I did not feel the need to continue with that tradition and so when January 2021 came I did something different and included nothing on that year’s resolutions that had to do with self improvement. That year, as I was beginning to understand the depth of our society's obsession with "improvement" (and how much dissatisfaction that brought, and how little "acceptance" it rendered) I decided to make a short list of the four mindful things I had already learned during the pandemic: to meditate a few minutes a day, to go for walks or step out in nature, to smile when I get up, and to be grateful for every bit of food I put in my mouth.

And then, at the beginning of 2022, I thought I didn’t need anything new added to that little list from 2021, so I left it intact on the kitchen’s window, and I was happy with continuing to look at it as it was.

And here we are now, January 2023, realizing I have not thought of resolutions or anything similar this time around, and in fact I am not even sure where I put my 2021 sign that was on my kitchen window until just a few months ago! This January I’m finding satisfaction in the fact that I can pause and reflect upon these old New Year traditions and not do much about them. And that brings me a new kind of peace that helps me realize, once again, that all we ever have is this moment, this breath, this second now. The past has ceased to exist and tomorrow has not yet been born, so resolutions that have to do with any moment that is not now are ephemeral at best. Time is therefore a human construct that we keep trying to control, segment or define, but regardless of the significance we want to assign to these dates and celebrations, time will continue to pass, inadvertently, as a series of nows, and it is then, in each now, that we can make choices, and grow in plenitude and peace.

So, I will continue to be a witness of the changing seasons and the nature all around me. I will continue to observe my thoughts and notice the changes in my body and the impermanence of all things in this fleeting life,

but it will be in a new year without resolutions, 

without self improvement promises, 

without little kitchen signs or expectations,

but with a gentle intention to breathe, 

to pause,

and to quiet the mind.

A new year,

to be, 

radically, 

this being that already is,

all around,

everywhere,

magically

and eternally,

conscious and aware of now,

in this green and blue,

planet.

Happy “new” year everyone, and all the best to you as we return to the classroom!

© 2023 Cecilia Calvelo

Orchestra Teaching Ideas for a Title 1 Public School Program

As a public school orchestra teacher I never have the luxury of working with individual students. My classes are really big and so even our after school sectionals can be pretty large. Furthermore, at a Title 1 School kids do not have private teachers, and many times kids do not have space in their living conditions to take instruments home for practice, so we have to maximize our time together during class. One of the things I have learned since taking this position is that what doesn't get done at school does not get done, period! 

Before continuing, let me define a Title 1 School like the one I work at: 97.1% of our families are economically disadvantaged, 74.7% are English Language Learners, 13.8% are in Special Ed, we have more boys than girls, we have a chronic absenteeism problem (that is slowly getting better but still kids miss school a bunch), very few of our families own a home but rent apartments instead, which causes a high rate of movement within the district or even to other school districts, we have a large number of "at risk" students, and we are failing the official state assessment for academic readiness. We have no PTA, and I do not get any parent volunteers for any concert or after school events. And, it is under these conditions that we teach music and no wonder we cannot compete with other orchestra programs that have less extreme situations to cope with.

The schedule is also tricky, I don't have separate upper and lower strings classes like other public school programs do, so I teach all instruments together. We have double periods (90 minutes long) which is pretty tiring for most 6th graders and even for some of the 7th graders. I have to be very explicit with classroom expectations or else we would trip over open cases, there would be people eating in the middle of class and overall chaos would quickly settle in. Therefore, I hold on to the Orchestra Handbook and read it aloud again and again when students break the rules, I try to have copies of the classroom expectations taped to the music stands and on walls, I have wipes ready to clean dirty hands at all times, and even though I cannot fight all battles, I hold on to the important ones like a lion. I try to let the beginners move even if for brief moments, and I walk around the classroom myself replacing instruments on shoulders or adjusting right hands to make round bow holds so that kinesthetic learners "feel" the correct placement of instrument and bow. 

Regardless, here are some things that are working well in my orchestra classes:

• Bow exercises: there exercises are very important for developing a good bow hold, which then translates into good tone, good articulation and good musicality! They are fun, dynamic and they engage the body in a way that's very natural and creative. We do them at the beginning of class, as part of the warm up, without exception.

• Movement: standing up to play is excellent for violins and violas to ensure good posture and that instruments stay up on the shoulder, and it is also very important for beginning Bass players who need to balance the bass against their body in an upright position. Cellos experience movement swinging/swaying from side to side on the beat. I also allow students who are answering questions or who are demonstrating something to stand up. Even though that is not much movement, it is better than sitting down for all the 90 minutes.

• Keep them busy: this is a powerful classroom management tip for any classroom, but in a Title 1 school with severe behavior problems it is extremely important. Idling time only invites people getting up from their chairs, tripping over cellos, use of bad language, phones coming out of backpacks, bows breaking, etc.

