This has been a fantastic week at the Colorado Suzuki Institute!!!

Think about the countless types of people there are on the planet; think about the uniqueness of snowflakes and apply that concept to people…!

We all love to see the myriad shapes and facets of snowflakes…what if we saw each person we met as if they were a snowflake–impeccably unique, sparkling, and in a state of constant transformation?  We can fill our lives with this appreciation for people, and teach our children how to do the same through our example.

When you are in conversation this summer on the plaza, or at the skating rink, or waiting to be seated at dinner, keep one nugget that was shared in passing conversation and translate it for your children. For example, recently someone was overheard to say that they felt compelled to change the refrain, “I’m SO busy”, to ,”My life is so FULL.” Isn’t that lovely?! Our laundry list of todos and scheduled events is really a reflection of what we have: opportunity, great company, and great vision.

So point out the snowflakes to your children this summer–the teachers who may be quiet but sparkle and ignite knowledge, the peers in class who are trying to speak but aren’t always heard, the neighbors down the hall who practice with their door open.  We reflect each other and if you smile at others, your children will too.

Suzuki said, “Where love is deep, much can be accomplished.”

Casals said, “Perhaps it is music that will save the world.”

When we arrive at institute we are immediately surrounded by people who are excited about making music!! We get to meet new people and reconnect with familiar friends from previous years. Some Suzuki kids attend institute for many summers in a row, thereby becoming close friends with other students from all over the country and world. How better to learn about other places then to hear about them first-hand!

We encourage curiosity this way, a skill both in music and in life. When we are curious, we are self-motivated. When we are self-motivated, our experiences are so much more deeply absorbed. How exciting to consider Suzuki’s realization that kids motivate kids–so we hold group class, group concerts, group outings to play for others…all of this giving is what creates tomorrow’s citizens.

“Fine tone, fine heart” said Dr. Suzuki.

Enjoy your friends old and new this summer at Colorado Suzuki Institute! Greet people you recognize, even if you can’t quite remember their name, and greet people you don’t recognize-everybody loves to be smiled at and our kids benefit the most.

In the Suzuki Method we have the great bonus of a triangle of investment in our children’s growth: the parent, the teacher, and the child. This triangle is so brilliant–the teacher guides the material and presentation, the parent guides the digestion of the material, and the student plays.

One of the magical things about institute is that the triangle often expands with grandparents, aunts or uncles, siblings, or other helpers brought along to cover the schedules of multiple students. When a family comes to institute and they have more than one child participating, it is impossible for them to be at all of the classes of all of the children, so often grandparents or others are recruited to come along and act as surrogates.

This creates an expanded support system for the triangle!! Students get extra attention, parents get relief from the challenge of juggling, and teachers get to encourage even more people who are investing in the students in front of them. Wonderful relationships that already exist are deepened and shared experience boosts the effort of study all year following institute!!

This is another way in which coming to institute is both a fantastic opportunity for great inspiration, but also a fantastic time for family vacation!!