November 20th, 2023

     Our first recital of the semester was this past weekend, and everyone did amazingly!! :D  It brings so much joy to see (and hear) the final product after my students challenge themselves, work hard on their pieces, and focus on making it beautiful. I am taking this week off, but we still have a few more weeks of lessons, plus one more recital before the semester ends. 

    Pre-Twinklers will be kicking off our December 9th recital at 1:30pm with a combination of box-violin and real-violin pieces. Students who are graduating Twinkles and Suzuki Books (plus a few students who could not attend their November 18th recital) will get to be my pre-twinkle helpers at 1:30, and then will stay for their graduation pieces. Although school goes for another week after this, the December 9th recital will mark the end of my fall semester lessons and classes. 

     I will be taking a bit of an extended Winter Break myself to spend a little extra vacation time with my family, however my students (plus other Suzuki students in the Suzuki Association of Southcentral Alaska) are invited to join our combined performance group to play a set at the Anchorage Folk Festival in January. This will be led by myself as well as a number of other Suzuki teachers within our community. 

    Before I get my full Spring Semester going in February, I will be offering a three-week-long “Winter Block” in January from January 16th through February 2nd. Lesson times for this block of lessons are limited, and will be scheduled first-come-first-serve. Current families can register from the Portal calendar, or by contacting me directly for availability. 

     The 2024 Spring Semester will kick off with a mandatory Parent Orientation (this can be attended in person or on Zoom) on Saturday, February 3rd. ALL RETURNING AND NEW FAMILIES MUST REGISTER BY JANUARY 20th!!! (Please be sure to provide AT LEAST three lesson time options, and fill separate forms out for each sibling.) 

     I think this is all for now, although I am sure I will think of more updates soon. I am so excited for our upcoming recitals and performances and the opportunity to share all the hard work you have all put into this semester. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, everyone! 

Ms. Amanda