• Open String exercises: these Russian exercises for bow distribution, bow speed and bow control in general are very important in my classroom. We always try new rhythms and bowings on open strings which seems to help students memorize rhythmic patterns. While we do open strings we do not have to worry about the left hand, so we can focus all attention solely on the way the bow's hairs travel through the string. It is while doing this exercise that I introduce the idea of "tilting" the bow. In my experience, once the students understand what "tilting" is (basically we set the bow on the string with hairs slightly facing the bridge) they get a bigger tone and definitely articulation becomes more clear.

• Dice/Number cards: when doing drills of any sort (left hand patterns, a couple of measures from a difficult passage, a string crossing exercise, etc) we decide on the number of repetitions by rolling dice or pulling a card from a deck of number cards. Middle schoolers love to find out how many times they'll have to repeat something! Perhaps they get 1 😉

• Singing: we SING the music we are learning, and we chant rhythms all together too using our voices. This is something they can practice at home without the instrument so I have learned to take advantage of this kind of practice.

• Videos: I make videos of the difficult spots so students can watch them from home and learn concepts even if just mentally. The next time they come to class they remember the tricky spots and the specific techniques to overcome them even if they did not get to do it physically on their instrument.

• Orchestra helpers: There are many things I need help with at school, so there are lots of classroom duties to share among us. Some kids are good helping with attendance, others with technology, others with concert programs, or with passing music, collecting tuners or cello straps, setting up the orchestra, etc. Also, I send strong players to work with students who might be lost or struggling, so they can help the struggling student with a passage or technical concept. They love to teach others. It makes them feel important and needed. This helps students take ownership of their playing and it is a bonding experience for everyone.

• Listening: we listen to the pieces we are learning during class towards the middle of the 90 minute period. In that way they get a break from playing and also I make sure the listening gets done (I cannot trust that they will do it at home; some work in the evenings, some do not have internet, some of them are refugees and so don't speak English and consequently may not understand the assignment, etc.) This is an important aspect of ear training. It helps with intonation, phrasing, overall musicianship and it also gives them context, and I mean "context" in every sense of the word. The vast majority of them have never been to a western orchestra concert so they are completely new to the way an orchestra sets up on stage, they don't know the instruments that are part of the orchestra, etc. Listening gives them too an aural concept of the music we are playing (harmonic context, rhythmic context, they also get to hear the different timbers of an orchestra, etc.) When we listen to videos together I can pause and point at things I want the kids to notice or make reference to details that would get lost if they watched these videos on their own. For all these reasons I take the listening portion of class pretty seriously. I really think it helps a lot.

• Exit tickets: I'm beginning to do these at the end of every class before we pack up. That means you cannot put your instrument away and get ready to leave unless you demonstrate mastery of something. Normally we are all mastering the same thing at the same time, but many times I have kids who are behind (at a Title 1 school we accept kids year round, mostly refugees who come in at different times throughout the year, so sometimes I have a kid mastering the D Major scale when others are mastering something way more advanced) These tickets really motivate them to focus, they really like to be the first ones to pack up and get ready to leave before the bell rings. This used to make me a little sad but now I accept it as the reality of my school.

Teaching at a Title 1 school is a very humbling experience but it is also an excellent opportunity to let go of fluff and work on what's really important. Respect, kindness and accountability are pretty high on my list. Please email me if you are a Title 1 school orchestra teacher, we can exchange ideas and share what's working in our classes to stay afloat all the storms 🙏

© 2022 Cecilia Calvelo 

Pedagogues and musicians whose work have influenced my teaching

Today I'm thinking of musicians, pedagogues, researchers and other personalities who, besides Shinichi Suzuki, have had an influence in my life. They each represent a time in my personal and professional development. You can read some of their quotes below:

_________________________________________________

"The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done." (Jean Piaget, 1896-1980)

"Elemental music is never just music. It's bound up with movement, dance and speech, and so it is a form of music in which one must participate, in which one is involved not as a listener but as a co-performer." (Carl Orff, 1895-1982) 

"And I would advise my young colleagues, the composers of symphonies, to drop in sometimes at the kindergarten, too. It is there that it is decided whether there will be anybody to understand their works in twenty years' time." (Zoltan Kodaly, 1882-1967)  

“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable" (Leonard Bernstein, 1918-1990)

"One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child." (Maria Montessori, 1870-1952)

"La música es el arte más efímero que existe. No la puedes atrapar. Incluso al escuchar un disco, cuando se ha terminado, queda en tu memoria. En ese sentido la música es el arte de la memoria por excelencia. Por eso es tan importante que en la interpretación de la música haya emoción, belleza e intensidad. Si hay un arte que no puede tener un museo es la música. Ésta es siempre viva." (Jordi Savall)

