Nurturing Triangle

As a teacher, I spend a lot of time right now making sure I’m using the technology needed to make lessons work. I worry about whether I am reaching all of my students effectively. I am continually searching for new creative ideas that keep us all motivated and learning.

My own experience made me curious about the perspective of Suzuki parents.

What are teachers doing right now that is helping them the most? What can I learn from the things they share to better support the parents in my studio?

To do a little informal research, I posed this question to a Facebook group I’m in with both teachers and parents: “What has your teacher done during this time of online lessons that has helped you the most?”

Here is some of what they shared:

They kept going

Parents mentioned simply appreciating the fact that teachers are willing to go online and keep lessons going. Some families have multiple teachers they are working with because the students are learning different instruments, and they expressed appreciation that lessons were able to be adapted and to keep going forward.

Flexibility

Parents also appreciated their teacher’s flexibility—whether that meant that lesson times were divided up into two shorter lessons, or the lesson time was moved earlier in the day, or simply being flexible within one given lesson depending on everything going on for that child on that particular day.

Creativity

Some teachers are using props in lessons to keep younger students engaged. Others realize that video conferencing is too much for particular students and are being creative with different ways to connect and keep their students practicing.

Using video

Parents mentioned two ways their teachers were helping through the use of videos. In between lessons, some teachers have been requesting videos of their students playing to hear them with excellent sound quality. Parents also found it helpful if teachers recorded parts of the lesson and sent them to the parents so they could be used to practice with during the week.

Patience

There was a lot of gratitude expressed for patience with bad Internet connections and parents who are overwhelmed. One parent expressed gratitude for their teacher being patient when they accidentally forgot their lesson time.

Everyone is going through so many things right now, and patience goes a long way!

Connection

To me, the most touching answer was the connection that teachers kept with their students. One parent mentioned their teacher set up a Google classroom to keep everyone connected and the communication open.

Another mentioned the teacher being available by text if there are questions that come up during the week.

Still others mentioned that their teacher was taking time to just check in about topics that had nothing to do with music and connect on a personal level.

Parent Elizabeth Davis said: “Our teacher is the most positive person I have ever known and she has become the one constant thing in our new normal.”

As teachers, we want to support our students and see them progress. We want to help keep their love of music alive during this unusual time. We know how important parents are to the Suzuki triangle, and hearing their perspective on how teachers have helped them these past few months was incredibly touching. I think keeping in mind all of these ways to help and taking them to heart can help us continue to work together productively.

As Suzuki parent Alan Duncan wrote: “We are really grateful for how the teaching community has come together and made this work for students and in supporting one another.”

So thank you, teachers! You are making a difference and we all appreciate you.