My four year old daughter, Gillian, insists on taking her finely crafted, kid-sized classical guitar out of its case herself before our daily lesson. As we learned in class, she places herself in front of the simple oak stool I cut down to fit her, feet together, guitar in hand tucked under her right arm, standing straight and tall. In unison, we bow deeply and say "hippopatamusic" to begin our lesson. Gillian carefully brushes a strand of hair from her eye, focuses intently on me, and asks, "What are we going to practice today, Dad?" At that moment I am so glad my wife and I signed up for Suzuki guitar lessons at Longay Conservatory of Guitar. There is much to be learned from these lessons that transcends playing the guitar—much more.
Had I been paying attention at the open house in March instead of sitting in the back coloring with Gillian, I might never have signed up. While I was focused on playing with my daughter, Frank Longay, who founded the conservatory over 23 years ago, was explaining that one or both parents are required to take a twelve week course on Friday evenings to learn how to become Suzuki guitar parent-teachers. I missed the part when Frank explained that parents are teachers, and really the lynchpin to the Suzuki approach to teaching music.
So we signed up—there on the spot. A few weeks passed, and my wife reminded me that classes started the following week. "Are you sure you can make every Friday night?" she asked. That’s when I discovered that I’d be in class with a half-dozen or so parents for twelve weeks. There was no turning back by then, and besides I saw it as an opportunity to step out of my usual routine. Each week, I and seven other parents learned how to be Suzuki guitar teachers to our kids. The school loaned us guitars for the twelve weeks. By practicing a little every day, we learned building blocks including technique, position, posture, finger placement,
how to read music and more. By graduation, we could all play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star like pros—well, at least we could play well enough to teach our kids. It was during the classes that I figured out that there was much more to Suzuki than just guitar.
After the third week of teaching my daughter, and joining her at her weekly half-hour instructor-led classes, I realized that the classes were making me a better parent, and my daughter was getting tools and building blocks that she needs to grow and become a better person. Every day I teach Gillian for ten or fifteen minutes. Those fifteen minutes are fun—that’s part of the trick, you make it fun. She knows that without fail, I will dedicate my time and attention to her—to help her learn something that will be hers. She too, dedicates herself to me for those ten or fifteen minutes—willingly, and happily. She learns that dedication pays off. At first, we are both surprised when little by little, one careful step at a time, it comes together and we progress to the next step. When she sits down, poised and relaxed, with great posture, I am aware that I am slouching—and quickly straighten up before she notices. She wants to do her very best every time. Some days she gets frustrated, so we slow it down and focus more on games that motivate her and help her learn.
In time, she will progress beyond my capability as a teacher and guitar player—maybe she will teach me one day. I cherish those ten or fifteen minutes I have with her because I know that my little girl will grow up fast. Longay is a perfect excuse to make the most of my short time with her while I can. Attend Frank’s next open house and see for yourself what Suzuki guitar is all about. Frank has dedicated himself to building a great learning institution and more importantly, building great kids. Longay’s conservatory is a gem; anyone who lives close enough to his Santa Clara conservatory should give it a try. At the conclusion of the open house, I recommend that you don’t hem and haw whether you should try it—just sign up and for the parent class to see if itŐs right for you and your family.