"Honesty comes only with sound health, physically and psychologically, and an honest mind cannot be separated from the most genuine acknowledgment of expression. It should be recognized that pure perfection is unobtainable. Therefore, the realization that one's irrevocable faults and deficiencies must be faced, guides us toward the first step of learning. We must each accept any situation as it actually is, with dignity. In that fine balance of acceptance of self and the mission to better oneself, compassion, humility, and discipline are nurtured." (Midori Goto)

"Creativity is as important now in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status" (Sir Ken Robinson 1950-2020)

"It is far more important that someone plays music for which they feel a special affinity and have something individual to say than mere technical perfection. Perfection is in itself limited – the message should take us beyond perfection" (Gidon Kremer)

"It is vital that when educating our children’s brains we do not neglect to educate their hearts, a key element of which has to be the nurturing of our compassionate nature" (Dalai Lama, 1935)

"The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice" (Peggy O'Mara)

"Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance" (Verna Myers)

Practicing mindfully, Zen and Suzuki

I am a Suzuki teacher who has lived in different places throughout my life and as a result I've learned that moving faces you with professional difficulties that take time to subside. Every time you change places you start from zero, new families, new Twinklers, new youth orchestras, different systems (rhythm counting, solfege, letter names, etc) new lyrics for all Book 1 rep, you have to find a new place for your group classes, a new pianist to accompany your students, you have to connect with the local music community to find out where luthiers and music stores are, not to mention you have to deal with different Suzuki world regions who may or may not recognize your training, etc. 

However, if there is one thing I've enjoyed about restarting every time it is the opportunity to rethink the way I've done things in the past and how to move forward. Looking back each move has had a theme which had to do with not only the new place I moved to but also with where I was developmentally as a person and teacher at that time in my life. This last move of ours was pretty challenging. We had taken two teens away from their comfort zones and we were not as resilient as other times. It took a good while to get everyone settled into our new realities (house, school, work, after-school classes, doctors, etc) and right as we were beginning to feel like no such outsiders, Covid hit and everything got totally turned upside down. I had to learn to go with the flow like never before in my life and, in an attempt to maintain my sanity, I started to practice meditation and to research the subject of mindful living. Surprisingly, about eight months after I started this new spiritual path the International Suzuki Association publicly shared the old “Talent Education Journals” that Dr. Suzuki himself had been in charge of producing from 1979 to 1985. I was so excited to read what this fascinating collection of articles would have, and to my surprise the first six of those journals have articles on Zen Buddhism. Each of these articles ends the first 6 journals, and in order of appearance, from Journal 1 through 6, they are:

“Zen and Human Education” by Osamu Yoshida

“Zen and Self-Realization Part I” by Osamu Yoshida

“Zen and Self-Realization Part II” by Osamu Yoshida

“Zen and the Arts” by Osamu Yoshida

“Zen and Daily Life” by Osamu Yoshida

And “Everyone is Equal, Use and Grow” by Ichiro Tsuneoka

(Here the link to the International Suzuki Association webpage where you can read them)

Why would Dr. Suzuki choose to have such a presence of Zen Buddhism in his early journals? We do know that he was a very mindful human being, very present and whole, he embraced change, he practiced Japanese calligraphy, made children memorize haikus, and spoke of noble hearts and love (which I now know are all  Buddhist characteristics) But, why haven’t we heard much of the word "Zen" or "Buddhism" during Suzuki training courses, conferences, or summer institutes? or why didn't the following journals after 1980 continue to talk about Zen? I am not sure, but obviously Buddhism was not foreign to Dr. Suzuki and he wanted to acknowledge some aspects of it by bringing up in the above mentioned articles our Buddha-nature, the Dhamma teachings, self awareness, human suffering, attachment to concepts, sentient beings, and emptying the mind.

I will continue to explore this subject because I’d like to understand more profoundly what Dr. Suzuki was trying to tell us. Perhaps between his advocacy for the greatest economy of expression (very Zen-like) and the many cultural differences and language barriers that he himself had to face, as well as the cultural and language barriers Western violinists must have had to bridge when they arrived to Japan to study with him, something got lost in translation. But for sure, and just like he always told us “Man is a product of his environment” and he was too a product of his. Buddhism and Shinto are still today the official religions of Japan and one of Suzuki’s maternal uncles, Fuzan Asamo, was a Zen master with whom Dr. Suzuki apparently spent several years of his youth.

I hope my words will inspire you to consider the importance of this topic in our field of study or at least inspire you to view Suzuki philosophy as a more mindful lifestyle that takes into account the harmony and interconnectedness between body and mind, self and others, parent and child, and ultimately our emotional well being. Practice with compassion and soft heart, especially if you are a Suzuki parent or teacher so we can model that for our children. This is a skilful way of living that respects our existence as is, without comparisons or rushes, without short cuts or illusions. Let us practice focusing on one thing at a time, one breath at a time, let us practice slowly and with awareness, with patience and joy, because I think this is how we truly nurture noble hearts.

© 2021 Cecilia Calvelo