Sunday, January 19, 2025 by Liana Goldsmith | Uncategorized

Les préparations sont en cours pour le grand concert Dr. Suzuki qui aura lieu dimanche le 9 février 2025 à 14h30 à la salle de concert Oscar Peterson. 

Preparations are underway for the big Dr. Suzuki Tribute Concert that will take place Sunday February 9, 2025 at 2:30pm at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall on Loyola Campus of Concordia University. 

Concert admission will be free of charge for audience members. Participation in the concert costs $25 per student. Instruments featured : violins, violas, cellos, orchestras, and pianos. If anyone is interested in exploring different instrument options for their young children, this is a great opportunity to attend a family-friendly concert to give your child the chance to experience the sound live. 

Si jamais vous cherchez un instrument pour votre jeune enfant, mais vous ne savez pas comment décider, ceci est un occasion parfait pour vous! Venez écouter tous les instruments à notre concert ouvert à toute la famille! 

Si vous avez des questions, n'hésitez pas à me contacter! 

Tuesday, August 15, 2023 by Liana Goldsmith | Uncategorized

This past week, my family and I attended SOSI (Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute) in Waterloo, Ontario.

I thought to write a brief blog post about our experience, as this was the first time for my children. 

Many, many years ago, I spent a week every summer with my family at SOSI (which originally was held at the University of Guelph). A Suzuki kid at heart, I knew that I wanted to give my children the opportunity to experience the beautiful, positive energy and motivation experienced at Suzuki institutes across the globe. 

Suzuki Institutes are held in different parts of the world for all students to come together to make music together, to study with Master Teachers and to share musical experiences. Often, they are held on a university campus, where many people opt to stay in on-campus housing, to be close to classes. Children meet other children who study music, as they do. Parents meet other parents who have similar values and can share experiences (or struggles!) and get new ideas or solutions for how to better support our children through their musical journey. 

The week is gruelling and intense, with classes from 8 in the morning until 4-ish in the afternoon. There are parent talks, concerts and social events in the evenings. The basic program includes a daily private lesson in a masterclass format, a group class and either a reading class or orchestra. Many institutes often offer enrichment classes offering students a chance to discover different aspects of playing such as Viola for Violinists, Fiddling, Chamber Music, Improvisation, Choir or Percussion. This institute even has a musical. This year, the musical was The Emoji Musical. 

Throughout the week, there are student recitals after lunch. There are many recitals on Friday, as it is the last day. There is also a Final Concert where all string students present the works they have been reviewing or working on in group class and orchestra. It is an uplifting moment where everyone makes beautiful music together. As a Suzuki kid, a part of me is always longing to grab my violin and join them!

My children took the time to revisit the basics such as bow hold, posture and position with a new instrument (both of them!) and tone. They conquered challenges that had been plaguing them for the whole year. They felt seen, heard and respected by their amazing teachers, who in only a week were able to reach them, understand them, motivate them. They made new friends, developed closer friendships with other children from their home studio and left with fresh energy and motivation for the year to come. 

It *is* as tiring as it all sounds, but by the end of the week, we have all filled our practice strategy and motivation buckets to the max, making this busy week a very worthwhile sacrifice. It was a strategic choice to come to SOSI, as it is in mid-August, thus, setting our family up for a productive and positive musical academic year. My hope is that my children will take home fresh motivation and new practice strategies that they can use throughout the year to progress on their instruments. As a mom to two pre-teen boys, any help is more than welcome! 

As a Suzuki violin teacher, it is also a great opportunity for me to recharge my teaching battery and to gather new ideas to bring new energy into my studio for the year to come. Observing Master Teachers teaching is a large part of teacher development in the Suzuki method. I take elaborate notes and make lists of ideas to try in the coming months, years and more! It is a beautiful experience. I recommend it to all my Suzuki families! 

Thursday, April 7, 2022 by Liana Goldsmith | Uncategorized

Institut Suzuki Montréal 2022

July 17 - 22, 2022   Main Week

Visit http://www.suzuki-montreal.com for more information. 

Registration to open mid-April

Sunday, January 5, 2020 by Liana Goldsmith | Uncategorized

Performance at Complexe Desjardins

On December 20, 2019, the Suzuki community of the Greater Montreal region came together to give a holiday concert at Complexe Desjardins. Violin and cello students of teachers of Suzuki Musique Montreal, the Quebec chapter of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, performed selections from the Suzuki repertoire in addition to some holiday favourites for the shoppers and people milling around the mall. It was a very nice way to close the fall session and kick off the holidays. Thank you to all who participated! 

Happy new year! 

Le 20 décembre 2019, la communauté Suzuki de la grande région de Montréal ont donné une prestation combinée de violons et violoncelles à Complexe Desjardins. Les élèves des professeur(e)s, membres de Suzuki Musique Montréal, ont interprèté plusieurs séléctions du répertoire Suzuki ainsi que quelques chansons bien connues pour la grande publique. C'était une belle façon de clôturer la session d'automne et de débuter le temps des fêtes! Merci à tous les élèves et professeur(e)s qui ont participé! 

Bonne année à tous!

Wednesday, August 14, 2019 by Liana Goldsmith | Uncategorized

Fall Registration 2019-20

I am excited to welcome you all back to another year! I have some new ideas about how to guide and facilitate more productive and efficient home practice, note-taking in lessons and of course, new music for everyone to learn!

Just a reminder to returning families that the Registration email has been sent out and I am slowly putting together the schedule for the coming year. Please remember to submit your scheduling preferences for the coming year.

Thank you for your collaboration!

Inscriptions 2019-20

J’ai hâte de vous revoir sous peu! J’ai de nouvelles idées pour guider et faciliter une pratique efficace à la maison, mieux prendre les notes pendant les cours (parents ou élèves), et bien sûr de la nouvelle musique! 

Un petit rappel pour remplir le formulaire de préférences pour l’année 2019-20. Je suis présentement en train d’organiser l’horaire pour la rentrée. N’oubliez pas de retourner votre formulaire de préférences pour la rentrée dès que possible. 

Merci beaucoup de votre collaboration!

Bonne rentrée!