I have to observe eight hours of other people’s Suzuki lessons as part of my Level 2 Suzuki training that I am currently doing online. This takes more than eight hours, because I have to write about the observations. And I think about what happened. Maybe order a teaching material that I didn’t have. I am learning an incredible amount of hands-on Suzuki teaching just by observing. Here are my top 10 take-aways after 2 hours of observing:

1. The lesson should be organized, but it should also be flexible for the unexpected (if there’s a question or correction).
2. What the teacher says is pretty important, but how she says it is even more important. Creating a sense of magic and fun is conveyed mostly by tone of voice.
3. Teach to a primary piece of literature, but have lots of preliminary material that leads up to it. And have fun material afterwards that emphasize fun (like playing along with a rhythm section).
4. Have a little check list that the student checks off when she is finished with something.
5. Have lots of learning/teaching games, aids, toys. These help the student to remain fascinated.
6. Having several people in the room at the same time interacting is a great dynamic.
7. Sing a lot and have the student sing a lot. Play piano or the duet line when possible.
8. Indicate what you want discretely while the student is playing. For instance, whisper the lengths of notes.
9. Stay engaged the whole time.
10. Have fun competitions to encourage growth.