Reflections on Group classes

Hi everyone!

Thank you for your participation and positivity during our online group classes. As we all adapt to ZOOM and all of its possibilities and frustrations we are in this together. We are all trying our best and learning how to teach in this format and how to learn in this format. Thank you thank you thank you!

So I just listened to a wonderful hour and a half ZOOM meetup helping people with group class moderated by a bunch of my esteemed Suzuki Colleagues throughly the USA. It’s long and I decided to distill key points for you as parents.

Much of this Zoom video is to help us your teachers 🙂

Here’s the original https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/vcYuIuD-pjI3SdPH4wSDAPN_W43oLKqshiMar6dYmky3VSICNwekb-ERNuNqnL6G4rEUYVSGOF9S1dge?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=HGUuvhJRT0y8KfT4kS3cuw.1587999990861.3278c7a0668565095159b89cea67f847&_x_zm_rhtaid=87

Benefits of Group class

  1. Instill Hope

    Witness and celebrate growth and change in the individuals of the group

  2. Universality

    We’re in this together, all working on the same thing and we all have challenging bits

  3. Impart Information

    General sharing of Theory, scales, exercises to group all at once. Use of manipulatives, screen shares.

  4. Altruism

    Value of offering yourself to others.

    Bravest thing you can do is show up and be there for your group friends.

  5. Functionality of being in a group

    Each group dynamic is different from say your home group or soccer or school.

  6. Development of socializing technique

    Learning how to work together.

  7. Imitative behaviour

    This is already inherent in the Suzuki method.

  8. Interpersonal learning

    Seeing pets, homes, where kids practice etc.

  9. Group cohesive

    Develop a sense of “we”-ness, need to maintain connectedness/violin community.

  10. Catharsis

    A place to acknowledge that this is hard for everyone. Laugher is good.

Reasons for difficulty for students in private and group online instruction. Naming these struggles is helpful .

Challenges: ( It’s okay And very normal to feel these things)

You are not in same physical space you connect with for lessons. You not driving there and experiencing entering familiar space that triggers this is time for violin.

You are not experiencing lessons in 3-D and real time. And its a challenge to figure out where to look : camera, yourself on screen , teacher or other kids.

Sound perception is processed in delay and quality of tone is compromised.

The feeling that this is unnatural can be very disconcerting especially to our youngest students.The loss of control can create anxiety.

Things feel upside down and not the same and that is exhausting.

These groups are not the same as our in person groups and can feel isolating even though we are together.

Loss of human touch. Energy of being together.

I believe that despite these challenges we continue working, learning and growing .

We embrace change together.

with warm regards,

SSM faculty