Today, another workshop day with Suzuki Trumpet, Level Two. This seminar is going well, and we are all soaking in so much, so that we can be better teachers. I observed two hours of guitar Suzuki lessons and a masterclass. These were with young kids, but the level was pretty high (book 4, which means that the kids have taken lessons for at least about four years).

These lessons were virtual and more like college-level lessons. A lot of specific suggestions and plain old talking about how to be a better guitarist. But I still came away with some of my favorite observations:

1. Ask a lot of questions, prompt students to remember previous lessons.
2. Offer options suggested by students themselves (like their preferred dynamics).
3. Have peer comments be focused on complements.
4. Throw in historic facts (but make them short).
5. Work on some details before going through whole piece.